The thrill of playoff hockey returning to Colorado for the first time since 2014 is sure to keep the state abuzz with Avalanche fever after a sellout crowd Saturday inside Pepsi Center set the tone.
But the Avs’ celebration after a 5-2 victory against St. Louis will quickly turn to preparation.
Colorado — among the NHL’s youngest team to begin the new year (average age 25) — has a grown-man challenge ahead: A first-round matchup with the Nashville Predators.
Nashville completed its most successful regular season in franchise history at 53-18-11 and clinched the Presidents’ Trophy by garnering a league-high 117 points to guarantee home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.