Officially one month into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Western Conference Final is finally set. Beginning May 20, the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights will battle for the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl and a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
The 2023 Stanley Cup champion Knights enter this matchup as underdogs despite another impressive season, finishing atop the Pacific Division during the regular season. Vegas will open the series in Denver, where Colorado has already turned Ball Arena into a nightmare for opposing teams this spring.
Here’s how each side can take control of the series.
How the Avalanche Can Win
Colorado went 2-0-1 against Vegas during the regular season, including an overtime loss at home. More importantly, the Avalanche have spent the playoffs proving they can survive just about any kind of game thrown at them.
Fast-paced shootout? Fine.
Heavy, physical hockey? Also fine.
Late deficit in a hostile environment? Colorado has handled that too.
The Avalanche enter the conference final at 8-1 in the playoffs largely because they never seem rattled when games start tilting sideways. That showed up again in Game 5 against Minnesota, when Colorado erased a late third-period deficit in barely two minutes.
Jack Drury sparked the comeback before Nathan MacKinnon buried the equalizer, completely flipping the energy inside the building. Then came overtime, where Brett Kulak sent Colorado to the Western Conference Final with the winner.
That sequence said a lot about this team. Colorado doesn’t panic. The Avalanche stay patient, wait for openings, and suddenly bury opponents in a wave of pressure that feels impossible to stop once it starts rolling.
How the Knights Can Win
Vegas has spent the entire postseason embracing the “underdog” label, and honestly, that probably suits this group pretty well.
The Knights have enough firepower to punish even brief defensive lapses, especially after adding Mitch Marner. Against Colorado, those windows may only stay open for a few seconds at a time, which makes finishing chances even more important.
Marner already showed how quickly Vegas can seize momentum in Game 6 against Anaheim. Just 1:02 into the contest, he scored a ridiculous through-the-legs goal that immediately put the Ducks on their heels and sent the building into chaos.
That’s the kind of pressure Vegas wants to create against Colorado. The Knights thrive when games become frantic, physical, and slightly uncomfortable. Their defense also deserves more credit than it usually gets for helping generate offense the other direction.
One mistake against Vegas can suddenly turn into a goal before a team fully processes what just happened.
The X-Factor: Cale Makar
This may not be exactly groundbreaking analysis considering he’s the best offensive defenseman in hockey, but his health changes the entire shape of this matchup.
Makar finished the regular season with 20 goals and 79 points, then added four goals and an assist during Colorado’s first nine playoff tilts. Every time he’s on the ice, Colorado plays faster, cleaner, and far more aggressively.
Now comes the concern.
It was recently revealed that Makar suffered a shoulder injury during the Minnesota series. He’s still expected to play in Game 1, though Vegas now has a very obvious target area to attack.
And you can be sure the Knights are absolutely going to test that shoulder early and often.
That doesn’t mean cheap shots are coming, but Vegas already plays a bruising style. Add an injured superstar into the equation and the physicality level probably climbs another notch.
If Makar stays healthy and productive, Colorado has a real edge in this matchup. If the injury starts limiting him, the entire tone of the series changes quickly.
Prediction
The road to the Stanley Cup gets nastier every round, and this matchup has all the ingredients for a long series.
Vegas has enough scoring depth and physicality to create problems for anybody. The Knights also carry the kind of postseason experience that keeps teams dangerous even when they are not controlling play.
Still, Colorado simply has more answers right now.
MacKinnon is driving games, the Avalanche defense has been excellent for most of the playoffs, and Colorado continues finding different ways to win depending on what a game demands.
Makar’s health is the one thing hanging over the series. If the shoulder becomes a major issue, this easily turns into a seven-game war.
If he’s anywhere close to full strength, Colorado should eventually break through.
The Pick: Avalanche in 6
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