NEW JERSEY VS. TORONTO BUFFALO VS. PITTSBURGH COLORADO VS. LOS ANGELES DALLAS VS. ST. LOUIS

Wednesday, May 9 Updated: May 10, 3:26 AM ET Colorado breaks through at right time By Terry Frei Special to ESPN.com DENVER – Rob Blake's trip through the handshake line involved more than the usual perfunctory nods and terse acknowledgements. A little later, as he sat at his stall in the Colorado Avalanche locker room, Blake could afford to be nice. He even sounded as if he meant it. Joe Sakic, left, and Milan Hejduk celebrate the Avs' Game 7 win Wednesday. Sakic showed courage playing the last two games of the series with a shoulder injury. The Avs' (and Blake's) potential humiliation hadn't come off, and Blake was advancing to the Western Conference finals with the Avalanche – while his former teammates, the Kings, were heading to the sand of either the beach or the trap along the 17th fairways. "I'm happy with what they've done, what they've accomplished this year," Blake said after the Avs' 5-1, Game 7 victory over the Kings in the Pepsi Center. "They turned it on there with a month left in the season. They were down 2-0 to Detroit and they battled back, and they took us as far as possible – to the third period of a Game 7. "For that, I'm happy. But I'm also happy we're moving on. We have a lot of guys here who have been in a lot of big-game situations, and it was the same as it always has been in the regular season through the playoffs. You go out and get the job done, and tonight we did that." Because the Avalanche were the Presidents' Trophy winner, because they were the No. 1 seed in the West, because they made the high-profile trade for Blake on Feb. 21, and because of the depth of talent and compelling stories on the roster, the pressure on Colorado was palpable Wednesday night. But after being locked in the 1-1 tie after two periods, the Avalanche came through with the four-goal third, moving on to the series against the Blues. That wasn't a loud cheer in the Pepsi Center as much as it was an exhale of relief. Colorado had been only occasionally impressive in the series, at least if the standard is the aura of a potential champion. But Patrick Roy stepped up in Game 7, Blake finally played as if he wasn't buddies on the ice with the Kings and Joe Sakic showed that his return to the lineup for the final two games of the series probably represented far more courage than he had been given credit for. Sakic finds a way to contribute Sakic played Wednesday, but didn't take a faceoff until the final minutes of Game 7, lessening the potential strain on his shoulder. He had eight shots on Felix Potvin, though, and probably will be back to near full strength for the series against the Blues. "I felt pretty good," Sakic said. "Skating, I'm almost there. I wasn't too good on the draws. I wasn't ready for draws, that's for sure. But I didn't get hit that much or too hard, so it was fine." After two games of being moved around – most significantly playing left wing on a Peter Forsberg-centered line – Sakic was back on his usual line from the outset of Game 7 against the Kings. After faceoffs, Sakic for the most part operated as the center on the line with Alex Tanguay and Milan Hejduk – and he appeared back on his game after missing Games 4 and 5 and then struggling in Game 6 in Los Angeles. When he sat out Game 5, the 1-0 Colorado loss last Friday in Denver, the explanation seemed to be a combination of realities. Sakic still was hurting; and the Avs didn't want to come out and say it for fear of "insulting" the Kings, but they also felt they could afford to be cautious with Sakic after they took a 3-1 series lead. But those inferences undoubtedly didn't tell the whole story. The injury was worse than we were led to believe. The Avs couldn't hide that. Their deployment of Sakic meant they weren't even trying. One of the top centers in the league playing left wing on a Forsberg-centered line? Not taking faceoffs? Yes, Sakic has played on the same line with Forsberg in the past, but the roles most often were reversed – Forsberg on the wing, Sakic at center. Playing Sakic on the wing was just one more sign that he was far less than 100 percent physically. He was ineffective in Game 6, and his body language was more revealing than his words. He was hurting and he couldn't do most of the things that have made him the likely Hart Trophy winner this season. Treating injuries – the location and the seriousness – as state secrets is an NHL tradition. If the lack of candor is standard operating procedure in the regular season, it can be the espionage story line of a Robert Ludlum novel in the playoffs. That's understandable subterfuge. Sometimes the stars take hits for the team. Even if the hits potentially can be to their reputations. In Sakic's case, though, the truth of his courage became clear by the end of the series, and now he and the Avs will be facing a more formidable challenge against the Blues. Kings' playoff run good for the league The Kings, though, were a heartening story for the NHL. Like it or not – and a lot of us admit this only begrudgingly – it's good for the sport when a big-market franchise generates enthusiasm. And the Kings at least accomplished that with their surge into a playoff spot, with their thrilling comeback victory over the Red Wings, with their don't-pack-it-in prolonging of the series against Colorado, and even by taking advantage of Blake's departure to create a villain in the WWF formula. Although he was beaten four times in Game 7 – the Avs' fifth goal was an empty-netter – Felix Potvin was an amazing story, given his banishment from Vancouver late in the season. Andy Murray wasn't the Einstein some tried to portray him as in this series, but he pushed enough buttons to enhance the Kings' chances. The Kings bought into the system that gave them a shot, but it still didn't absolve Zigmund Palffy, Jozef Stumpel, Luc Robitaille, Bryan Smolinski and even Adam Deadmarsh of blame for a lack of production. "We were right there," said Robitaille. "It was one of those games where it wasn't meant to be. We gave a heck of a run." He was right. The Kings' playoff run in the past month was praiseworthy, exciting and even portentous of what this franchise can be in the downtown Staples Center. Colorado staved off disaster and left a lot of unanswered questions. Los Angeles is through, but not down and out. Terry Frei of The Denver Post is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. His feedback email address is ChipHilton23@hotmail.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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