The San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche will be facing off tomorrow for Game 7 of the second round. Here are three keys for victory for the Avalanche.
The Colorado Avalanche silenced the doubters when they beat the Calgary Flames in five quick games. Now, they have the chance to book their ticket to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since the 2001-2002 season. All that stands in their way is the offensive machine that is the San Jose Sharks.
Here are three keys for victory for the Avalanche in Game 7.
3. Take advantage of the rest
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The Avalanche took care of the Flames in just five games and as a result, they had six days to rest before opening up Round 2 against the Sharks. San Jose, on the other hand, fought tooth and claw against the Vegas Golden Knights and ended up with a legendary comeback in the third period of Game 7. It was a phenomenal story, but it drained the Sharks and now they’re back in the ringer for their second Game 7.
Colorado needs to use their rest and San Jose’s fatigue to their advantage. The Avalanche are an extremely fast team with a very mobile defense and they need to use that to outskate and outplay the Sharks.
2. Nathan MacKinnon
Nathan MacKinnon has shown that he has the ability to put the team on his back. The Avalanche have had a lot of depth players step up and produce, but Game 7 is when your stars shine. MacKinnon has the talent to completely transform the game.
His speed and strength on the puck make him unstoppable and once he gets his jets going, no one can stand in his way. He’s already had three goals this series, including two game-winners and he will be looking to produce big for his team tomorrow night.
1. Philip Grubauer
Philip Grubauer stole the show in the first round, shutting the Flames down with a dominant .939 save percentage. He has played well in the Sharks’ series, but not as well as he has a .918 save percentage. Luckily, the guy on the other end (Martin Jones) has not had a good season and has relied on the offense to bail him out numerous times.
San Jose’s bread and butter is their unbelievable knack for goalscoring and the Avalanche need Grubauer to stand on his head if they want to win Game 7. He shut the Sharks out in Game 4 and if he can put on a performance like that again, Colorado will cruise into the next round.