Colorado Avalanche: 4 Keys to Beating the Sharks in Round 2

The Colorado Avalanche will play the San Jose Sharks in the second round of the 2019 NHL Playoffs. Here are the keys to the series for Colorado.

The Colorado Avalanche are set to face the San Jose Sharks for the fifth time in team history. Currently, they’re split in the playoffs — having won two series and lost two. This one will provide the tipping point.

No pressure.

In truth, it doesn’t look like this Avs team is succumbing to any pressure. They slid into the playoffs at the 11th hour and promptly beat the Best in the West Calgary Flames. They’re young, they’re hip, and they like hanging out with each other:

In all seriousness, what I mean to say is the Avs players have no reason to feel undue pressure. They’re still the underdogs, and that’s a role they relish.

Indeed, Alexander Kerfoot said of their underdog situation:

"“We’ve been there before and it worked so why not keep it that way. I think underdogs and favorites can get blown out of proportion a little bit… We’ve got confidence in our group, and we respect who we’re playing against, but we feel like we can beat anybody.”"

The San Jose Sharks are an older, slower team. But they’re one with a lot of grit and experience in the playoffs. And they’re a team that can come back. They were trailing 3-0 midway through the third period against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 7, and they went on to capitalize on a five-minute major and ultimately win the series in overtime.

You can’t discount this team. Especially since the Avs have struggled of late with the Sharks.

But you know the adage — a team just has to get hot in the playoffs to find success. And Colorado has been pretty hot of late. So, let’s look at four keys to their beating the San Jose Sharks.

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