With the Game 7 win for the Dallas Stars over the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 earlier this evening, it is official. The Colorado Avalanche will face the Stars in the second round, starting the series in Dallas in the coming week.
Perhaps the two best teams all year in the Central Division will meet in what should be a thrilling showdown. It is a rematch of the 2020 Second Round series these two had in the bubble Stanley Cup Playoffs in Edmonton. The less said about that series, the better.
This will be the sixth time the Avs will face the Stars in the postseason, matching the Detroit Red Wings for the most times they’ve played against one opponent in the playoffs. Colorado will be looking for revenge for their own Game 7 loss in 2020, and it’s the first time they’ve faced Dallas in the postseason since then. But, they do have the Stars’ secret weapon of said series on their team now in Joel Kiviranta.
The Avs went 3-1 over Dallas in the regular season, with the one loss coming in April when both teams were vying for the top of the Central Division. Otherwise, the Avalanche had the Stars’ number with 6-3, 5-4, and 5-1 wins before the 7-4 loss in the closing weeks of the regular season.
It should be an insanely fun matchup with two solid teams. It will be a tough task for both, especially for the Avs who will once again start on the road. They’ll need a similar effort to what we saw against the Winnipeg Jets in the first round to reach the Western Conference Final for the second time in three years.
Games One and Two will be in Dallas on Tuesday and Thursday night respectively. Games Three and Four in Denver will be on Saturday night and Monday night respectively. Bring it once again Avs faithful for another fun long-weekend show in the Mile High City. We will have your series preview tomorrow leading up to what should be a classic playoff matchup!
