With the Flames loss tonight, the Avalanche know who they will be facing in the playoffs, the Wings. I have mixed feelings about the matchup, but overall, I think that the Avs have a better chance of derailing the Wings than the Flames ever had. The only thing I don’t like is the possibility that the Avs could lose the series to the Wings, and that would just plain suck.

While the Wings fans may be able to point out the dominance they had over the Avs in the regular season, this Avs team is not the same one the Wings beat four games to nine. In fact, it’s almost nothing like that team, with Theo playing strong, Forsberg being the spark, Foote giving the defense the workhorse they need, and Salei being the best deal made all year. There are sparks in the Avs that weren’t there before, and with a little luck, that will make the Wings a little cocky, and underestimate them. I doubt it, but it might mean something.

At the start of the year, there was only one person on the Avs team that was around for the start of the Avs – Wings rivalry. Now, with the addition of Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg, there are three. Five were there in the 1995-96 season for the Wings (Draper, Osgood, Lidstrom, Maltby, and McCarty). Which way will that translate? Who knows. What I do know is this…

It’s on. Oh, yes. It’s on.