The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars face-off in the first round of the 2024-25 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday, the first of at least four games in the best-of-7 series. While it is rumoured that the Avalanche could be without Gabriel Landeskog for the first two games of the series, the Stars are also dealing with some unfortunate injury news.
Stars left wing Jason Robertson was confirmed out for at least the start of the first round series after suffering an injury in the team’s season finale, a game that he shouldn’t have even been playing in. What was the Stars’ huge mistake ends up as a huge win for the Avalanche.
Robertson was the Stars’ top goal scorer this season with 35 goals. That right there is all you need to know about what he brings to the Stars. Now, the question is whether or not he misses just the first two games or more. As Brian Sweet of Blackout Dallas said, Robertson’s injury was the last thing the Stars needed right now.
Not only is Robertson the team’s highest scorer, but his absence will shake up Dallas’ top line, which could cause some inconsistencies to the team. That would be huge for the Colorado Avalanche. Right now, I love the Avs’ chances when their top line is up against Dallas’. That right there should be a huge advantage for Colorado.
Meanwhile, Robertson isn’t the only Stars player who is going to miss some time if not all of the series. The Stars took a hit to their defense too, with Miro Heiskanen reportedly being unavailable for the entire first-round series with a knee injury against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Obviously, it would be a lot of fun to see both the Avalanche and Stars at full strength for this series. It’s obviously not going to happen, with the two Stars players’ injuries and the expectation that Gabriel Landeskog could be held out of the first two games of the series. Both teams are going to have to adjust to their injuries and put out the best lines they possibly can against their opposition.
Colorado is 20-18-0-0 all-time against Dallas in the postseason. Hopefully they can turn that 20 into 24 and pull off a sweep against their division rival. If not, it’s just more hockey that Avalanche and Stars fans get to enjoy before the second round begins. Let the best team win.