Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Avs Or Sharks?

05/08/2019 at 4:01pm EDT

from Mike Chambers of the Denver Post,

They were destined to not make the playoffs. They were destined to be done after the April 6 regular-season finale at San Jose.

More than a month later, the Avs are still alive, and their season could still end in San Jose. Their late-season turnaround was remarkable — finishing 8-1-2 to collect the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot — as well as their 7-4 playoff record heading into Game 7 on Wednesday at the SAP Center.

The Avs are a league-best 15-5-2 since March 17.

“When you get past the first round, you really start to think that you can win it all,” Avs right winger Mikko Rantanen said after Wednesday’s morning skate. “It’s second round, Game 7 — it’s hard to think about going out. It would be a big disappointment but I don’t want to think about. I only think about the win and next round. So it would be more of a disappointment than being proud.”

Defenseman Ian Cole — a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins — also said it’s far too early to be proud of anything.

read on

from the Mercury News,

We turned to our Sharks beat writer Curtis Pashelka and his Denver Post counterpart Mike Chambers to lend their expertise as we sort through the matchups and possibilities in Game 7.

Q: Both teams have had outstanding goalie play at times in this series despite some very uneven stretches throughout the season. Does one team appear to have an advantage at the game’s most critical position?

Pashelka: I’m not sure there’s a big advantage either way. Grubauer has had to face more shots on the whole, but I think Jones has had to face more Grade A chances against. The biggest thing for either goalie will be how their teammates can defend in front of them. In Game 6, the Sharks blew assignments in their own end or made mistakes on odd-man rushes (Tyson Jost’s goal a prime example).

Chambers: I’d say Grubauer has the edge but Martin is at home so it’s about even.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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