The Colorado Avalanche set a few major goals for themselves at the start of training camp. On Tuesday night, they checked off a few of those goals.
With a win over the St. Louis Blues, the Avalanche clinched the Central Division title, their first division title since the 2022-23 season. This is the 13th time that the Avalanche have won a division title since relocating to Colorado in 1995. Not only did the Avalanche lock down the top spot in the division Tuesday, they also guaranteed themselves home-ice advantage until at least the Stanley Cup final as the top seed in the Western Conference.
The Avalanche did not clinch the Presidents Trophy for the top record in the NHL because the Boston Bruins were unable to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes in regulation, but it likely won’t be long before that happens. The Hurricanes just have to lose a single game or the Avalanche have to pick up one point in their final five games for Colorado to take home the Presidents Trophy.
With five games remaining in the season and not a whole lot to play for, expect the Avalanche to start resting some regulars to make sure everyone is healthy for the postseason.
As for who the Avalanche will play in the first round, that’s still a question mark. The Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, and San Jose Sharks are the three teams they’re most likely to face in the first round, but several other teams remain in the mix. Most of the teams in the mix for that final wild-card spot in the Western Conference play each other down the stretch, so the Avalanche may not know their first-round opponent until the last day of the regular season.