Red Wings Strong Play Leads to 3-0 Lead

One thing you don't expect come this time of year in the NHL playoffs, when there are only 8 teams left, is that one team is going to be substantially better than another. Series in this round are tight and goals, hard to come by, are earned with grinding work and extraordinary skill. This has not been the case in the Avalanche-Red Wing series. The Red Wings are remarkably better than the Avalanche. And it has to do with every facet of the game: better skaters, youthful talent, stronger goaltending, more disciplined defense, and superior coaching. Look at this series through three games. - The Red Wings' Chris Osgood has outshone Jose Theodore, [Not that Theodore has played badly and he's been hung out to dry by his defense a lot in this series] as the three goals Osgood surrendered last night were tip-ins. He's made the strong saves when necessary, like the one on Liles in Game One. - The Avalanche have had zero room the transition and carry the puck into the zone. The Red Wings trap has been superb and while the Avs have been successful in forechecking at times, they have been unable to cycle the puck in front of the net or back to the blueline for shots. - I thought going into this series that the veteran leadership on this team would be an asset, but [aside form Burnette] the veterans have looked old, a step slow, and woefully over-matched. Where Foote was an asset in the Minnesota series, he has been a liability in this series. On the flip side, the Red Wings have been youthful and productive. Their veterans have looked solid, if not at least unexploited. - In the offensive end, the Wings have been nothing short of spectacular. They pass the puck with confidence, they hold the puck on the blueline, they forecheck with authority, they screen the goaltender with efficiency, and they score an unsettling number goals off rebounds and into open nets. It's a beautiful thing to watch if you weren't so miserable that it's causing the downfall of your beloved Avalanche. All of these factors lead be to this conclusion: That the series was won by the coaches. Mike Babcock's team is solid, grounded and disciplined. The play their lanes, cycle the puck in the offensive zone, move around to create havoc with defenses, and clean up the garbage in front of their own goal. Babcock is a much superior coach to Quinville, in what he gets out of his team. Yes, they have the tons of talent on the team, but [as we learned from the Nuggets] talent don't mean diddly if you can't get the players to come together as a team. The Wings are that team top to bottom. Quinville's decisions on the other hand have been questionable at times, like why start a sick Theodore in Game One, and why not give Budaj a shot in Game 3. Quinville is not the answer for the Avs hopes to return to the promise land. But that's a subject for another day. I always say that there is a difference between being beaten and losing. Losing is when you play well below your ability. Being beaten is when the opposition is undeniable. The Wings are beating the Avs, and there's nothing Colorado can do about it. The golf course is calling for the Avs. But, as much as it pains me to say it, the Avs should not be embarrassed to be beaten by vastly better and technically sound team. They should aspire to become the Red Wings.