Over ten months have passed since the Avalanche lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in six games. Forty-two weeks of waiting for another chance. 324 days of preparation. The wait is over. The time has come: the playoffs.
The Avs have done practically everything possible to get to this point; they have secured home-ice through the Western Conference Finals and are considered cup contenders for the third year in a row. The Avs have a bad habit of exiting the playoffs in the second round: to San Jose in 2019, Dallas in 2020, and Vegas most recently. Joe Sakic has crafted a team that can avoid that fate by adding depth from players like Sturm, Manson, and Lehkonen. They have trained and weathered the regular season well, despite sustaining several injuries, and it is time to see what kind of team the Avalanche will be.
As the first seed in the West, the Avalanche face-off against the second Wildcard, the Nashville Predators, tonight at Ball Arena. Nashville finished with a record of 44-27-11 and 99 points. The Avs went 1-1-2 against the Predators throughout the regular season, with the final two contests determined in overtime.
The Predators have struggled at the end of the season, going 4-4-2 in the last ten games, but the Avs have not been better at 4-5-1. The Avs fell to the Predators in their final home game of the regular season, where they squandered their 2-0 lead in the first period. Despite putting up 46 shots on the net, Keumper allowed a few soft goals, and the Preds forced OT, where they won in a shoot-out. However, the Avs clinched the Western Conference top seed back on April 16 and have taken opportunities to rest key players in preparation for the post-season. The Preds, on the other hand, battled for the seventh seed to avoid the Avs in the First Round. They only needed one point to secure that spot and appeared to control their destiny when they were up 4-0 in the first period of their final game against the Coyotes but lost 5-4 in regulation. That can’t be great for a morale booster.
While the Avs have not looked their sharpest, their main goal was to get to the playoffs with a healthy roaster, which they did. Captain Gabe will be returning to the lineup for the first time since March 10th. Coach Bednar said, “Everybody could be an option,” with the only questionable players being Nazem Kadri, who has not practiced due to a non-Covid illness, and d-man Ryan Murry, who has been out with an upper-body injury. However, both are expected to be available for the First Round. This would mark the first time the Avs would have a 100% healthy roster this year. If the Avs can dominate the league while missing key players, imagine what they are capable of with a full roster. I wouldn’t want to be Nashville.
The Avs will be entering the post-season healthy, while the Predators are short one starting goaltender. Juuse Saros went 38-25-3 in 67 games but has been out with an ankle sprain since April 26. He will be out Game 1 and 2, and may not return for the entire series, leaving the netminding to Rittich (6-3-4) or Ingram (1-2).
The Avs will host their former teammate, Matt Duchene, traded early in the 2017-18 campaign to Ottawa. That year, the Avs squeezed into the playoffs at the eighth seed against the number one team, Nashville.
In 2018 the Preds were at the top of the league with 52-18-11 and 117 points, and the Avs were 43-30-9 with 95 points. The Avs lost in six games, and Nashville advanced to the second round where they were eliminated by the Jets. In four years, a lot has changed, and the Avs are now on top and the heavy favorites.
As Avs fans, we will have our eyes turned to former fan-favorite turned foe Duchene, but the real match-up will be against the defensemen Roman Josi and Cale Makar. Despite Makar outscoring him with 28 goals, Nashville captain Josi had 23 goals and led the league defensemen with 96 points compared to Makar’s 86. Both are contenders for the Norris Trophy, given to the league’s top defenseman. Josi won it back in 2020, and while the votes for the winner have already been submitted, the match-up between the two will be fun to watch. However, with the defensive pair of Makar and Toews, I predict that those who voted for Josi may be regretting their choice by the end of the series.
Winning a playoff series is never easy, and the Avs have not had their best games against Nashville this year. However, the Avs are hungry and healthy, and that’s a deadly combination.
Avs in 5.