Here's hoping the 2011 Colorado Avalanche resemble the dominant team that took the ice against the Dallas Stars at Pepsi Center.
Led by a shutout performance by backup goaltender Jean-Sebastian Giguere and a two goal effort by forward Ryan O'Reilly, the Avalanche left no doubt who was the superior team. Colorado started the game by killing off nearly 90 seconds of a 5-3 without any significant threats, and continued to control possession for the remainder of the game. Kyle Quincey started off the scoring in the first period by blasting a shot from the point that careened off Ryan Stoa, who got credit for the goal after crashing the net.
O'Reilly added two goals in the second period, one where Colorado dominated possession. Quincey added another assist from a second point blast that O'Reilly recovered and put in the net from an extremely difficult angle. Patrick Bordeleau played a very physical game as well, dominating a fight midway through the second period against Krystofer Barch.
Colorado outshot Dallas 31-16, a sign of their complete domination with the puck.