DENVER -- This sure looks familiar. With the Los Angeles Kings on the verge of elimination and written off in some corners -- yes, including the corner of a den where a certain ESPN.com writer sits at the computer -- they have fought back and taken the Colorado Avalanche to a seventh game.

	Peter Forsberg wasn't able to skate in Game 6. "It's very frustrating not playing, but there is a Game 7 on Monday and that's what I'm focusing on," he said.

Same as a year ago, when the matchup came a round later.

The Avalanche, after registering nine goals against Felix Potvin in the first two games, have lost their scoring touch as the series has continued.

Same as a year ago.

Los Angeles fans are getting passionate about the Kings again, and they were able to leave a Game 6 against the Avalanche giving the home team another standing ovation and believing the Kings had a chance in the deciding Game 7 in Denver.

Same as a year ago.

On the day of Game 7, though, there are differences to note, distinctions to make and conclusions to be drawn that probably will be safer than the premature assumption that the Kings were done like dinner. (As it turned out, that was only true if dinner was sushi.) The series now has been spiced by some bad blood -- nothing as dark as some of the garbage taking place in the Eastern Conference, but the sort of chippiness and acrimony that marks this as an entrenched rivalry.

First of all, the notion advanced by the Avs and others in Denver that the Kings won Game 5 on a goal that shouldn't have counted is ludicrous.

The puck went off Craig Johnson's skate to give the Kings the only goal of the game, but it wasn't that "distinct kicking motion" required to negate a goal, and it's even sillier to imply that the Kings violated some premise of sportsmanship by not genuflecting at center ice, apologizing to the NHL and demanding that the goal be waived off and the game continue.

In Game 6 in Los Angeles, the Avs had to go without Peter Forsberg -- who has, the team says, a leg injury that has nothing to do with his offseason surgeries -- but did get Milan Hejduk back after the Czech right wing was out 20 regular-season and five playoff games. Hejduk stepped back on the top line with Joe Sakic and Alex Tanguay. Forsberg watched from the training room, perhaps even wondering why he was so zealous about trying to come back from his latest surgery, to his foot tendons, in January.

Forsberg took the pregame warm-up skate, and decided he couldn't go. The team announced the morning of Game 7 that he would be in the lineup.

"It's very frustrating not playing, but there is a Game 7 on Monday and that's what I'm focusing on," he said in Los Angeles. "Whatever happens before -- Game 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 -- doesn't really matter. It comes down to one game on Monday."

It is almost as if he never left, isn't it?

After nearly a year out of the Avalanche lineup, Forsberg returned to face the same type of aggressive, try-to-knock-him-off-his-game attention he -- and so many of the game's stars -- always have gotten. Forsberg has been targeted the entire series, most often by his Swedish countryman, Mattias Norstrom, and Forsberg had been goaded into taking two ill-advised penalties in Game 5 on Thursday night.

Over the years, he has been prone to physically respond or initiate, and that on-the-edge emotion has been an integral part of his greatness. There is not a more complete package of toughness and talent in the sport, but after all he has been through in the past year, and in this series, perhaps we are witnessing the boiling over of his frustration -- as much as the effects of any injury.

He is back, he came back excited, and nothing has changed. He has returned to a league that is tacitly accepting the dumbing-down, the holding-up, the obstruction of entertainment, the strangulation of the game and the targeting of its superstars. And everyone in the league, the Avalanche included in their season of astoundingly low numbers on both sides of the scoreboard, is culpable. The Avs target other teams' stars, too, at least in terms of physical attention. They played it close to the vest -- or by grabbing opponents where their vests would go -- all season.

It's the league's problem, and it isn't going away.

But back to this series.

Game 6 ended with emotional fireworks, with Kings coach Andy Murray standing on the bench and yelling at Colorado coach Bob Hartley during a stoppage because winger Brad Larsen had nailed Andreas Lilja along the boards in the final 10 seconds. Hartley in the past has shown a streak of, well, "blue-collar" hockey, or the sort of "sending-a-message" contentiousness the Sutter brothers (and maybe even the Hanson brothers) would love. This is a man whose work ethic -- he fought his way up the hockey hierarchy after quitting his job in a windshield factory to go into full-time coaching on the Junior A level -- has been impressive and unquestioned. And what does Murray expect? That everybody stops playing in the final minute?

Colorado isn't dressing its one goo... er, tough guy, Scott Parker, and Larsen is a former captain of the Canadian national junior team trying to carve out a niche as a role player, but not as a thug.

Even if the Avalanche win tonight, something is sinking in, and it does feel different than a year ago, when Ray Bourque was around to provide leadership ... Colorado isn't good enough to be anything but a longshot to repeat. No matter what happens tonight.

Hartley afterwards finally lost his usual cool, saying he was tired of hearing Murray yap and being dutifully quoted all over the place -- including by some media folks covering this series, especially in Los Angeles, who have to be told the color of the blue line.

It might make that post-series handshake tonight interesting.

In some ways, the Avalanche don't have as much pressure on them tonight as they did a year ago, even though this is the first round and an early exit would be ignominious and embarrassing for the defending champions. A year ago, Hartley would have been fired if the Avs lost to the Kings. This time, he has the safety net of a Cup title and two Western Conference finals berths before that, and he will be back next season -- no matter what happens tonight.

A year ago, if the Avs lost to the Kings, it was doubtful that the Colorado ownership would have committed the money necessary to re-sign Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic and Blake. But now they all have their long-term contracts. About the only question if the Avs lose tonight would be if Colorado exercises its option in order for Forsberg's contract to kick in for next season.

Anything could happen tonight. That's the truism about Game 7s, and it's on target. If the Avalanche lose, the comparison will be drawn to the last Olympic season, when the Avs -- who had a heavy Olympic participation -- had a 3-1 lead on Edmonton in the first round and lost the series, leading to Marc Crawford's exit.

Even if the Avalanche win tonight, something is sinking in, and it does feel different than a year ago, when Ray Bourque was around to provide leadership and -- at least until after Game 7 against the Kings -- Forsberg was healthy and playing.

Colorado isn't good enough to be anything but a longshot to repeat. No matter what happens tonight. The season-long scoring problems were not flukes. Tanguay is in a shell, and without Forsberg, the second line isn't sufficiently productive -- or even threatening enough to take some of the pressure and attention off Sakic's line. Darius Kasparaitis still looks lost, trying to figure out how the Avs want -- and need -- him to play. Roy hasn't been the problem, and it's probably only fair to point out he was only so-so against the Canucks in the first round a year ago before going on to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for the third time.

Here's the other thing, though: The Kings have been without Adam Deadmarsh for two games after he slammed into boards head-first in Game 4. Jason Allison suffered what seems to be a hip injury, taking a hip-check from Blake in Game 6. Philippe Boucher missed Game 6 after being hit in the eye area by the puck, and Aaron Miller and Norstrom are playing marathon minutes. So the Kings are banged up, too, and unlike a year ago, when the Kings played terrific games and got back in the series that way, this is more a case of the Avs stinking out the arenas.

Terry Frei of The Denver Post is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. His address for email signed with names and hometowns is freifeedback@hotmail.com.