Colorado Avalanche Tickets

Colorado Avalanche 2010 Playoffs Preview The Colorado Avalanche managed to claw their way to the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs, but it remains to be seen whether they would have been better off just cruising into the offseason.

The team decided to rest some of their banged up players at the end of the season to make sure they were fresh for the playoffs, knowing their seeding and first round opponent was already locked in.

While the Avalanche aren't exactly roaring into the playoffs, at least they got a number of their key players healed up and back to 100 percent. This group certainly does not resemble some of the top Avalanche teams of the past, but they could do some damage in the postseason.

The group is led by veteran Adam Foote, who was one of the injured players able to get some rest. Foote is no longer what he used to be, but is one of the most experienced players on a very young team.

Colorado will face off against the top seed San Jose Sharks in the first round, which would seem like a huge mismatch at first. At second glance, the Sharks are prime for another upset after they were knocked out of last year's playoffs in the first round despite being the No. 1 seed.

Goaltender Craig Anderson could be the equalizer. He finished the regular season with one of the top save percentages in the NHL and could make life very difficult on the Sharks.

When it comes around to playoff time, a lot of the regular season stuff doesn't matter anymore. If a goaltender for any team gets really hot, they become infinitely more difficult to beat.

Given their seed, it's unlikely that the Avalanche will have a long stay in the playoffs. Even pushing the Sharks deep into their first-round series is unlikely, but that's why they play the games.