The Avalanche is 3-0 in Game 1s this postseason and aims to improve to 2-1 in Game 2s in Thursday’s Western Conference Finals against the Edmonton Oilers.
Three keys for Colorado:
1. Win the best-on-best. Nathan MacKinnon’s top line for the Avs had a hand in four goals in Game 1, and Edmonton’s first-line center Connor McDavid and his linemates created three tallies. Colorado won the key comparison. MacKinnon and linemates Gabe Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin (plus Mikko Rantanen on the power play) combined for 16 shots and a plus-3 rating. McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman (plus Ryan-Nugent Hopkins on the power play) had 14 shots and a minus-5 rating.