The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche are set to face off in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, a matchup that promises to be a high-scoring affair.
The Stars, who defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in seven games, boast a franchise-record eight 20-goal scorers and rank third in the NHL with 3.59 goals per game. The Avalanche, meanwhile, led the league with 3.68 goals per game and had a league-high 28 goals in their five-game sweep of the Winnipeg Jets.
While the Stars hope to capitalize on their momentum from the first round, the Avalanche are drawing on their experience from last year’s Stanley Cup run, which included a week-long break between the first and second rounds.
“We’re going to have to work ourselves into the series to see how we’re going to have to win,” said Stars coach Pete DeBoer. “My initial reaction, just watching what they did to Winnipeg, is I don’t think we want to get in a track meet. … At the same time, we’re not going to sit and try to defend in the entire series. I think we’ve got other layers to our game.”
The Avalanche, led by Nathan MacKinnon, are confident in their ability to match the Stars’ offensive firepower.
“We’re prepared to work our butts off and compete,” said MacKinnon. “We expect a very, very, very hard series. But we’re confident in ourselves. We feel like we have a deep team and we get the job done.”
In addition to the high-scoring potential, the series will also feature a matchup of two veteran players seeking their first Stanley Cup: Avalanche forward Zach Parise and Stars defenseman Ryan Suter. The former teammates and close friends have played over 1,400 regular-season games combined without winning a championship.
“I have zero concern that Joe’s fingerprints are going to be on our playoffs before this is said and done, regardless of what the stat lines say,” said DeBoer of Pavelski, who has 73 career playoff goals but was held scoreless in the first round against Vegas.
The series is expected to be a close and competitive one, with both teams having the potential to win the Stanley Cup.
