The Colorado Avalanche are the favorite to win the Stanley Cup, and their dismantling of the Los Angeles Kings in four games was proof of that. The Avalanche is facing off against the mighty Minnesota Wild in what should truly be a matchup of cinematic proportions. Both teams are Central Division rivals and have been getting in each other’s way all season long. Now is the time to settle it all in the playoffs, and whoever wins this matchup will likely represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals.

From top to bottom, the Avs’ roster is the most equally constructed and put together. Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Artturi Lehkonen are on fire for them. Even Logan O’Connor and Nicolas Roy from their bottom-six skaters have been producing. Colorado’s goalie Scott Wedgewood has been their best player, making impressive saves over and over. Defensemen Cale Makar and Brent Burns both have been excellent. Each player will have to step up further versus Minnesota’s incredibly potent offense, which is arguably the best in the NHL.

The Wild have three players with eight or more points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Quinn Hughes has eight, Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov both have nine. It is genuinely remarkable how much talent Minnesota has on its team this season. They will give Colorado all they can handle for sure. Their goaltender, Jesper Wallstedt, has been standing on his head, making multiple saves to keep the Wild in each game. Wallstedt’s chemistry with their blueliners, Brock Faber, Jared Spurgeon, and Hughes, is something to marvel at.

Spurgeon is Minnesota’s captain and is their best leader on the ice. His ability to communicate with his teammates is impressive. Both teams’ offenses will be on full display, and how the defenses respond will decide the outcome of this series. This could be the best playoff series of the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs due to the nature of the rivalry brewing, on-ice matchups, and passion between both of these franchises.

Prediction

It will be interesting to see if the Avalanche can continue on their torrid pace against the Wild. A great deal of effort will come from Wallstedt and the Wild, but it will not be enough. The ultimate series of the Semi-Final round will result in an extremely close seven-game series won by Wedgewood and the Avalanche.