The Colorado Avalanche are arguably the Western Conference’s hottest team, winning six straight, and they sit second in the Central Division thanks to some tiebreakers with 91 points. They are one team nobody would want to play right now, given their deep lineup and the fact they have been finding ways to win many of their recent close games.
And if this team isn’t edging out opponents, they are winning by as many as four or five goals, something that has happened five times in their last 10 contests. No, not every recent opponent was tough, but one of them, the Dallas Stars, is who they would play if the NHL season ended today.
Dallas is without a doubt a great team, and the Avalanche would have a hard time dealing with one of the best offensive-oriented groups in hockey. But since the Avs are tied with the Stars with 91 points, along with the Central-leading Winnipeg Jets, there are quite a few teams Colorado could end up facing in the First Round just over one month from now if things don’t remain as is next month.
NHL Playoff Bracket unsettled for the Colorado Avalanche one month from postseason
Should everything stay the same and the Jets take the Central, Colorado and Dallas would be one interesting matchup. Both teams know how to score, but their defensive zone play can be off, even if they both acquired help at the trade deadline in blueliners Sean Walker and Chris Tanev, respectively.
It would also carry the potential to be the best playoff series in the First Round since Colorado is on pace to earn 110 points and the Stars 108. They are also one-two in scoring, and for even more similarities, each team sits in the middle of the league in goals allowed.
Overall, this would be a fun series for hockey fans to watch, even if it would be rather adrenaline-pumping for Stars and Avalanche fans. But a Stars-Avalanche series, if this holds, is what makes playoff hockey so entertaining.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)