Does it get any better than this?

Archrivals, slugging it out for the right to compete for the Stanley Cup. Colorado against Detroit, probably 15 future Hall of Famers between them. Detroit's aging wheels operating on five days rest. The Avalanche running solely on adrenaline after two consecutive seven-game battles. The best goaltenders in the game, Patrick Roy and Dominik Hasek, squaring off at opposite ends of the ice, each trying to top the other with one circus save after another.

	Patrick Roy Goaltender Colorado Avalanche Profile
	2001-2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM W L T SV% GAA 62 32 23 7 .925 1.94

Of course, in any playoff series, goaltending is key. But it may never have been as important as it will be in this Western Conference final.

The Avalanche and the Red Wings are so talent-heavy that in four regular-season games, 13 different players scored goals and only one, Detroit's Brendan Shanahan, scored more than once.

	Dominik Hasek Goaltender Detroit Red Wings Profile
	2001-2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM W L T SV% GAA 64 41 14 8 .917 2.12

The Wings came away with victories in three of four regular-season games against the Avs, with Hasek and Roy registering the ridiculously low goals-against averages that they always do -- Hasek's was 1.50, Roy's was 1.68.

But, in the regular season, there was no Peter Forsberg. In the playoffs, Forsberg has been brilliant. He's leading the league in playoff goals and points. He takes pressure off of Avs snipers Joe Sakic and Alex Tanguay, allowing them to work with a little extra space. He is the guts of the Avalanche, as captain and leading playoff scorer Steve Yzerman is for Detroit.

Since 1996, Detroit has been eliminated in the playoffs three times by Colorado. Their games are always physical, simply because these two teams do not like each other. But this year, the physical edge goes to Colorado. Behind late-season pick-up Darius Kasparaitis and gritty forwards Stephane Yelle and Dan Hinote, the Avs are leading all playoff teams with 662 hits. Detroit has registered a meager 322.

The Wings will get their bells rung in this series, but their legs are fresh. Big defensemen Rob Blake, Adam Foote, Chris Chelios and Nick Lidstrom will fight for control of the blue line and the front of their nets. Yzerman and Forsberg will take dozens of shots, and so will the rest of the peanut gallery. (Especially when the peanut gallery includes names like Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk, Chris Drury, Luc Robitaille, Sergei Fedorov and Brett Hull).

But, in the end, all that matters is who stops the most pucks. Roy and Hasek have each pitched three shutouts, and both have blundered.

In Game 3 against St. Louis, Detroit back-up Manny Legace came in midway through the third period after Hasek surrendered five goals on just 16 shots. In Game 1 against San Jose, Roy allowed six goals and became his own worst critic.

But great goalies forget about the bad games and build on the good, and these two are great. St. Patrick, the French-Canadian, butterfly king of clutch, looking for his fifth Stanley Cup ring. The Dominator, the Czech king of the double-pad stack, looking for his first. After the conference finals, there will be no doubt as to who the best goaltender of this generation is.

Does it get any better than this?

Lindsay Berra writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail her at lindsay.berra@espnmag.com.