The first Conference Semifinal series to be set in stone is this one between the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars, and it was announced that the series will kick off Saturday evening. These Central Division rivals entered the playoffs as part of the Western Conference's Round Robin quartet, with the Avalanche entering at #2 while the Stars actually entered at #4. In the seeding Round Robin, the Avs went 2-0-1 and remained at #2, while Dallas' win in the final game moved them to #3. In the regular season, the Stars won all four meetings, two of them in OT, though the Avalanche blanked the Stars 4-0 on August 5.
This is the fifth playoff meeting between the two clubs. The first two meetings took place in the 1999 and 2000 Western Conference Final series, with Dallas winning in seven both times--the first time en route to winning the Stanley Cup. The Avalanche won the previous two meetings in 2004 and 2006, both in the opening round. Following the Round Robin, the Avalanche made quick work of the Arizona Coyotes, beating them in five games, while the Stars ousted the Calgary Flames in six games, capped up by a 7-3 win in Game Six that began with the Stars down 3-0 after the first six minutes! It's been a long time since either of them got past Round 2; the Avalanche are looking to reach the West Final for the first time since 2002, while Dallas looks to get their for the first time since 2008. Both teams finished a win short of the West Final last year. This year, only one team's going, and I think it will be the Avalanche, but it'll be close.
Prediction: Avalanche in seven
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