The Stanley Cup Playoffs have arrived, with eight first-round matchups to analyze.
Avalanche vs Kings
What to Know: The Colorado Avalanche coasted through another stress-free regular season, tearing up the Western Conference en route to another Presidents' Trophy. A roster teeming with star power, the Avalanche are unquestionably in "Stanley Cup or bust" mode and will begin their quest for a fourth Stanley Cup against a Los Angeles Kings team with heaps of playoff experience — and heaps of problems across the lineup.
The Colorado Advantage: Any optimism on the Kings' side centers on roughly one month of hockey, as they struggled all season long. This is a team that ended the year with a -22 goal differential and just 22 regulation wins, tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for 30th in the NHL.
More compelling is the reality of what this Avalanche team is: a hockey juggernaut. It's a freakish combination of top-end star power through Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, backed by incredible depth that allows the Avalanche to comfortably roll four lines and three pairings, making Jared Bednar's team so deadly.
The average Colorado game saw them winning by 1.2 goals. Six players — including MacKinnon, Makar, Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, Artturi Lehkonen, and Parker Kelly — scored 20 or more goals. The Avalanche goaltending group finished with a 90.8 stop rate, easily best in the NHL.
Oddsmakers have priced Colorado as an 84 per cent favourite to advance in Round 1, way ahead of any other favourite.
The Los Angeles Advantage: It's important to recognize this Kings team is not the same team we saw earlier in the year. Since turfing head coach Jim Hiller on March 1, Los Angeles is sixth in even-strength goal differential, and it's largely due to a coaching decision to load up the top line.
Since acquiring Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers in early February, Panarin, Kempe, and Kopitar have played 330 minutes together at even strength to devastating effect. From a talent perspective, this is one of the best lines in hockey — elite defensive play by Kopitar down the middle of the ice, with two wingers in Panarin and Kempe who are wizards at generating offence from between the circles.
Player to Watch: Goaltender Darcy Kuemper may not have had his best season, but he is exactly the type of veteran goalie needed in a series where you know you are undermanned. He manned the net for the Stanley Cup-winning Avalanche in 2022, stopping 90.2 per cent of shots faced over the 16-game run.
Pick: The Kings may be a bit better than their full-season numbers indicate, but they are in a world of trouble in this matchup. The aggregate score during regular-season matchups was 13-5 in favour of Colorado. Avalanche in five.
Golden Knights vs... [Matchup Incomplete]
What to Know: The Vegas Golden Knights won the Pacific Division title for the fifth time in nine seasons in what can only be described as a "down year" for the organization, which even included a shocking late-season coaching firing.
Vegas has been one of the most reliably dominant teams since entering the league in the 2017-18 season through the expansion draft, and their roster is absolutely loaded with playoff experience. They'll be put to the test in the opening round, drawing a dangerous up[text incomplete]