2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Avalanche vs. Predators first-round preview

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs features 16 teams in eight best-of-7 series, which start Monday.
Today, NHL.com previews the Western Conference First Round between the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators.

(1C) Colorado Avalanche vs. (WC2) Nashville Predators

Avalanche: 56-19-7, 119 points
Predators:45-30-7, 97 points
Season series: COL 1-1-2; NSH 3-1-0
Game 1: Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360, SNE, TVAS, ALT, BSSO)
The Colorado Avalanche want to take the next step after losing in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs each of the past three seasons.
"We all know, who's been here the last three years, that's the hump that we try to get over," Colorado forward Mikko Rantanen said. "I think we have a good chance this year again, like we've had the last couple years."
But first, the Avalanche must reach the second round, and their opponent in the Western Conference First Round is the only team that defeated them three times in the regular season: the Nashville Predators.
The Predators lost to the Avalanche 6-2 in Denver on Nov. 27, then won the next three matchups: 5-2 in Nashville on Dec. 16, 5-4 in overtime in Nashville on Jan. 11 and 5-4 in a shootout in Denver on Thursday.
"Obviously unreal team," Predators defenseman Roman Josi said of the Avalanche, the top seed in the West. "I mean, they're one of the best teams in the League this year. Really fast team. Lots of skill. We just played them. I think every game we played them this year was really tight, fast games."
RELATED: [Complete Avalanche vs. Predators series coverage]
The series will feature the top two candidates for the Norris Trophy, which goes to the NHL's best defenseman as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Josi led all defensemen in points with 96; Cale Makar of the Avalanche was second with 86. Makar led NHL defensemen in goals with 28; Josi was second with 23.
The problem for the Predators is that goalie Juuse Saros will miss at least the first two games after he left a 5-4 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday with a lower-body injury. Saros led the NHL in starts with 67 and went 38-25-3 with a 2.64 goals-against average, a .918 save percentage and four shutouts this season, including 2-0-0 with a 2.94 GAA and .914 save percentage against the Avalanche.
Colorado coach Jared Bednar said his team is fully healthy. Forward Gabriel Landeskog, its captain, has been out since having knee surgery March 14 but is expected to return for Game 1.
The Avalanche went 1-5-1 in their last seven regular-season games.

Game breakers

Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon has 69 points (28 goals, 41 assists) in 50 NHL playoff games. The center's 1.38 points per game average is third in League history among players who have played at least 35 playoff games, behind Wayne Gretzky (1.84) and Mario Lemieux (1.61). Rantanen (1.21) is seventh on that list.
Predators: Matt Duchene led Nashville with 43 goals in the regular season, an NHL career high. Filip Forsberg was right behind with 42, also an NHL career high.

Goaltending

Avalanche: Darcy Kuemper was one of the best goalies in the League in the regular season. He tied for fourth in wins (37) with Jacob Markstrom of the Calgary Flames, and he was fifth in save percentage (.921) among goalies who played at least 20 games. But he went 0-0-2 against the Predators with a 4.23 goals-against average and .870 save percentage.
Predators: To start the series, Nashville will turn to either David Rittich, who went 6-3-4 with a 3.57 GAA and .886 save percentage in 17 regular-season games (12 starts), including 1-1-0 with a 4.80 GAA and .877 save percentage against Colorado, or Connor Ingram, who made three starts for the Predators this season. Rittich has 17 minutes of playoff experience, allowing three goals on nine shots for the Flames in a 7-3 loss to the Dallas Stars in the first round in 2020.

Numbers to know

Avalanche: Ranked seventh on the power play (24.0) in the regular season, one spot behind the Predators (24.4).
Predators: Led the NHL in hits (2,470) in the regular season but also penalty minutes (1,035). Nashville spent more time shorthanded (455:43) than any team but the Carolina Hurricanes (479:10) and were 18th on the penalty kill (79.2).

X-factors

Avalanche:Nazem Kadri can be an excellent two-way center if he plays to his potential and stays out of trouble. Kadri set NHL career-highs in assists (59) and points (87) this season while scoring 28 goals. He has been suspended six times for a total of 16 playoff games and 11 regular-season games, including an eight-game suspension for a hit to the head of St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk in Game 2 of the first round last season.
Predators:Tanner Jeannot, a 24-year-old undrafted free agent forward, scored 24 goals in the regular season, most among NHL rookies and fourth on the Predators.

They said it

"Obviously it's right there in front of us. We have to be ready. We've been on a little bit of a not-so-hot streak here, but at the same time, I still think the confidence in the group is very high. We know what we're capable of. It's just putting all those pieces together. We're definitely really excited for playoffs." -- Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar
"We've kind of been in playoff mode for a long time now. We've had a lot of emotional games, a lot of big games. The goal was always to make it into the playoffs. I'm proud of this team, how we fought, how we battled down the stretch." -- Predators defenseman Roman Josi

Will win if …

Avalanche:Their stars play like stars, their power play makes the Predators pay for taking penalties, and Kuemper gives them the edge in goal.
Predators: Saros is healthy and outduels Kuemper, or Rittich surprises in his place. Nashville also needs to stay out of the box if it hopes to continue to succeed against Colorado like it did in the regular season.

How they look

Avalanche projected lineup
Gabriel Landeskog -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nazem Kadri -- Andre Burakovsky
Logan O'Connor -- J.T. Compher -- Valeri Nichushkin
Andrew Cogliano -- Nico Sturm -- Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Samuel Girard -- Josh Manson
Bowen Byram -- Erik Johnson
Darcy Kuemper
Pavel Francouz
Scratched: Darren Helm, Jack Johnson, Kurtis MacDermid, Ryan Murray, Alex Newhook
Injured: None
Predators projected lineup
Filip Forsberg -- Mikael Granlund -- Matt Duchene
Luke Kunin -- Ryan Johansen -- Philip Tomasino
Yakov Trenin -- Colton Sissons -- Tanner Jeannot
Nick Cousins -- Michael McCarron -- Eeli Tolvanen
Roman Josi -- Dante Fabbro
Mattias Ekholm -- Alexandre Carrier
Mark Borowiecki -- Matt Benning
David Rittich
Connor Ingram
Scratched: Ben Harpur, Jeremy Davies, Matt Luff, Mathieu Olivier
Injured: Juuse Saros (lower body), Jeremy Lauzon (lower body)