Power structure. (NHL: Playoff insider).

The Avalanche's power play was one of the league's best even before Peter Forsberg and Milan Hejduk came back from injuries. The Avs' success hinges on two words: Joe Sakic. Colorado's approach is to take advantage of Sakic's playmaking skills, and opponents pay dearly if they make a mistake in reacting to his moves.

1

With Peter Forsberg (21), Joe Sakic (19) and Milan Hejduk (23) up front and forward Chris Drury (18) with defenseman Rob Blake (4) on the points, the Avs have three righthanded shooters (18, 23, 4) and two lefties (19, 21), a good balance. By using Sakic on the boards and Forsberg down low on the same side, they create an "overload" power play. Sakic and Forsberg will pass to each other, trying to isolate the defending forward and defenseman on the overload side. By passing back and forth and then moving up the boards, Sakic brings both Blake and Forsberg into the play, creating a situation in which two penalty killers are covering three Avs and increasing the odds of generating a good scoring chance.

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2

Every move by Sakic (19) forces the penalty-killing box of the opposition to adjust. If Sakic moves toward the blue line, the top forward has to move to take away the possibility of a pass to Blake (4), whose shot demands respect, while the defense-men have to move up so Sakic can't move in unopposed to the net. All four penalty ...