By: Chris Nosek

The Colorado Avalanche dispatched the Los Angeles Kings a week ago and have been patiently waiting for their next opponent since then. Meanwhile, the Wild were locked in a brutal matchup against the Stars that went six games and ended on Thursday.

During the regular season, the two teams faced off four times. Both teams won a game in the shootout and a game in regulation. The Avs ended up scoring more goals in the season series, accumulating 13 goals compared to the 11 Minnesota tallied.

Both teams have a top defenseman in the league, a top scorer in the league, and both teams have great depth throughout their lineup. Despite the depth at center that Colorado has, I think the offense of the Wild could prove equally capable, if not more so, in this series as a whole. The concern, however, for Minnesota, is health.

Minnesota has the goaltending. They have the momentum from their last series, and as many, if not more, high-end players than the Avalanche. This is going to be an incredibly fun series to watch. However, with Joel Eriksson Ek now joining Jonas Brodin in missing the start of the series, Colorado should be able to get an early lead in the series. Once Colorado establishes the series lead, it will ultimately outlast the Wild. It would be really fun to see the Wild win this series, but I just don’t think they will have enough in the end.

Series Prediction: Colorado Avalanche advance in 6 games