West Division & Presidents' Trophy Race Down to the Wire

Wow! I knew when this season started and the format was announced that this would be immensely thrilling. I knew this not just as a hockey fan, but as a Colorado Avalanche fan as well. The Avalanche were placed in the West Division along with the three California teams (Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks), the Arizona Coyotes, the St. Louis Blues, the Minnesota Wild, and most importantly, the Vegas Golden Knights. This is the first and only time that the Avalanche and Golden Knights serve as division rivals, and the rivalry has been very intense and entertaining. It really is a shame that come next season, these two teams will be placed back in their respective divisions; the Golden Knights will be back in the Pacific Division, while the Avalanche will return to the Central Division.

The season series between the Avalanche and Golden Knights wrapped up Monday with a pivotal meeting in Vegas. The Golden Knights could have locked up not only the West Division, but the Presidents' Trophy with a win, but the Avalanche had other plans: mainly staying alive in that race and getting much better seeding. Alex Pietrangelo scored first in the opening frame for Vegas, but it was followed by a second-period goal from Andre Burakovsky, and a surprising "How did it go in?!" goal from J.T. Compher in the third period. Philipp Grubauer stopped 36 of Vegas' 37 shots, and the Avalanche left Vegas with a 2-1 victory. The Avalanche won the season series over the Golden Knights; each team won four games, but one of Vegas' victories was in overtime, giving the Avalanche nine points in the series, while Vegas racked up eight.

Colorado's win has not only made the head-to-head race interesting, but it has put the Avalanche in the driver's seat. In addition, not only are the two teams competing for the West Division crown, but they are also in the running for the Presidents' Trophy. As a matter of fact, the Avalanche and Golden Knights are the only two teams who can win the Trophy, as while the Carolina Hurricanes also have 80 points, they completed their regular season and finish with two less regulation wins (27) than Vegas (29). As an Avalanche fan, I can't help but be amused at the irony of this. I wrote an earlier story about the Presidents' Trophy possibly being cursed, yet the Avalanche could end up with it! However, the last time the Avalanche won the Trophy was the 2000-01 season, which ended with Colorado winning the Cup, so who knows?

So anyway, the race will come down to the final days of the West Division's regular season, and again, the Avalanche are in the driver's seat. While Vegas has 29 regulation wins, Colorado has 33, so they've locked up that tiebreaker. Colorado's win moves the team within two points of the Knights with two games left for the Avalanche, while the Knights only have one remaining. The Knights' season finale is in San Jose on Wednesday, while Colorado has back-to-back home games against the Kings on Wednesday and Thursday.

Even if the Golden Knights win their finale, they will still need Los Angeles' help in the double dip in Denver. If Vegas wins, they will need Colorado to lose just one point in the back-to-back, as even with a Vegas win, Colorado could clinch the West and the Presidents' Trophy by winning out. If Vegas goes to overtime but loses, then the Avalanche only need three points to clinch--which is a win in one game and reaching overtime in the other. However, if Vegas loses in regulation, then that's less pressure on the Avalanche, as Colorado will only need to win one of the two games to seal the deal. In the smaller picture, the Avalanche only need one more point to clinch at least the #2 seed in the West, which is a home-ice position. The West winner will face the Blues in Round 1, while the West runner-up will most likely face the Wild.

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