Round 1 - Game 1 - Avs 3, Wilds 2

Wow, what a game.

- Great goal by Sakic to win it, but I still don't like him. All time leading playoff overtime goal scorer notches another one.
- Credit goes to Salei for taking the smart shot. A lesser player would have shot it immediately and had it blocked well before it made it on net.
- Tonight is why the Avs signed Smyth and Hannan, and they came out with their nuts swinging. I apologize for all the criticism I laid upon these two (which admittedly wasn't much). Hannan was smart and physical, and Smyth was flying all over the place. Any concerns about his skating were answered tonight.
- Backstrom was the balls tonight. Gotta give it up to him, the Wilds wouldn't have been in that game if it weren't for him.
- Theodore was even more balls.
- There should have been no penalty shot. That was a goal. No worries. Made the game more exciting.

This team, this series, the whole thing feels like 03-04 all over again. It's as if FG decided to go out and rebuild that 03-04 team and give it another go and hopefully right the wrongs of that miserable 03-04 playoffs. Foreskin is back, Foote is back, Salei plays just like Blake, Theodore looks like Roy. Wolski is a Tanguay clone (both good and bad). Hell, they even rolled Kelly's ridiculous ass back in there to call the games (get well soon, Haynes).

I guess it wasn't until I heard the first "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" that it dawned on me that the reason this team feels so familiar is that it's the same team we had in 03-04. We all know that that wasn't how that season was supposed to end. Hopefully they live up to the potential they had in 03-04 and have right now.

THREE STARS:
1. Jose Theodore - 28 saves, .933sv%
2. Joe Sakic - 1g 1a, and dude scored the game winner
3. Ruslan Salei and Scott Hannan - It's my blog, I can have two 3rd stars if I want to.