"We feel like we can beat anybody": Avalanche riding confidence high

It was a peculiar feel today as the Avalanche got back on the ice following a couple of days for rest after they dispatched the Calgary Flames over the weekend. The Avs were practicing and keeping the intensity and competitiveness up but…for what, exactly? And when? Colorado’s next opponent remains unknown as the Avalanche await the result of the ongoing series between San Jose and Vegas.

The Sharks toppled the Golden Knights in Vegas and have come back from a 3-1 series deficit to force Game 7 on Tuesday night. The winner takes on Colorado, who for now is content to watch the two teams beat each other up while they get a few more days of much-needed rest.

“It’s strange in the sense that this team hasn’t gone through in a long time,” said Alexander Kerfoot of the  I don’t know when the last time they won a first-round series was but it’s been a while. I guess it’s strange in that it doesn’t happen normally. I don’t think we’re treating it any different. We’re going out for practice just like we would any other practice. There’s just a little bit more excitement and buzz around the team.”

The buzz was evident as it was one of the fastest practices of the season with players flying up and down the ice and embracing a little more physicality than normal. Sometimes hockey players just need to hit stuff, I suppose.

“We had the same practice today we had before Calgary games,” Kerfoot said. “There’s nothing you can do on video but what we cover on the ice doesn’t change depending on the team.”

The Avs know they’ll be again looked at as the underdogs whenever they learn who their next opponent will be but that uncertainty is causing zero consternation in the locker room right now. They’re focused simply on them and how to replicate the dominant effort that propelled them to the upset over the top-seeded Flames.

“We’re probably going to be the underdogs when we go in there,” Kerfoot told BSN Denver. “They’re two very accomplished teams and they’re really good hockey teams playing well. It’s going to be tough no matter who we play but I don’t think we can go into it being scared of the other team or feeling like we’ve lost the series before it started. We want to go in feeling good about the way that we’re playing right now. We just beat the top team in the conference so there’s no reason we can’t beat anybody else.”

The underdog mentality has worked well for Colorado so they’re not shying away from the label when it inevitably lands at their feet again before the second round begins.

“We’ve been there before and it worked so why not keep it that way,” Kerfoot went on to say. “I think underdogs and favorites can get blown out of proportion a little bit. Things can shift so much in the playoffs. Different people can think different things. We’ve got confidence in our group and we respect who we’re playing against but we feel like we can beat anybody.”

When the Avs handily beat the Flames in Game 5, securing the series in a 5-1 runaway victory, it would have been easy for a squad that’s accomplished so little in its time together to view this as significant and take their foot off the gas. Instead, they’re hoping this is just the beginning of a long spring.

“Every step is a new accomplishment, new excitement,” Kerfoot said. “This is obviously what we play for all year. It kind of felt like after we won [in Calgary], that we weren’t done there. I think there’s just a different feel around this team right now. We’ve got a lot of confidence, a lot of belief, and we feel like we can beat anyone.”

If the Avs find their way through the second round, it’ll be about as unexpected a run as it gets. If it’s going to be something special, they have to keep winning.

“You never know beforehand, right,” Kerfoot said. “If we lose, it’s not so special. We haven’t done anything yet, really. A lot of teams do that, a lot of teams make it to the second round, a lot of teams have done that in the past. We’ve just got to keep proving ourselves and keep playing the way we have.”

News and Notes

• Sam Girard practiced again in a non-contact jersey as he continues to recover from the hit he took from Sam Bennett in the Calgary series. He was shooting and participating in everything and even took a little contact after practice so he’s clearly progressing towards returning. Jared Bednar still did not place a timeline on his return.
• Bednar also did not commit to any kind of lineup changes when the second round series opens up. He said he would take a look at who he felt gave them their best chance against whichever opponent it is and go from there.
• Vladislav Kamenev does not figure to be part of the lineup plans anytime soon but he continues to skate in a non-contact jersey. He participated in practice today, which was a step forward for him, but Bednar’s last update on him said he would be out for the year barring a very deep playoff run. The second round does not yet qualify as very deep so he’s still in a holding pattern.
• Derick Brassard returned to full action after missing the last few games of the Flames series with the flu. He will be available for Game 1.
• That same flu bug kept Carl Soderberg from practicing today. His availibility for the series opener is unknown for now, if only because they don’t know what the schedule looks like yet.