Don’t get Joe Sakic wrong: The Avalanche captain would prefer that Colorado was running away in the Northwest Division, leading the Western Conference by double figures and coming in as 1-5 favorites to win the Stanley Cup in the latest odds posted in Las Vegas.
But there’s something about parity and compressed standings that intrigue him, too.
Going into the Avalanche’s game Thursday night against the Dallas Stars at the Pepsi Center, Colorado was seventh in the conference with 59 points – nine points behind Detroit and Nashville, one ahead of No. 8 Edmonton and six in front of the first three teams out of a playoff position, San Jose, Anaheim and Minnesota.
“We know it’s more challenging, and I think it’s going to be more exciting,” Sakic said. “You have to get used to it. In general, I think it has been good for the league. Last week, we were in first place in the division. This week, we lose two games and we’re in fourth.”
Footnotes
Veteran winger Brad May missed his 11th consecutive game because of a sprained knee. He has been practicing and had hoped to be back in the lineup against the Stars. … Kurt Sauer’s latest streak as a healthy scratch hit nine games when he didn’t suit up Thursday. … The Avalanche wore its “third” jerseys against the Stars and came into the game with a 4-2-1 record while in them. … Stars defenseman Sergei Zubov was drafted by the New York Rangers in 1990 with a fifth-round pick acquired as compensation after Guy Lafleur signed as a free agent with the Avalanche’s forerunners, the Quebec Nordiques. … The announced crowd of 18,007 pushed the Avalanche’s sellout streak to 466 games, including playoffs.
