The Colorado Avalanche players seem very happy to have concluded the regular season at the top of the Central Division of the National Hockey League, but they would also be very happy to have avoided a confrontation with the Minnesota Wild in the first. elimination round.
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According to Sportsnet hockey expert Elliotte Friedman, some hockey players said on condition of anonymity that the Avalanche’s performance on Friday against the Nashville Predators didn’t lie: the club preferred to do battle with the Seattle Kraken early in the playoffs.
To do so, a victory in Tennessee was required and the defending champions accomplished their mission by winning 4-3.
Friedman recalled in his most recent column “32 Thoughts” that without wanting to discredit the Kraken, a duel with the Wild would have been more physically taxing for the men of head coach Jared Bednar. The Dallas Stars, who face Minnesota in the opening round, can attest to that, as they lost veteran Joe Pavelski on Monday when he took a contact from Matthew Dumba.