Avalanche vs. Wild: 3 things you need to know

WEST
ANA vs. DAL | SJS vs. LAK
COL vs. MIN | STL vs. CHI
EAST
BOS vs. DET | TBL vs. MTL
PIT vs. CBJ | NYR vs. PHI

After finishing last in the Western Conference and 29th overall a year ago, the Colorado Avalanche - under first year head coach Patrick Roy - won the Central Division after going 52-23-7 (112 points), and enter the playoffs as the biggest surprise team in the NHL.

Their opponent in the opening round of the playoffs will be the Minnesota Wild, who posted a record of 43-27-12 (98 points) and locked down the first wild card spot in the Western Conference.

These two teams played five times, with Colorado coming out on top with a record of 3-1-1.

Here are three things you need to know:

Act like you've been there

With a series win, both teams has a chance to go where they have not been for quite some time: the second round of the playoffs. 

For Colorado, their drought runs back to a first-round victory over the Dallas Stars in 2006, while Minnesota has advanced to the second round only once in franchise history after beating the Avalanche in seven games back in 2003.

The Wild, under head coach Mike Yeo, did qualify last season, losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in five games. That experience, however, gives them a slight advantage over the Avalanche, who have retained only three players (Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly, Paul Stastny) from their last playoff squad from 2010.

While Patrick Roy would seem to be a lock to win the Jack Adams Trophy as the league's top head coach, regular season success does not always equal a deep run in the playoffs. As such, the experience gained by the Wild last year may give them an advantage, albeit ever so slight.

Either way, one of these team is destined for round two, while two of the Kings, Sharks, Blackhawks and Blues are not. That alone is quite astounding.

Russian battle in net

Two countrymen will represent their respective teams in net, as Russians Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Bryzgalov get set to put their best pads forward. 

Varlamov, 25, has appeared in 19 career playoff games, all as a member of the Washington Capitals: in that time, he posted a record of 10-9 with a .915 save percentage and two shutouts. Bryzgalov, 33, has played in 38 postseason games split between the Anaheim Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes and Philadelphia Flyers, with a record of 17-19-0 with a .908 save percentage.

His performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils in 2012, however, set the table for a buyout from the Flyers; in 11 games, Bryzgalov's save percentage came in at .887, with five wins and six losses.

This season, Varlamov has emerged as a Vezina Trophy (and maybe even Hart Trophy) candidate, while Bryzgalov has provided the Wild with experience in net in light of injuries to Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding.

Here's how they stack up this season (looking only at Bryzgalov's numbers with the Wild):

Ryan Suter against the kids

The most important player in this series may very well be Minnesota's Ryan Suter. The 29-year-old defenseman led all NHL players with 2,411:54 minutes of ice time, averaging a league-high 29:24 per game. Suter also recorded eight goals, 35 assists, 150 shots and a plus-15 for the Wild, and will be counted upon to help tame the rolling Avalanche.

Colorado, led by Matt Duchene (when healthy), Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan O'Reilly, Nathan MacKinnon and Paul Stastny, ranked fourth in scoring, averaging 2.99 goals per game. The Wild, despite a revolving door of goaltenders, ranked seventh in goals against per game (2.42) while allowing only 27.7 shots per game.

The stabilizing force for the Wild is without question the presence of potential Norris Trophy nominee Suter on the blue line, who will be tasked with shutting down Colorado's young guns and keep them clear of Bryzgalov.

Whether he can withstand that speedy attack after playing so much during the regular season is something very much worth watching in this series.

Schedule