The Colorado Avalanche’s 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues at the Enterprise Center finally delivered the certitude that fans had been looking for. The victory sealed the Central Division title and the Western Conference’s top seed.
The two goals from Valeri Nichushkin paved the way for another major milestone by the Avalanche. Beyond the evident accomplishment by the organization, the victory also confirmed the first-round carnage that’s set to take place.
The Avalanche’s Central Division title locked in this postseason’s first matchup: The Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild.
This matchup had been in the cards for quite some time. It’s actually been pretty much locked in for months. While there was a brief period in which the Stars could have caught the Avalanche, Dallas just couldn’t close the gap completely.
Now, Minnesota and Dallas are on a collision course. That showdown will ensure that, for the second year in a row, one of the NHL’s best teams coming out of the Central will be eliminated early. Unlike last season, it’s good news for the Avalanche this year.
The hope is that the Wild-Stars first-round matchup will turn into a case of mutually assured destruction. If the Dallas-Minnesota showdown delivers, whoever emerges victorious could be severely weakened.
At that point, the Avalanche, assuming they get past the first round, could find a significantly diminished opponent.
That’s speculation at this point, of course. But it’s unlikely that the Wild or Stars will steamroll over one another. The two clubs could reprise last year’s Stars-Avalanche series, one that went the distance and had no shortage of exciting, memorable moments.
Avalanche avoid last year’s gauntlet
The historically dominant season by the Winnipeg Jets in 2024-25 locked in the Stars-Avalanche first-round matchup. As we all know, the series was a doozy. And it was the Stars who came out on top in that one.
This year, the Avalanche avoided that first-round gauntlet by winning the division. In doing so, Colorado opened up a clearer path to the Stanley Cup. The path isn’t necessarily easier, but it’s just clearer. As it stands, the ongoing flip-flopping in the West’s final playoff spot has the Nashville Predators as the Avs’ first-round opponent.
The Predators are not an easy out. But the prospect of emerging from that series is better than facing off against Dallas or Minnesota.
Yes, there will likely be an inevitable showdown with one of Minnesota or Dallas in the second round. But you have to think that the first-round attrition inflicted on Dallas and Minnesota is something the Avalanche will be looking to exploit.
Ideally, the Avalanche would wrap up their first-round series early. A five-game series would allow Colorado some time to rest ahead of its second-round series. And hopefully, that Dallas-Minnesota series will go the distance with plenty of overtime and even double-overtime games.
The path is clear for the Avalanche. It will all come down to the club delivering on the enormous promise it has shown this season.