Avs Try to Regroup After Wild Tie Series at 2

Avalanche coach Patrick Roy has shown all sorts of patience with his youthful squad this season.

That certainly won't waver now just because the Colorado Avalanche are in an offensive slump.

The Minnesota Wild have outshot the Avalanche 78-34 in the last two games to tie the first-round series at two-apiece heading into Game 5 at Pepsi Center on Saturday night.

Roy does take some comfort in the fact that home teams in the Western Conference playoffs are a combined 15-1 so far.

Chief among them, more production, especially on a power play that's scored just once in 15 chances. The Wild have actually found a way to slow down the high-flying Avalanche by clogging up the neutral zone and making it hard to get quality shots in the offensive end.

For that, Roy finds himself guilty. All season long, he's preached shooting the puck with a purpose.

In playoff hockey, though, sometimes shooting with a rebound or a lucky bounce in mind works just as well.

The only thing keeping the Avalanche in these last two road games has been the play of Semyon Varlamov (var-LAH'-mawf), who seems to be getting better with every shot he faces.

And the Avs are banking that being back in their building will be an advantage.