The Colorado Avalanche have wound their way through a tumultuous regular season – one that saw them battle injuries in the early going, trade both of their goaltenders away in the opening third of the season, deal away a star and fan favorite in Mikko Rantanen, and revamp their entire roster at the trade deadline with more depth, versatility and size – and have come through the other side with only five fewer points than they did in the previous season.
Of course, that previous season came to an abrupt end in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Dallas Stars, and the Avalanche have an opportunity to claim a measure of revenge against those same Stars in this season’s opening round.
It won’t be easy, despite the fact that the Avalanche are as healthy as they’ve been in years, following the return of longtime captain Gabe Landeskog, three seasons after a knee injury that required recovery from cartilage replacement surgery.
The Stars are loaded and experienced behind coach Peter DeBoer, who’s knocked the Avalanche out of the playoffs with three different teams over his illustrious career. Adding to the drama will be the return of both Rantanen – who was subsequently dealt to Dallas after the Avalanche traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes for winger Martin Nečas, center Jack Drury and draft considerations – and former Avalanche center Matt Duchene, who led the team in scoring with 86 points this season.
While the Avalanche – who haven’t played since Sunday – are rested and healthy, the same can’t be said of the Stars, who finished their season on Wednesday and lost leading goal-scorer Jason Robertson to a lower-body in the process. Robertson, who DeBoer called “week-to-week,” will be missed, as will star defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who skated in a non-contact jersey before Saturday’s Game 1 but will not play. Heiskanen, who was injured on Jan. 28 against the Vegas Golden Knights and required knee surgery, is considered day-to-day.
The Stars, who enter this series on a seven-game losing streak, have suffered greatly since Heiskanen was injured – falling to 30th in shot attempts, 22nd in scoring chances, 29th in expected goal share in his absence – and DeBoer will have to adjust against the Avalanche’s dangerous power play, which has led the NHL with a 32.4% success rate since Jan. 24.
Avalanche vs Stars tonight in Dallas #GoAvsGo@natelundy & @sdrotar on the impact that both the absence of Miro Heiskanen and goaltender playoff experience will have on the series. #StanleyCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/r1JUOy4nxB
— Mile High Sports (@MileHighSports) April 19, 2025
The Stars aren’t concerned about their goaltending after franchise stalwart Jake Oettinger finished the season with an impressive 36-18-4 record, a 2.59 goals-against average, and a .909 save percentage, while the Avalanche’s Mackenzie Blackwood still has questions to answer – Oettinger has won 45 playoff games in his career, while Blackwood is looking for his first. Blackwood, who solidified the Avalanche’s situation in net with a 22-12-3 record, an excellent 2.33 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage, finished the regular season on a down note, going 1-4, with a 3.50 GAA, and .878 save percentage over his final five games.
Blackwood, a nearly perfect fit for the Avalanche’s style of play, has the ability to match Oettinger in this series, but until he actually does so, it’s fair to say that the Stars have an edge in net.
Despite the suddenly wobbly, injured Stars team in front of them, the Avalanche can’t afford to relax. Instead, the hope for them is to Blitz the Stars while they’re off-kilter in Saturday’s Game 1, taking home-ice advantage away and giving them a leg up in a playoff series that might end up as the first round’s best.