ESPN NHL Playoffs 2008

This is an intriguing matchup that pits one team hoping its answer lies from within (the Wild) against a team that has added a slew of significant parts, including a couple of blasts from the past, in the hopes of recapturing past playoff glory (the Avs).

When you look in the dictionary for the word "conservative," there's a picture of the Wild logo. They are a team that approaches almost everything with a calm, measured quality. Perhaps that is the reason GM Doug Risebrough endured some criticism at the trade deadline when his only acquisition was oft-suspended tough guy Chris Simon.

But Risebrough said he wasn't prepared to mortgage any of the team's future as he wanted to see what this team was capable of on their own. They responded by losing just twice in regulation in their final 14 games. They were led by Marian Gaborik, who stayed healthy (for him, anyway) and missed only five games while scoring 42 times. Unheralded Pierre-Marc Bouchard led the team with 50 assists and Brian Rolston had 31 goals, including eight game-winners, tied for the most on the team with Gaborik.

The Avs, meanwhile, looked like they were going to bottom out of the playoffs entirely, losing four in a row in late March. But led by captain Joe Sakic, who returned after missing 38 games with a hernia, the Avs went 5-0-1 in their last six to qualify for the postseason and avoid a first-round matchup with Detroit or San Jose.

1. Oh, Jose, can you play? In some quarters, there seems to be a feeling that Avs netminder Jose Theodore is playing on borrowed time, as though, at any moment, he is in danger of reverting to the inconsistent play of the past three or four seasons. Yet, Theodore is one of the main reasons the Avs are back in the postseason after missing out in 2006-07. He is 12-4-1 in his last 17 starts, including a 34-save performance on Sunday vs. the Wild. Maybe it's time to stop wondering if the bubble is going to burst. We're pretty sure the players in the Avs locker room stopped wondering some time ago.

2. Scoring by committee. The Wild have a lot of contributors, but few true stars. Not surprising, given their makeup. Nine players scored at least 10 goals and, yet, only two, Gaborik and Rolston, had more than 20. If Gaborik is not on his game, it doesn't take much to shut the Wild down. No doubt the Avs are thinking that way. If that's the case, Minnesota coach Jacques Lemaire had better hope his committee stays focused, which means players like Brent Burns, Mikko Koivu, Eric Belanger and Stephane Veilleux better be prepared to answer when the playoff meeting is called.

3. The breakdown factor. If Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote, Ryan Smyth, Paul Stastny and Marek Svatos were all healthy, this team might be considered a Cup contender. Yet, they have never all been healthy at the same time. Just three Avs played all 82 games -- Andrew Brunette, Ruslan Salei and Scott Hannan. Especially when discussing Forsberg, Smyth and Foote, their ability to play at 100 percent for any length of time this spring is very much in question and so is the potential for the Avs to advance. If those veterans can turn back the clock, if even for a few days, the Avs have a good shot of upsetting the Wild.

4. Tough doesn't necessarily mean a bloody nose. When Risebrough brought in Simon at the deadline, some fans (and media) roasted the GM. It wasn't necessarily that Risebrough wanted Simon to fight opponents, but rather he wanted to ensure that his lineup didn't get pushed around. Simon has had zero impact on the Wild, appearing in just nine games, but he's been to the finals three times, winning a Cup once with Colorado. But even without Simon, this Wild lineup is markedly tougher than last postseason, when Anaheim mauled them in five games in the first round. Todd Fedoruk has found a place in the everyday lineup and is contributing offensively, as well as bringing the potential for mayhem onto the ice. Throw in Sean Hill on the back end and Derek Boogaard lurking in the wings, and there is something to be said for some playoff sand.

5. The kids are here, too. As much as the Avs now boast a decidedly retro look with Forsberg and Foote back from their championship days, the Avs' real hopes of a run rest with the next generation of players, most notably Stastny. This will be Stastny's first NHL playoff appearance, but he has matured dramatically since bursting on the scene in 2006-07. He led the Avs in scoring this season despite missing 16 games. Along with Stastny, the Avs will be looking for sophomore Wojtek Wolski to continue his strong play. Although he wobbled earlier in the season, Wolski finished with 48 points.

• Avs vs. the Wild's special teams: This is where the series will turn. The Wild boast the second-best penalty-killing unit in the league and the seventh-best power-play unit. Unless the Avs can score some power-play goals (their unit is ranked 29th) and/or keep the Wild from scoring when they have the man advantage (the Avs' penalty killers are 20th), they have little chance to advance.

• Wild: Minnesota netminder Nicklas Backstrom is 8-4-1 in his last 13 decisions and has not given up more than three goals in any of those games. When Mark Parrish scored in Sunday's season-ending loss to Colorado, it marked the first time he'd scored in 12 games. He has also been a healthy scratch in recent days.

• Avalanche: Veteran Milan Hejduk has goals in six of his last seven games. Smyth hasn't scored in nine straight games.

This series promises to be tighter than people think, but an edge in net and special teams turns this one in Minnesota's favor. Wild in six.

Scott Burnside is the NHL writer for ESPN.com.