Dallas and Colorado showcase NHL's ultimate rivalry, settling every showdown in thrilling shootouts. playoff intensity defines their path.
The consensus this season has been that the Colorado Avalanche are the best team in the NHL, but coming down the stretch, the Dallas Stars have climbed within two points of them in the standings, all while deciding next to nothing on the ice.
Through three games this season, Dallas and Colorado have gone to a shootout all three times, with the Stars winning two including Wednesday night's playoff-like contest.
In other words, there has been absolutely nothing between the two teams aside from arbitrarily choosing a winner via the skills competition shootout. If this were playoffs, there still wouldn't be a winner of any games. For the two best teams in the league, that is saying something about how evenly matched they are.
The game Wednesday had every bit of a playoff feel, with heavy hitting, tight checking and both teams working hard not to make the fatal mistake. The crowd felt like a playoff atmosphere and the energy level was clearly more than just another regular season game. This was two teams preparing for a seemingly inevitable battle, most likely to take place in round two of the playoffs.
But the craziest thing of all is that one of the two teams will have to take out an insanely difficult third place team in the Minnesota Wild just to cement their spot in the second round. Avoiding the Wild is a huge motivator for Dallas to chase down Colorado for the top spot, and also for the Avalanche to fight with all they have to maintain the spot that they've had for basically the entire season.
The final battle between the two takes place on April 4, and could very well decide the fate of one or both of these teams come playoff time. And if it is like any of the first three games, the nationally televised game on ABC will be unmissible.
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