Denver (19-10-5) vs. North Dakota (18-15-2)

Best-of-3 NCHC quarterfinal series

Friday and Saturday at 7:05 p.m., and Sunday (if necessary) at 6:05 p.m. at Magness Arena

How they got here: Denver picked up points in seven of nine NCHC games (including five of six vs. North Dakota) from Feb. 1 to March 2 to clinch home ice in the quarterfinals. Getting swept by Colorado College last weekend dropped them from third to fourth and set up this series against the Fighting Hawks.

Radio / streaming: 104.3 FM (Friday and Saturday), 1600 AM (Sunday) / NCHC.tv (subscription)

Series: North Dakota leads the all-time series, 146-125-15, but Denver went 2-1-1 this season, including the 5-for-6-point home series to start February. The teams are 1-1-1 in NCHC playoffs and 17-17-1 overall in postseason meetings.

Overview

It’s a safe bet this will be a hard-fought, tight-checking series. It’s not out of the question to assert both teams likely are playing for their NCAA Tournament lives. North Dakota sits 18^th in the Pairwise Ratings, while Denver is seventh. However, should DU get swept, giving North Dakota 20 wins and the Pioneers 19, the Fighting Hawks would have a strong argument for an NCAA bid. … Both teams have been affected by injuries. The Pioneers have not had top-line center Brett Stapley for the past seven games, while the Fighting Hawks have been without freshman goaltender Adam Scheel since Feb. 16 but forward Grant Mismash played last Friday against Omaha after missing six weeks. Sophomore Peter Thome has played well in net in place of Scheel. … The teams are nearly mirror images of one another statistically, mere percentage points apart on special teams. One difference, Denver has allowed 11 fewer goals and is playing outstanding defense of late.

Three keys for Denver

1. Flush it – Yes, losing the Gold Pan to Colorado College is disappointing, and yes, dropping from third to fourth in the conference is a bummer. But Denver played well enough all season to earn a home-ice series, and there is a lot to be said for that. Forget about the Tigers and their NCAA-like celebration and move on.
2. Get inside the dots – Denver controlled the puck plenty against CC but it didn’t generate a lot of high-quality chances because it mainly was kept outside the dots in the CC D zone. The Pioneers have to find ways to get shots from closer to the net and second-chance shots, especially against a team as diligent defensively as the Fighting Hawks.
3. Pick a goalie – I think you have to go with one for the postseason, but perhaps the Pioneers will continue alternating between Devin Cooley (10-6-2, 1.89 GAA, .933 Save %) and Filip Larsson (9-4-3, 2.29, .919 and a member of the NCHC’s All-Rookie and Honorable Mention All-Conference teams) to keep opponents off balance. Defenseman Michael Davies told me Thursday the team doesn’t change its approach regardless of who is in net.

©First Line Editorial 2017-19