3 Things the Avalanche Must Avoid Against the Golden Knights

The Colorado Avalanche dispatched the Minnesota Wild in an electric Game 5 comeback, setting the stage for a battle with the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. It is a battle of teams who have been to the mountaintop before and done so recently.

It may also be a battle of star power like few other series have had before, provided Cale Makar is able to suit up. There are more than a few things the Avalanche need to do right in order to advance to their fourth Stanley Cup Final, but there are a few things they need to avoid as well.

1.) Don’t Let the Golden Knights’ Top Line Get Going

The trio of Jack Eichel, Pavel Dorofeyev, and Ivan Barbashev have been exceptional for the Golden Knights. Eichel has just one goal but 14 assists to lead the playoffs. Dorofeyev leads the Golden Knights with nine goals in 12 games, and Barbashev has quietly put together nine points as well.

There is a lot of star power on this team. Mitch Marner leads all scorers with 18 points and Brett Howden has eight goals in 12 games. There are plenty of areas for the Avalanche to pay attention to, but the top line makes them go.

The Avalanche can obviously roll their own elite top line and Nathan MacKinnon will get a ton of comparisons to Eichel and Marner throughout the series. But the Avalanche’s team defense will need to do their best to at least quiet the top line if not silence them.

2.) Losing the Special Teams Battle

The Avalanche have received a lot of flack for their special teams play this season, but the power play has found itself again. Clicking at 25%, it is fifth in the playoffs and second among active teams – just behind Vegas at 25.7%.

The difference, on paper, is the penalty kill. The Golden Knights are the second-best team left and fifth overall, killing 86.8% of their penalties. The Avalanche, meanwhile, are just 11^th with a 79.3% success rate.

If the Avalanche are undisciplined, it has the potential to shift the series. The Vegas power play is deadly, and the Avalanche could be missing Cale Makar for some of this series. In a series as tightly contested as this one should be, the last thing the Avalanche need to do is provide a distinct advantage.

3.) Get Bogged Down in Transition

The Avalanche are known for their speed, generating a litany of odd-man rushes and putting opposing defenses into situations they would rather not be in. The aforementioned MacKinnon and Makar are known for tilting the ice in an instant.

On the flip side, the Golden Knights may be one of the most structured teams in the league. They limit clean zone entries, get into passing lanes, and play the type of defense that takes away the kind of open-ice chances that Colorado loves.

Puck discipline will be critical. The Avalanche will need to watch turnovers, particularly in the neutral zone. The Wild were able to jump out to an early Game 5 lead by exploiting defensive gaps, though the Avalanche ultimately won. Makar can be critical thanks to his breakout and retrieval abilities, so it will be massive for him to play.

This Should Be an Interesting Battle

There is a little familiarity at play but these two teams are generally away from one another over the course of the regular season. The Avalanche have been the best team in the league, but the Golden Knights have a playoff pedigree more recent than Colorado.

These are two fantastic teams who know how to win big games. The margin for error in this series is going to be razor-thin and a crucial mistake one way or the other could potentially swing the series.