Dallas – Seconds before defenseman John-Michael Liles set up the overtime winner Monday night, the Avs surely faced a late-night, locker room interrogation.
Why did they collapse in the second period? How could they possibly let Dallas breathe again? Who was to blame?
But as Avalanche players traded backslaps and sweaty hugs long into the evening, a new question floated above the happy din.
Where would Colorado be without its blue-line goal machine?
Liles’ assist to Joe Sakic capped another binge from the Avs’ defensive corps. Brett Clark notched his second goal of the playoffs on a short-handed rush late in the third period to help push Colorado to overtime. And Rob Blake opened the Avs’ scoring Monday with a long rocket through a clog of legs and skates.
Half of Colorado’s 10 playoff goals have been delivered by defensemen.
“It’s very important,” Liles said. “Anytime you can add an element or a different look with defensemen jumping into the play, it definitely makes it tough on the other team. Because you get that second wave coming in.”
That “second wave” has been coming all year. During the regular season, the Avs tied for the NHL lead in goals from the blue-liners.
It begins with the coaches. They encourage the defensemen to look for moments to contribute. Clark calls it “a free rein.” And Liles, who scored in Game 1, just smiles at the friendly latitude.
“It definitely instills a lot of confidence in you when they tell you you’ve got the freedom to jump in whenever you see fit,” Liles said.
For any defenseman with a nose for the goal, the question isn’t whether to join the rush, it’s when. A defenseman who gets too deep in the offensive zone could get his team burned with an odd-man rush. But Blake has often served as an on-ice tutor in that topic, Liles said, teaching the younger players about timing.
“You’ve got to be able to read when it’s the right time to jump in, and when it’s the right time to stay back,” said Liles, who usually is paired with Blake. “We’ve got some guys who have been around for a while and have learned throughout the years when the good times are. I try to learn from them.”
And when the defensemen are crashing, Colorado’s forwards are looking for them.
“When we get open, they’re going to hit us with the puck,” Clark said. “So that’s what we’ve been focusing on – getting in the open spots and creating lots of confusion for the other team’s defense.”
It’s not like this trend is taking Dallas by surprise. The Stars’ coaches and players have read the statistics. They have talked about Colorado’s addiction to blue-line scoring. They know Blake, Liles and Clark are always leaning and lurking.
It hasn’t seemed to matter in this series.
“The problem is we’re aware of it, and we still let them get there,” said Stars forward Brenden Morrow. “They’re always a threat. It seems when there’s a turnover, they’re always moving their feet and jumping in. You’re always kind of looking behind you, wondering where they are.
“The easiest thing would be just to finish your check and stay on the right side of them and not let them beat you to the front of the net.
“That,” Morrow added with a half-sigh, “would make it easier for us. You can’t let them beat you to the front of the net.”
Bill Briggs can be reached at 303-820-1720 or bbriggs@denverpost.com.
