Road through Western Conference to Stanley Cup final is 'war of attrition'

Stephen Whyno · The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 16, 2025 2:25 PM EDT | Last Updated: 14 minutes ago

Five of the apical 8 teams successful the NHL this play play successful the Western Conference. Two of them indispensable look disconnected successful a first-round showdown betwixt Dallas and Colorado.

Presidents' Trophy-winning Winnipeg has its ain demons to slay, from elite goaltender Connor Hellebuyck connected out, to get implicit the playoff hump that has been a caller roadblock. Defending West champion Edmonton is banged up going into a 4th consecutive opening bid against Los Angeles. And don't hide astir Vegas, conscionable 2 years removed from winning the Stanley Cup and looking arsenic imposing arsenic ever.

The way done the West is simply a brutal one, though the tests on the mode could beryllium acceptable for a champion.

"It's a warfare of attrition," said six-time Cup champion and Hall of Famer Mark Messier, present an ESPN analyst. "For immoderate squad that's going to travel done the West this year, they're going to person to beryllium a big, beardown squad that tin withstand that benignant of not lone carnal accent but the affectional accent due to the fact that we cognize the games are going to beryllium close."

Teams to beat

The Jets had the champion regular season, but the Stars are 3-1 favourites to travel retired of the West, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Next up are the Avalanche, apt getting Gabriel Landeskog backmost for the archetypal clip since helium captained them to the Cup 3 years ago, adjacent though the Central Division rivals ranked 4th and eighth successful the league are locked into playing each different due to the fact that of the playoff format.

"It surely makes it difficult, but that's the roadworthy that we have," Colorado caput manager Jared Bednar said. "We finished wherever we finished, they finished wherever they are, playing a truly bully team, 1 of the apical teams successful the league close away."

This was ever the punishment for whoever didn't triumph the Central, and Winnipeg gets to commencement against wild-card St. Louis instead. Avalanche-Stars is different animal.

"We played them past twelvemonth successful the 2nd round, truthful backmost astatine it again this year," Stars wide manager Jim Nill said. "Our cognition is if you're going to triumph it, you've got to bushed each the bully teams, truthful it doesn't matter. They're a bully team, and it's going to beryllium a battle."

The Golden Knights person been done the gauntlet and travel retired the different side, winning the Cup successful 2023. The feline who was their playoff MVP past has since near for Nashville but inactive thinks Vegas tin marque a agelong run.

"I don't spot anyone stopping them until the apical four," Jonathan Marchessault said. "I deliberation they're going to get retired of their division. It's going to beryllium a beauteous bully conflict against the Central Division. I deliberation determination are 3 truly bully teams. I travel them and americium going to cheer for them, for sure."

Underdogs

The Kings person gotten knocked retired by the Oilers each of the past 3 years. They person home-ice vantage this clip against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Edmonton, which volition beryllium missing apical defenceman Mattias Ekholm for astatine slightest the archetypal circular due to the fact that of injury.

The West chaotic cards came down to the process extremity of the regular play to determine, with Minnesota coming backmost successful its last crippled to clinch the archetypal spot and a matchup against Vegas. The Blues got successful arsenic the eighth effect and faces Winnipeg successful the archetypal round.

"I'm excited for guys to acquisition it that haven't experienced it before," St. Louis skipper Brayden Schenn said. "This locker room, immoderate young guys person been champing astatine the spot to get that feeling. And it's important. That's however you physique a winning culture. That's however you physique a winning mindset."

Storylines

The Colorado-Dallas bid is adjacent much tantalizing aft the Avalanche traded longtime prima winger Mikko Rantanen to Carolina successful precocious January lone to spot him boomerang backmost to the Central erstwhile the Hurricanes sent him to the Stars astatine the commercialized deadline.

"To spot him and play him successful the archetypal round? That's astir apt not what the Avalanche were reasoning erstwhile they tried to nonstop him retired East," said retired subordinate Anson Carter, present a TNT analyst. "That bid is going to beryllium crazy."

Colorado's Logan O'Connor, who won it each alongside Rantanen successful 2022, called it a "no-friends-on-the-ice benignant thing."

"We evidently each respect him arsenic a player, a large person to a batch of us," O'Connor said. "Tons of bully things to accidental astir him, but I deliberation the 2nd that puck drops, it benignant of goes retired the model for the clip being. We each person got a occupation to bash successful here, and he's successful the mode of that."

There's besides McDavid and Draisaitl's corporate pursuit of their archetypal title aft losing to Florida successful Game 7 past twelvemonth aft erasing a 3-0 bid deficit. The Oilers and Jets person the accidental to extremity Canada's Cup drought that dates to 1993.

Predictions

1st round

• Colorado beats Dallas successful 7 games
• Winnipeg beats St. Louis successful 6
• Vegas sweeps Minnesota successful 4
• Los Angeles beats Edmonton successful 6

2nd round

• Colorado beats Winnipeg successful 6
• Vegas beats Los Angeles successful 5

Conference final

• Colorado beats Vegas successful 7

"The West is stacked," Avalanche winger Miles Wood said. "But we're a stacked team, arsenic well."