Make your case: Avalanche or Jets in the West 1st round of the playoffs

The Colorado Avalanche will face the Winnipeg Jets in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs beginning on April 20.

The first tiebreaker of the season became a reality on Saturday when the Dallas Stars defeated the Seattle Kraken 3-1 to clinch the Central Division title.

These two teams have never met in the postseason.

Home-ice advantage for the best-of-7 series is awarded to the team that finishes higher in the Central. The Jets (50-24-6) are second, two points ahead of the Avalanche (49-25-6). Each has two games left.

Winnipeg has won all three games against Colorado this season, including 7-0 on Saturday, but who will win the series? That's the question facing staff writer Tracy Myers and senior editor Sean P. Rark.

Myers: First, let me say that I'm really looking forward to this series. I wouldn't be surprised if it's seven games. That said, I'm taking Avalanche. They are a very complete team and full of attack. They are No. 1 in the NHL in goals per game (3.68) and fifth on the power play (24.5 percent). The real reason for my choice? Two words: Nathan MacKinnon. He's been the man to own this season, which is saying something given his consistency throughout his career. He has an NHL career-high 137 points (51 goals, 86 assists) and is two points shy of tying Peter Stastny for the Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques single-season record set in 1981-82. He may have an Art Ross Trophy, a Hart Trophy and another Stanley Cup championship in his near future. The Avalanche are so dominant offensively that I think they will take this series away.

Roark: It's rare for a team to overcome its problems in the playoffs. What do they say, defense wins championships? Yes, it is, and few teams play better defense than the Jets, who are the stingiest team in the league in allowing goals (2.41 per game). I've been rooting for the Avalanche all season, but they haven't drawn the worst opponent in the first round. The Jets have the best goaltender in the Western Conference, Connor Helleick, who should be the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy, voted the best goaltender in the NHL. His .922 save percentage is the best among goaltenders with at least 30 games. Alexander Georgiev, Avalanche starter, .898. That's a clear advantage at the most important postseason position for the Jets. Led by Josh Morrissey, he should be interviewed as the best defenseman for the Norris Trophy and has few lines that can shut down the top line like McKinnon's. . They proved that in Saturday's 7-0 demolition of the Avalanche, on the road no less.

Myers: Oh, there's no doubt that I have concerns about the Avalanche's goaltending, and those concerns didn't last long in the loss to the Jets. But like an avalanche that overcomes this path, I believe that Georgiev will also collect it. He also has a strong defense around him. That starts with Cale Makar (of Norris Trophy contenders), who has an NHL career-high 87 points (20 goals, 67 assists) but is also good on the defensive end. After the Jets' win Saturday, coach Rick Bowness said of the Avalanche in their first-round series, “We know we're going to be better than that.” He is right. It will be a great series and it won't be easy to get the best of Hellebuyck, but I think the Avalanche will win.

Roark: The Avalanche had decent goaltending in the playoffs last season, when Georgiev posted a 2.60 goals-against average and a .914 goals-against average, but lost in seven games to the newly seeded Seattle Kraken in the first round. Why? Because the Kraken are a deep team that has found a suitable offense and can counter Colorado's top-six forwards and then win the deep battle. Who does this look like? Jets. They have perhaps the deepest set of forwards in the league, with 11 of them having at least 10 goals and 20 points. They have four guards who have scored at least 20 points, but Helleke will be the difference in this series. He allowed two goals or fewer in 35 games this season, had five shutouts and gave up four goals in three starts against the Avalanche. It's hard to win when an attacking team can't score.