The Colorado Avalanche advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and will face the Minnesota Wild, as the division opponent knocked off the Dallas Stars. This matchup is expected to be another physical one, and the Avs are close to getting one of their big men back.
Manson suffered an upper-body injury against the Los Angeles Kings and missed Game 4. Speculation is that he suffered a rib injury and head coach Jared Bednar told media that Manson would be sore for a while.
The good news is that, while players are sore throughout the entire season, or close to it, they can still sometimes tough it out and play through their aches and pains. It’s been a while since the injury, and Manson still could be sore, but he reportedly hit the ice on Saturday morning for the team’s practice. Not only that, but he even stayed for the entire practice, which is a great sign.
Manson brings a ton of physicality to the Avalanche as he has continuously been near the top of the team in hits every season. This past year, he was second only to Parker Kelly, with 174 and Kelly with 177. That type of game can really wear an opponent down. It’s not easy getting hit many times a game and having to get back up to play. It makes hockey a whole lot tougher.
When you pair the physical part of the game with the Avalanche’s way of playing and dominating with the puck, you have a team that is very difficult to beat. The Wild will want to try and take control of the offensive zone, but the addition of Manson into the lineup can limit those chances, giving Colorado the upper-hand.
I expect this to be a tougher series than the first round was, but with Manson back in the mix, the Avalanche will have yet another advantage against their division opponent.
Add us as a preferred source on Google