Avalanche: 56-19-7 (119 points), defeated Nashville Predators 4-0 in first round, St. Louis Blues 4-2 in second round
Oilers: 49-27-6 (104 points), defeated Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in first round, Calgary Flames 4-1 in second round
Season series: COL 2-1-0; EDM 1-0-2
Game 1: Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, CBC, SN, TVAS)
Two of the best players in the NHL in Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon and Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid will face off when their teams meet in the Western Conference Final of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
This will be the third time Colorado and Edmonton have met in the postseason. The Avalanche won in five games in the 1997 conference semifinals, and the Oilers won in seven games in the conference quarterfinals the following season.
Colorado is playing in the conference final for the first time since 2002, when it lost in seven games to the Detroit Red Wings. Edmonton is playing in the conference final for the first time since 2006, when it advanced to the Stanley Cup Final before losing in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Colorado was led in the regular season by MacKinnon, who had five points (three goals, two assists) in the three games against Edmonton. Darcy Kuemper started each game and went 2-1-0 with a 2.62 goals-against average and .921 save percentage.
Oilers defenseman Tyson Barrie, who played is his first eight NHL seasons with the Avalanche from 2011-19, knows what makes MacKinnon special.
"Getting to play with him and his work ethic and the way he prepares and treats his body reminds me a lot of [McDavid]," Barrie said. "They're at the top of their game and they're taking care of themselves to make sure they are at the top of their game. From a playing standpoint, you guys are watching like we are. He's a powerful, skilled player that can do it all. He'll be a handful, but nothing we can't handle."
Edmonton was led by forward Evander Kane, who had five points (four goals, one assist) in the three regular-season games against Colorado. McDavid (four assists) and Leon Draisaitl (two assists) combined for six points but did not score a goal.
Mike Smith started two games against Colorado, going 1-0-1 with a 2.99 GAA and .912 save percentage. Mikko Koskinen made 33 saves in his only start, a 2-1 shootout loss on April 9.
Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson said he believes practicing against MacKinnon will help them against McDavid.
"Sometimes we take a lot of line rushes against Nate in practice and you're kind of like, 'Whoa, this is what this feels like.' It's a handful," Johnson said. "They're always going to make plays and find a way to generate chances, just how many are you going to let them have and how many are they going to generate? But it definitely does help. When you go against the best, sometimes it makes it a little bit easier in the games."
