from Ed Graney of the Las Vegs Review-Journal,

I am sure about this: DeBoer and his team are flawlessly playing the underdog role.

Perhaps the Avalanche should try such a narrative.

Sportsbooks still favor Colorado to emerge victorious in this West Division final, but anyone who witnessed Games 3 and 4 at T-Mobile Arena might struggle buying such a forecast.

Its confidence will rightly stem from going 16-0-1 in the final 17 regular-season home games and being 4-0 in the playoffs at Ball Arena. Its doubt will stem from how the Knights have controlled play from the second period on of Game 2.

“I don’t know if mental toughness is the right (term),” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “But your mentality coming into the game and your approach from a mental standpoint is really important. We can talk about adjustments and this and that, but it’s pretty clear what they’re doing.”

The Knights are making life difficult on Colorado, and the Avalanche aren’t responding in kind. They’re getting beat up and down the ice time and again. It’s not like pickup basketball at the YMCA and nobody feels a need to get back on defense, but it’s close enough.

In the two losses, Bednar’s team couldn’t crack the structure of the Knights, who have been terrific at making a play in the defensive zone, throwing the puck out and attacking the neutral zone.

“They’re coming at us 100 miles per hour,” Bednar said. “All of their lines are executing really well. We have to start getting back above them. They’re coming every single time. We have to earn our ice and earn our space.”

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