The Colorado Avalanche players seem happy to have finished the regular season atop the National Hockey League’s Central Division, but they would also be happy to have avoided a first-round confrontation with the Minnesota Wild .
• Also read: The hit that could rock the Stars Wild series
• Also read: NHL Playoffs: Filip Gustavsson and Ryan Hartman shine, the Wild surprise the stars
According to Sportsnet hockey expert Elliotte Friedman, some hockey players said on condition of anonymity that the Avalanche’s performance against the Nashville Predators on Friday didn’t lie: The club preferred to face the Seattle Kraken early in the playoffs.
That required a win in Tennessee, and the defending champions accomplished their mission with a 4-3 win.
Friedman recalled in his recent 32 Thoughts column that without discrediting the Kraken, a duel with the Savages would have been more physically demanding for head coach Jared Bednar’s men. The Dallas Stars, who take on Minnesota in the opening round, can attest to that as they lost veteran Joe Pavelski on Monday when he picked up a contact from Matthew Dumba.