It’s officially official: Colorado Avalanche to lock horns with Dallas Stars

The first-round clash between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars became officially official on Saturday night with the Avalanche’s 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

The Avalanche’s loss put second place in the Central Division out of reach for Colorado, with the Minnesota Wild being unable to catch the Avs for third in the division.

Meanwhile, the Stars are firmly entrenched in second as the Winnipeg Jets locked up the division a while ago.

That situation officially confirmed the Avalanche-Stars matchup. Of course, it’s no surprise. The first-round tilt had been in the works for a long time. But now that there’s certainty, the focus shifts away from the Avalanche’s regular-season finale and toward Game 1 of the 2025 NHL playoffs.

The Avs rested several regulars in Sunday’s 4-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks. It makes total sense as there’s no need to risk players like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar suffering an injury in the final last couple of games heading down the stretch.

Moreover, these core players can use a breather. After all, Makar and MacKinnon didn’t catch a break during the 4 Nations Face-Off. They played for Team Canada, along with Artturi Lehkonen playing for Finland.

Fortunately for the Avalanche, they will have plenty of time to recover from now till the start of the 2025 NHL playoffs. That will bode well as several players have been dealing with injuries throughout the course of the season.

The hope is that the extra rest will help the Avalanche ice a full lineup when Game 1 rolls around in about a week’s time.

Colorado Avalanche hoping captain Gabriel Landeskog returns during playoff run

The talk surrounding the Avalanche over the weekend was the return of captain Gabriel Landeskog to the ice. Landeskog suited up for two games with the AHL Colorado Eagles.

Landeskog, while noticeably rusty, played well. He didn’t look out of place. He also managed to score a goal on Saturday night.

So, the big question now is: Will Landeskog play in the postseason for the Avalanche?

At this point, the answer would be no. It doesn’t seem likely that the Avalanche would experiment with Landeskog during such a tough series against the Stars. In all likelihood, Landeskog could be ready to join the team in the second round.

A second-round matchup would feature the Avalanche playing the winner of the Winnipeg Jets-St. Louis Blues series. Such a series would appear to be less physical, meaning that Landeskog would have less risk of getting re-injured.

One thing is for certain. If the Avalanche do make it to the Stanley Cup, Gabriel Landeskog will be on the ice. The Avs cannot afford to win the Cup with their captain leading the way. He may not play on MacKinnon’s wing, but he’ll certainly play a key leadership role heading down the 2025 NHL playoffs.