Who has the edge, five things to look for and predictions – The Denver Post

Who has the edge?

PROJECTS

Tyler Seguin is likely to return to be Dallas’ most dangerous forward as the Stars hope to hang with the Avalanche. The leading scorer of the regular season, Seguin is looking for his first goal and has just three assists in eight playoff games (he missed one because he was “incomplete to play”). But Dallas has star rookie sniper Denis Gurianov, who had four goals in a wild Game 6 victory over Calgary, and top-end veteran talent in Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn, Alexander Radulov, Blake Comeau and Andrew Cogliano. The Stars jumped back and won eight times from two goals in the regular season, so a 2-0 lead doesn’t mean much to these boys. The Avalanche meanwhile has centers Nathan MacKinnon and Nazem Kadri and a load of dangerous wingers who were great in the first round against Arizona. Colorado wants to roll four lines, and is the deeper club ahead. Depth normally occurs in the playoffs. EDGE: Avalanche

DEFENSEMEN

It will be fun to see two of the best young defenders in the league in Dallas ‘Miro Heiskanen and the Avs’ Cale Makar – the top two blue liners selected in the 2017 draft. The Stars Could Makar at number 3, but opted for Heiskanen. Makar went fourth to Colorado. Both are elite skating players who run the top power play. Heiskanen leads all NHL blue-liners in playoff score with 12 points, just one behind overall leader MacKinnon. John Klingberg and Esa Lindell are also puck-moving defenders for the Stars and Jamie “Big Rig” Oleksiak is the man you do not want to meet in the corner or for the net. Colorado is stout from top to bottom on the back end and loves the quick ice of the puck up. There’s no shortage of talent and the Avs’ Erik Johnson and Ian Cole are the hardcore veteran D you want on your side. EDGE: Avalanche

GOALTENDING

The Stars will begin the series with 5-foot-11 Anton Khudobin, who statistically outscored opening night 6-7 starter Ben Bishop in the regular season and playoffs. But given that the Avalanche forced Arizona’s Darcy Kuepmer’s benching twice in the first round, Bishop was able to play a factor. The Denver-born Bishop is champion at the bit for a chance. Colorado will start with Philipp Grubauer and has Pavel Francouz ready for relief. Grubauer went 4-0 against Arizona and is the Avs’ leader in net for the second straight year in the semifinals of the conference. Edge: Self

POWER PLAY

Colorado was an NHL-best 35% (7-of-20) with the man advantage in the first round and plays with extraordinary confidence. The Avs went a combined 6-of-11 in the last two games against Arizona. The top unit featuring Makar, MacKinnon, Kadri, Gabe Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen creates tape-to-tape passages and produces creative ways to score in all areas of the offensive zone. For Dallas, Heiskanen and Klingberg are very well up and Benn is always dangerous about the net. Edge: Avalanche

PENALTY KILLING

Block shots are often the key to a successful PK and both teams have the players ready to do so. In these playoffs, Colorado kills penalties on a sizzling 88% and Dallas is 76.7%. Edge: Avalanche

COACHING

Coach Interim Stars Rick Bowness took over for Jim Montgomery in December and probably did not get out of his players what Montgomery did. But Bowness, 65, has been coaching in the league since 1984 and certainly has extensive experience. The Avs’ Jared Bednar is looking for his third professional championship as head coach – first in the NHL. Edge: Self

Five things to see

The Avalanche battle in the regular season against Stars. Colorado played Dallas four times and came out on top 0-2-2. The Avs fell twice in regulation, 2-1 and 4-1, before a few midfield losses (one via shootout). However, in round-robin seeding play, Colorado rolled through Dallas, 4-0, for an Avs victory in Edmonton.

2. Dallas has already proven its playoff skill. In Game 6 against the Calgary Flames, the Stars trailed 3-0 in the first period – and went on to score seven consecutive goals (including four from rookie forward Denis Gurianov). It marked the sixth time an NHL playoff team has ever scored 3-0 in the first period, and then came back to win a game-ending game.

3. Will fatigue become a factor? The NHL did not wait for all of its first-round games to end before setting up the second round. The Avs have played games on 5 of the last 10 days. The Stars have played six games over 11 days. Colorado players noted the advantage of exercising at high altitude when Avs training camp reopened in July. Time to see that conditioning on the ice.

4. Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz will finally be challenged. The Colorado goal pandemic was barely tested against the Coyotes, with the Avs scoring a full-on-goal advantage over five games (185-108). Expect Dallas to be much more aggressive offensively with Gurianov and center Joe Pavelski currently tied for the NHL lead in scoring playoff goals, along with Avalanche ahead of Nazem Kadri, on six pieces.

5. Will Nathan MacKinnon’s hot streak continue? The Avs’ MVP finalist leads the NHL with 13 points (four goals) and an eight-game points streak within the Edmonton bubble. MacKinnon – already world-renowned for his offensive skills – has taken great strides to become one of the league’s best two-way forwards. He is not afraid to start contact on the front end or drop gloves if necessary.

Avs-Stars predictions

Mike Chambers, Avalanche beat writer: Based on how the Avs blew up Arizona in the first round with an unlimited attack and very dangerous power play, I do not see them losing this series. That said, Dallas has a veteran team that is capable of winning some games. If the Stars can win one or two in overtime, then it could be a tight series. Avalanche in six.