Avalanche to play Stars or Wild in 2nd round of Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Colorado Avalanche will play the Dallas Stars or Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference Second Round.

The Avalanche advanced by defeating the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 in Game 4 at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday.

The Avalanche, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, won the Presidents’ Trophy and will have home-ice advantage against either the Stars, the No. 2 seed from the Central Division, or the Wild, the No. 3 seed from the Central. That series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 in Dallas on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, Victory+, ESPN2, TVAS2, SN360). 

Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (two goals, two assists), who topped the League during the regular season with 53 goals, and forwards Artturi Lehkonen (two goals, two assists) and captain Gabriel Landeskog (two goals, two assists) led Colorado in the Western Conference First Round with four points each. Defenseman Devon Toews had a goal and two assists, and defenseman Cale Makar scored two goals.

Scott Wedgewood is 4-0, having allowed five goals on 101 shots ( 1.21 goals-against average, .950 save percentage).

The Avalanche went 2-0-2 against the Stars this season, with three of the four games being decided after regulation. Forward Martin Necas had nine points (three goals, six assists) and MacKinnon had eight points (three goals, five assists). Makar had two goals and an assist.

Wedgewood was 2-0-2 with a 1.30 GAA, .925 save percentage and one shutout. Mackenzie Blackwood started one game but was pulled after allowing four goals on 11 shots in 21:47 in a 5-4 shootout win on March 6. 

Forward Jason Robertson had four points (two goals, two assists) against the Avalanche, and forward Wyatt Johnston (two goals, one assist) and defensemen Miro Heiskanen (one goal, two assists) and Thomas Harley (one goal, two assists) each had three points.

Jake Oettinger was 2-0-1 with a 2.78 GAA and .912 save percentage. Casey DeSmith allowed one goal on 21 shots in his only appearance, a 2-0 loss on April 4.

Colorado and Dallas have played seven times in the playoffs, with Dallas winning five of the series. The Stars defeated the Avalanche in seven games in the first round last season and in six games in the second round in 2024.

The Avalanche were 2-1-1 against the Wild in the regular season. MacKinnon had seven points (four goals, three assists), and Landeskog and Makar each had one goal and three assists. Necas scored three goals.

Wedgewood was 1-0-1 with a 1.87 GAA and .945 save percentage. Blackwood was 1-1-0 with a 2.05 GAA and .937 save percentage.

Forward Kirill Kaprizov had six points (three goals, three assists) against the Avalanche, and Matt Boldy had four points (two goals, two assists). Joel Eriksson Ek (two goals, one assist) and Ryan Hartman (one goal, two assists) each had three points.

Jesper Wallstedt was 1-1-1 with a 2.85 GAA and .925 save percentage in four games (three starts). Filip Gustavsson won his only start, making 44 saves in a 5-2 win on Feb. 26. 

Colorado and Minnesota have played three times in the playoffs, with the Wild winning two of the three series. The most recent was in the first round in 2014, which the Wild won in seven games.