AVALANCHE INSIDE LOOK: PLAYOFF TIME IS ROY'S TIME.

Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer

The playoffs bring out the best in Patrick Roy. They always have.

Eight years ago, Roy - then Montreal's goaltender - turned back the Kings with an MVP performance to win the Stanley Cup.

He's nearly perfect this time of year. Roy is flustering the Kings again, only this time with the Colorado Avalanche.

Roy, 35, may be a bit older and sport a different uniform than he did in 1993, but the results are strikingly similar. He already has two shutouts in the Western Conference semifinal best-of-seven series, which Colorado led 3-2 before Sunday's game at Staples Center.

Roy is good. But Roy is so unbelievably good come the playoffs that teammates tend to forget he's not invincible.

``Sometimes we try to rely on him a little too much,'' defenseman Rob Blake said. ``We've got to understand he's going to make the saves for us but we've actually got to go out there and play. The last two games, (especially) the first period of Game 4, he was unbelievable throughout.''

Perhaps Roy's most dominating performance of this year's playoffs came in the first period of Game 4 on Wednesday. During that span, Roy was peppered by 10 shots but saved all 10. The Kings dominated the first 20 minutes and had nothing to show for it. Colorado scored three second-period goals to put the game out of reach.

``It is disparaging when you come out of a period dominating and you end up tied,'' Kings defenseman Mathieu Schneider said. ``It makes you take chances more and I think that's what happened to us (in L.A.). It opens up room at the other end. The game in Colorado we were much more patient and that's why we won.

``He's made all the saves he's supposed to make, and on top of that he's made all the saves he's not supposed to make. I don't think they can ask anything more of Patrick.''

Schneider was a teammate of Roy's in 1993. He knows what it's like to play with - and against - Roy, the NHL's all-time winningest goalie and future Hall of Famer.

``He just took his game to another level that year,'' Schneider said. ``He was tremendous. He has three Stanley Cup rings for a reason. He's able to elevate his game. Goaltending is, if not the biggest piece of the playoffs, the biggest. You're not going to get past the first round without a good goalie.''

Roy owns the NHL record for 17 playoff shutouts. He spurred Colorado to a 2-0 win in Game 2, stopping 20 shots. In nine playoff games this year, he's made 188 saves, good for a 91.7 save percentage. He did his part in Colorado's 1-0 loss to the Kings on Friday at Staples Center as he stopped 25 of 26 shots but Colorado - which had one goal waved off - couldn't score.

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Throughout his Hall of Fame career, Colorado goalie Patrick Roy has excelled in the postseason.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer