Avs vs. Knights money in bank
This isn’t something you see every day: The two best teams in the NHL facing each other in the post-season.
Granted, “best” is based on regular-season points and the schedule limited teams to their own division. But still, the Colorado Avalanche will play the Vegas Golden Knights to crown a West Division champion.
Colorado — the Presidents’ Trophy winner with home-ice advantage guaranteed for as long as they keep playing — swept the St. Louis Blues and waited (maybe laughed a little) as Vegas required the full seven games to eliminate the Minnesota Wild.
As you’re aware, players have already been paid their full salaries for the season. All that’s left to be divided is the $20million (U.S.) playoff pool. The Avalanche, after finishing first overall, have already claimed $781,250 of it.
The eight first-round losers will share in $3.125 million. The four second-round losers split the same amount. The two semifinal losers will divide $3.75 million. The Stanley Cup runners-up earn $3,437,500.
The Stanley Cup winners: $5,781,250.
Those amounts are divided among players, who typically share with team staff, like equipment managers.
Pucks In Depth is on a remarkable predictions run: 7-0 for the first round, and the Leafs threatening to make it a sweep. As a reminder, PID took the Islanders to beat the Bruins for the East title, and the Lightning to knock out the Hurricanes in the Central. Now let’s look at the West:
No. 1 Colorado (39-13-4)
No. 2 Vegas (40-14-2) Season series: 4-3-1 Avalanche Theme: The second stop for the Rocky Mountain Express Game 1: Sunday, 8 p.m.
THE AVALANCHE
When it was all said and done, the Avs said all sorts of nice things about the Blues, the 2019 Cup champions — about how much closer the series “felt.” Come on. It was a four-game sweep. Colorado outscored St. Louis 20-7, outshot them 145110. The Avs are Presidents’ Trophy winners for a reason. All they have to do now is keep their goalies healthy, and stop Nazem Kadri from getting suspended again. Nathan MacKinnon (six goals, three assists) can probably do the rest. Defenceman Bo Byram is working his way back from concussion.
THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Mattias Janmark, who’s not really known for such things, scored a hat trick in Game 7 to lead the Knights with six points (three goals, three assists) this post-season. Mark Stone scored four goals and Chandler Stephenson has five assists. The acrobatic Marc-André Fleury is reason enough to tune in. COVID issues (Ryan Reaves, Peyton Krebs, Brayden McNabb) might have hurt Vegas vs. Minnesota.
PREDICTION
Avalanche in six