Two St. Louis Blues rivals meet in Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs
By David Crum
In Round 2 of the 2024 NHL Playoffs, the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars from the Central Division will go head-to-head.
The first game will occur in Dallas on Tuesday at 7:30 pm on ESPN.
In regular season play, the Avalanche and Stars met four times, with Dallas only securing one victory, their last time facing each other.
Dallas Stars
Dallas enters the new series after defeating the Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights, in game 7 of their Round 1 matchup.
In regular season play, the Stars recorded 113 points, which led the Western Conference and Central Division.
The Stars last won the Cup in 1999, though they appeared in the finals in 2020 and lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Colorado Avalanche
Colorado has maintained its post-season dominance by defeating the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 in Round 1.
The Avalanche recorded 107 points this season but won most regular-season meetings against Dallas.
If Colorado’s victory over Winnipeg was any indication, Dallas will face a worthy opponent known for its playoff experience.
In 2022, the Avalanche claimed victory in the Cup by defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2.
Who has the advantage?
Colorado won most of the regular season match-ups but has also been resting, winning their Round 1 series 4-1. This can be an asset but also hurt their momentum.
Dallas is an impressive team coming off their recent victory over Vegas.
Both are battle-tested playoff contenders and being division rivals makes this Round 2 series must-watch TV.
Ironically, both teams have played in the Stanley Cup finals within the last few years, matching the same team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, the outcome was more favorable for the Colorado Avalanche, who won the championship.
Dallas impressed at the end of the regular season, going 8-2, while Colorado concluded the season, going 4-4-2.
Granted, it’s the playoffs, and the regular season holds little weight now.
However, the Stars must be confident going into this series after defeating the champion Golden Knights and winning the last regular-season game against the Avalanche.