The last game of this weekend is the West Division showdown between the 1st and 2nd seeded teams. The Vegas Golden Knights visit Denver to play the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center on a Sunday night at 8:00 PM EST. Vegas defeated 3rd seed Minnesota Wild in 7 games to reach this point while the Avs swept 4th seed St. Louis Blues in a quick and easy 4 games. Vegas won the season series but Colorado has been very good otherwise. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had a great series for the Knights while Avs forward Nathan MacKinnon got a hat trick and had 9 points in 4 games. This contest should be tight and exciting to watch.
The Golden Knights did a good job of shutting down key players for the Wild which they knew could create problems for them. Kirill Kaprizov was shut down which helped them to win that series. Fleury was exceptional in that series. In the hardest of saves, he made it look easy. He is so acrobatic even though he is not that young of a goalie. He gets the shooter so frustrated because he always robs them. It is so hard to beat him and he is most likely one of the top contestants for the Vezina Trophy. One of his biggest tests will be against this 5-star Avalanche top line. Fleury was a story in that series and was the leader for them. He is probably the reason why Vegas is at this stage. Vegas’s forwards have to step up cause Fleury can’t also lead them this series. This team has so many players who can score but they have to step up and help their goalie. The defense has to try to slow down the top 3 Landeskog, Rantanen, and MacKinnon because that will really help them. This Avalanche team is fantastic but I believe this Vegas team can handle it.
The Avs are 1 of the 2 teams to sweep the opponent and they just rocked that series. Goaltending was not an issue like it was last season and those top 3 broke apart St. Louis’s defense. I really liked the way they played but they will have to shot dominate in this one. They have to pressure Fleury and somehow figure out a way to beat him. This is an important home game for them cause if would be bad for them if Vegas could win on the road. Nazem Kadri is out and will only be able to play in game 7 even if it reaches to that point. That might impact them in these games which will be a downfall for them. Vegas are aggressive and forecheck pretty well so the Avs have to be careful to not give away the puck in their own zone. They have to play hard and strong hockey to beat this Vegas team. This team is fun to watch and are a very skilled team overall.
I believe the Colorado Avalanche will win Game 1 from the capital of Colorado by the score of 5-3. Fans boost the home team up and give rocket fuel to these players. This team home or away is equally marvelous and are always dangerous. They are quick and the thought process is smart of these players. Also, they had a full week of while Vegas had less than 2 days. Colorado should be energized and pumped up for this game. Both teams have been fantastic in the regular season and it was so close in the race for 1st place. This match should be competitive and both teams will be putting everything into this one to win.
Both teams always put a show on the ice. Can the Vegas Golden Knights put together a sight to watch in Denver or will the Colorado Avalanche win Game 1 on home ice? We will find out on a Sunday night to end this week’s NHL Playoffs.
THE END