Colorado Avalanche May Face Stars in the First Round of the Playoffs – Hockey Writer – Preview and Prediction

Colorado Avalanche is 6 points ahead of Minnesota’s field and is third in the Central Division, but eight points behind the Dallas Stars.

The Avalanche has been doing well lately, but their early season struggles have hampered their ability to compete for the highest position in the department. The stars also performed well, keeping them second in the middle. Unless the stars drop sharply, the Avalanche will face them in the first round of the playoffs without the advantage of family ice.

The Avalanche team’s match against the stars this season

In three games this season, the Avalanche led by 2-1-0, with more than 13-11 stars. The star faced three very different avalanche teams: the first time losing to Net with 5-3 on November 29, then the newly won Scott Scott Wedgewood on January 18, finally winning the 4-3 season against former teammate Mikko Rantanen on March 16. The second round of the six playoffs.

Both teams have different seasons. The Avalanche has made significant changes to the roster, their goalkeepers have improved, the center is deeper, and their next six players are harder than before. The avalanche is healthier later in this sport than last season

Stars have also improved, adding Rantanen’s top six to the 2025 trade deadline. He has always been an important performance in the playoffs. They also joined Mikael Granlund, enhancing the depth of the center. The series will test which team’s recent addition will be a bigger X-factor.

Can an avalanche still ensure Home-Ice advantage?

The Avalanche was 13-12-0 by subtracting the target difference, and was only four points behind in third place. In the next 25 games, they compiled a record of 28-20-2, two points behind third place. The avalanche started the season poorly, preventing them from competing for the first place in the department or even the conference.

Related: New additions to avalanches flourish after NHL trade deadline

The Avalanches are third in the NHL since the trade deadline, scoring 18 points with an 8-2-2 record and bringing their strength to a 33.3% success rate. The problem is that the Winnipeg Jets and the Stars are just below them, with 18 points each during the same period.

The stars performed well, and the remaining timeline was relatively easy, facing opponents like the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins. Although they may lose these games, it seems unlikely that it will make the Avalanche a possible first-round opponent, given their current game level.

Regular season performance and playoff performance

In the regular season, Avalanche played well against the stars, winning two of three games and winning 13-11. However, this success does not guarantee future results, as they achieved similar success against the stars last season. They won three of four games and beat them 20-15, but still lost to the playoff star in the second round, dropping in six games. Like last season’s Jets: The Avalanche lost three games in the regular season to 17-4, but beat them in five games and even beat them 28-11 with Vezina Trophy champion Connor Hellebuyck, who has had their seasons throughout the season.

Throughout the NHL, regular season and playoff performances are completely different (ask Toronto Maple Leaf). Although Avalanche has faced similar challenges before – usually defeating opponents in four to five games in the first round – they often struggle in the second round, and their roster is obvious. Frequently asked questions include a lack of rating depth, unreliable goalkeepers and too many penalties. The roster changes were made to fix mistakes in previous playoff runs; we need to see that they were really fixed, and it was the first game against a team of stars who made many changes themselves to fight the best efforts the rest of the teams have put in for them.

Now, the Avalanche is better than the beginning of this season, and no matter who faces in the first round, you should be more confident. If they turned out to be stars, they would have a chance to take revenge after what happened last year. The avalanche season has been ups and downs, but the first round will be exciting as they change and their current performance.