It's been a week since Colorado Dispatched the Edmonton Oilers in their Western Conference Finals in four games - a clean sweep and a dominant one at that.
The Avalanche played a poised and potent brand of hockey. They remained relentless in their pursuit of the puck and put a ton of pressure on the Oilers' defense and goalie Mike Smith. Injuries aside the round of hockey couldn't have gone any better.
But, that was then and now we know the 'Avs will face the modern NHL
s version of a juggernaut in the back-to-back Stanely Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa is making its third consecutive Cup Finals with the hope of cementing its legacy as an all-time NHL dynasty.
Colorado on the other hand has aspirations of making a dynastic run of its own. In order to be the dragon, Colorado must slay the dragon - the NHL could not have scripted this Final any better.
Head coach Jared Bednar realizes what facing Tampa means for his team.
"The way I look at it is, if you want to be the best you've got to expect to be able to beat the best. That's them. We're ready for the challenge."
The 'Avs practiced on Sunday for the first time since clinching. How will the long layoff affect the group? The Cup Finals begin Wednesday at Ball Arena and that is a great thing.
Colorado has home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Final. It's their first Final appearance since 2001.
In case you were wondering, the 'Avs won both meetings during the regular season - a 4-3 shootout win on the road in October and a 3-2 home win in February.
Tampa lost the first two games of the Eastern Conference after they had a long layoff between rounds. The difference being they played the first two games in front of a raucous New York crowd. The 'Avs will be aided by the hometown crowd. Additionally, the extra days off allowed some of the bumps and bruises to heal.
Tampa Bay seems destined to be the first team since the New York Islanders dynasty four-time Stanley Cup winners (1980-83) to win three Cups in a row. The way they pulled together to beat the Rangers was
championship special.
Beating the Lightning will not beat easy, but Colorado may be the one team that can finally end their run. The 'Avs are a confident group and Bednar will have them well prepared to slay the dragon and bring the Stanley Cup back to the Rocky Mountain State for the first time since 2001.
Thanks for reading,
Steve
Colorado Avalanche Blogger • 
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