The Avalanche went wire-to-wire as the best team in the NHL. Naturally, they\u2019re considered heavy favorites against the Los Angeles Kings, the team with the lowest point total to qualify for the postseason. You can\u2019t take any team for granted when the playoffs roll around, though.<\/p>\n
Here are three key factors that could decide the series.<\/p>\n
The Bottom Six<\/p>\n
While the left wing on Colorado\u2019s third line remains a mystery, it\u2019s a safe bet that two-thirds of Colorado\u2019s trio is going to be Nazem Kadri and Nicolas Roy. In a perfect world, those two would have spent the last month developing chemistry. In the real world, where injuries exist, they\u2019ve only played 40 total minutes on a line with each other. The numbers look good, but they\u2019re still a bit of an unknown together.<\/p>\n
What they could be, combined with potentially Gabriel Landeskog on the other side, is terrifying for opposing teams. A trio with that combination of size and skill is scary enough to begin with, but it\u2019s a little unfair when it\u2019s your third line. Colorado\u2019s fourth line of Parker Kelly, Jack Drury and Logan O\u2019Connor was arguably its most consistent against Dallas last year. Matchup nightmares in the bottom six can make all the difference when the playoffs roll around.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to take every bit of energy and effort for teams to try and keep the top-line talent in check. Well, those other guys can hurt you too,\u201d the NHL Network\u2019s Mike Rupp told The Denver Gazette. \u201cTheir bottom six is really good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Win the special teams battle<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a cliche because it matters. Special teams are the biggest reason why the Avalanche exited in the first round against Dallas last season. For as much publicity as the subpar power play got, the penalty kill wasn\u2019t any better. That can\u2019t happen again.<\/p>\n
The Kings have not been good on the power play this season. Like the Avalanche, they\u2019ve improved since the Olympic break, but they\u2019re still in the bottom five over the course of the entire season. Colorado finished first in the NHL on the penalty kill and can\u2019t let the Kings get any easy goals in this series. On the flip side, Colorado\u2019s improved power play needs to take advantage of a bad Kings penalty kill. Since the Olympic break, the Kings have killed off just 67.9% of the power plays they faced, far and away the worst percentage in the league.<\/p>\n
Win the special teams battle, win the series.<\/p>\n
Do what you\u2019ve been doing<\/p>\n
On paper, the Avalanche are the significantly better team. <\/p>\n
\u201cFrom an outsider\u2019s standpoint, this is the perfect matchup for round one for the Avalanche,\u201d Rupp said.<\/p>\n
The playoffs are an entirely different animal, though. Upsets happen all the time in the first round of the NHL playoffs. It will be imperative for the Avalanche to continue doing what they\u2019ve been doing all year and, perhaps most importantly, not overlook this Kings team that played well down the stretch.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone\u2019s got to find another level. Keep your emotions in check and play your quick game,\u201d Rupp said. \u201cThey\u2019re a team that\u2019s been through it. They\u2019ve got a lot of veterans, a lot of guys on the team that were there when they won. I think that they\u2019ll be good. They\u2019ve got the right guys in the room to make sure they\u2019re not overlooking this Kings team.\u201d<\/p>\n
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