The Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers each return to the Western Conference Final for the first time in more than 15 years when they play Game 1 at Ball Arena on Tuesday.
The Avalanche, who defeated the St. Louis Blues in six games in the second round, are in the conference final for the first time since 2002, when they lost to the Detroit Red Wings in seven games. Colorado had lost in the second round in each of the past three seasons.
"It was nice getting past the second round, but each year was a different circumstance, different team we played," Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said. "This year, we did a great job against the St Louis Blues. That was an excellent opportunity. And that was the goal for that round. Now we're playing a real tough Edmonton Oilers team that's been one of the best teams in last three months in the League. So, we're not facing the third round now, we're facing the Edmonton Oilers in a seven-game series."
RELATED: [Complete Avalanche vs. Oilers series coverage]
The Oilers were last in the conference final in 2006, when they advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games.
"It's hard to win in this League, right?" Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said. "It's not easy to do, so we're going through that right now. But it's two highly skilled teams going at it and it'll be a fun series to watch and obviously fun for us to be a part of. Just looking to get out on the good end."
Teams that take a 1-0 lead hold an all-time series record of 505-234 (68.3 percent) in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series including 6-6 in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Here are 3 keys to Game 1: