Friday Faceoff: Which NHL team poses the biggest postseason challenge to the Avalanche after they clinched the top playoff seed in the Western Conference?
Kyle Fredrickson, Broncos reporter
Answer: Dallas Stars
The Avalanche and Stars don’t like each other. That’s no secret. But it’s more than just familiarity in the Central Division. Check their postseason history.
Dallas has eliminated Colorado five different times in the playoffs: 1999, 2000, 2020, 2024 and 2025. Of course, Avs fans are quick to point out their team won a Stanley Cup in 2022. The Stars haven’t won it all since 1999.
Another playoff matchup feels inevitable in 2026 with both teams exceeding 100 points in the regular season. Three of their four meetings resulted in shootouts with the Avs falling twice. But Colorado also beat Dallas in regulation, 2-0, just last weekend.
Who comes out on top in a seven-game series?
Forget the debate for a moment. We should be grateful the Avs and Stars are loaded to provide such incredible hockey theater.
Especially with old friend Mikko Rantanen, a Stanley Cup champion in Colorado, now on the opposite side of a heated rivalry. Stars captain Jamie Benn has a long history of irritating Avalanche fans. Don’t forget the Stars took defenseman Miro Heiskanen at No. 3 overall in the 2017 NHL draft one pick before the Avalanche selected defenseman Cale Makar at No. 4.
The storylines basically write themselves.
But give credit where it’s due. The Stars, despite their lack of recent championships, are Avalanche slayers in the postseason. If it happens again? Don’t be surprised if team ownership makes drastic leadership changes heading into next season. It’s hard to imagine everyone keeping their jobs with another playoff series loss to Dallas.
Maybe we shouldn’t look too far ahead. But the Stars and Avalanche, as the top seeds in the Western Conference, are on a collision course to meet in the second round.
Get your popcorn ready. It’s going to be another classic rivalry series.
Dallas Stars’ Mikko Rantanen, left, returns to the bench after scoring during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Evan Rawal, Avalanche reporter
Answer: The Avalanche
Is it weird if I say the team posing the greatest challenge to the Avalanche this postseason is… the Avalanche?
They’re about to go wire-to-wire as the best team in the NHL. Sure, they haven’t been as dominant since the calendar flipped to 2026, but they’re still going to win the Central Division (and likely the Presidents’ Trophy) with room to spare. Why should they be scared of any other team?
It’s not that there aren’t other very good teams, particularly out West, that pose a threat. Everyone knows about the Dallas Stars and the nightmares that group has given the Avalanche in the postseason over the past six or seven years. The Edmonton Oilers can never be counted out because Connor McDavid, the best player in the world, can win games by himself. The Minnesota Wild have a solid club, even if they’ve never shown they can get the job done in the playoffs.
But this Avalanche team has shown on many occasions that when it’s on top of its game, they’re the best of the best. They’ve been lacking in motivation at times in 2026 because of the lead they afforded themselves. But they’ve been able to lock in when needed. We saw that last weekend when they went into Dallas and gave that team nothing, essentially clinching the division.
The Avalanche are as deep as they’ve been up front since 2022. They’re top six defensemen are as good as you’ll find in the NHL. And they’ve allowed the fewest goals in the league. They have it all. The only thing that can get in their way is themselves. Now it’s time for them to regain that focus and commitment they had the first three months of the season, because they’ve shown they’re borderline unstoppable when they’re playing that way.
The Colorado Avalanche celebrate after beating the St. Louis Blues in an NHL game Tuesday in St. Louis. (The Associated Press)