Five Things to Watch

1 Duchene rolling

Expect boos inside Ball Arena every time No. 95 touches the puck for Nashville. Forward Matt Duchene, formerly with the Avalanche (200917), scored a career-high 43 goals in his third season with the Predators. He enters the postseason riding an eight- game points streak with five goals and six assists during that stretch. Colorado dealt Duchene in a 2017 trade that yielded current active players Sam Girard and Bo Byram. Now, those defensemen are tasked with keeping Duchene off the score sheet.

2 Makar vs. Josi

Two of the NHL’S brightest young star defensemen and top candidates for the Norris Trophy will be on display. Colorado’s Cale Makar (28 goals/58 assists) and Nashville’s Roman Josi (23 goals/73 assists) play a similar game as lighting quick magicians creating offense with sneaky strength on the back end. There’s definitely mutual respect among the defensemen. “Personally, I watch a lot of (Josi) throughout the year,” Makar said. “He’s a guy that shows up in so many different areas of the ice where you wouldn’t expect him to be. … He’s definitely the drive for their team.”

3 Kadri’s cool

It’s the Avalanche narrative that just won’t go away: Will Nazem Kadri be suspended during the playoffs? During his NHL career, it’s happened six different times with Kadri missing 16 playoff games and 11 regular-season games. His hit on Blues defenseman Justin Faulk in Game 2 of the firstround series a year ago yielded an eight- game ban from the league as a repeat offender. Kadri was excellent for Colorado this season with a career-high 87 points. But that production will hardly be remembered if he’s forced to miss playoff games with yet another suspension.

4 Kuemper’s kryptonite?

Avalanche starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper was phenomenal this season with 37 wins and a .921 save percentage (top-five marks in the NHL). But that success didn’t translate in two starts against the Predators. He went 0- 0-2 and gave up nine combined goals with a .870 save percentage in those matchups. There is no question the Avalanche has its full trust in Kuemper. Don’t expect backup Pavel Francouz to enter the postseason unless absolutely necessary. But Kuemper must prove he’s up to the challenge if Colorado wants to avoid a stunning first-round upset.

5 Nashville shot selection

Nashville’s offensive strategy: Put traffic in front of the net and keep throwing pucks on goal — from just about any location on the ice. “They do it all the time,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “They shoot the puck in volume. Shoot it, and if it bounces off the boards, they’re going to turn and fire it blind. They do that a lot.” Five different Predators (Duchene, Filip Forsberg, Tanner Jeannot, Ryan Johansen and Josi) recorded 20-plus goals scored during the regular season.