Colorado and Arizona Set for 2000 First Round Rematch

This won't be the first time that the Colorado Avalanche plays the Arizona Coyotes in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The teams squared off in April 2000 when the Avalanche was in its fifth season in Denver and the then-Phoenix Coyotes were in their fourth in Arizona after relocating from Winnipeg in 1996-97.
The Avs prevailed in the Western Conference Quarterfinals in five games, and they dominated the best-of-seven series from the very beginning.
The opening period of Game 1 served as a harbinger of what would come, as the Avs stormed out to a 4-0 lead en route to a 6-3 win. Colorado then took the next two games by scores of 3-1 and 4-2 to hold a commanding 3-0 series lead. After falling 3-2 in Phoenix in Game 4, the Avalanche closed the first round with a 2-1 win in Denver as Peter Forsberg netted the game-winner early in the third period.
"If he's (Forsberg) not the best in the world, he's right up there, top three," said defenseman Ray Bourque to reporters after the game.

Bourque didn't have too bad of a series himself after joining Colorado a month earlier in a blockbuster trade with the Boston Bruins. Bourque finished with four assists in five games, tying Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Chris Drury and Adam Foote for third in points in the series.
While the team's stars had strong performances, none of them were the series' top producer.
That would be defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, who led the club with seven points (three goals, four assists). Forward Adam Deadmarsh was close behind, finishing with six points (three goals, three assists) and is one of just two players to record a four-point game in the playoffs against the Coyotes (since their move in 1996-97), accomplishing the feat with a two-goal, two-assist night in the Avs' 4-2 win in Game 3.
"For us, the playoffs come at the right time," goaltender Patrick Roy told the Associated Press after Game 3. "The team is playing extremely well, and we have a lot of confidence."
Roy, for his part, was arguably the series MVP, posting a .915 save percentage and pitching a shutout through the last 27:29 in Game 5 after Phoenix scored first midway through the second period.
That confidence carried the team far but short of its ultimate goal. After beating the Detroit Red Wings in five games in the Western Conference Semifinals, Colorado lost to the Dallas Stars in Game 7 in the West Finals for a second straight year. But the Avalanche would come back stronger the next campaign.
Colorado won its second Stanley Cup the following season, this time by knocking off the defending champion New Jersey Devils in seven games. Fast forward 20 years, the Avs are looking to spark a similar championship run with a strong first-round performance against Coyotes.