The Dallas Stars will play the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Dallas (50-24-6) is second in the Central Division with 106 points, six ahead of Colorado (48-29-4). The Stars clinched a playoff berth for the fourth consecutive season with a 5-1 win at the Seattle Kraken on March 29. The Avalanche clinched their berth into the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season with a 7-3 win at the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 3.
The Stars will have home-ice advantage in the best-of-7 series.
Forward Matt Duchene leads Dallas with 81 points (30 goals, 51 assists) in 80 games and Jason Robertson is second with 80 points (35 goals, 45 assists) in 80 games. The Stars have seven players with over 40 points.
Jake Oettinger is 36-16-4 in 56 starts this season with a 2.48 goals against average and .912 save percentage, and Casey DeSmith is 14-8-2 with a 2.63 goals against average and .913 save percentage in 26 games (24 starts).
The Avalanche are led by forward Nathan MacKinnon who has 116 points (32 goals, 84 assists) in 79 games and is in a battle for the scoring race with Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Defenseman Cale Makar has 92 points (30 goals, 62 assists) in 80 games and Devon Toews has 44 points (10 goals, 34 assists) in 76 games. Forward Martin Necas has 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 29 games since he was acquired in a trade from the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 24. He has 82 points (27 goals, 55 assists) in 78 games between Carolina and Colorado.
Mackenzie Blackwood is 22-12-3 in 37 games (36 starts) with a 2.33 goals against average and .913 save percentage and Scott Wedgewood is 12-4-1 with a 1.99 goals against average and .918 save percentage.
Gabriel Landeskog could be available for the Avalanche in the playoffs. The forward played his first game Friday since winning the Stanley Cup with Colorado on June 26, 2022. Landeskog played on a conditioning assignment with the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League.
Colorado won the season series against Dallas 2-1. The Avalanche won at home 4-3 in overtime March 16, and 6-3 on Jan. 18. Colorado lost 5-3 at Dallas on Nov. 29.
Makar had seven points (three goals, four assists) in the three games against Dallas, Artturi Lehkonen had five points (three goals, two assists) in three games, and Jonathan Drouin had five points (two goals, three assists) in two games.
Wyatt Johnston had five points (five assists) in three games for Dallas against Colorado, Robertson had four points (three goals, one assist), Duchene had four points (two goals, two assists), and Mason Marchment had four points (two goals, two assists) in two games for Dallas.
Dallas and Colorado have met six times in the playoffs. Dallas has won four series including the past two.
The Stars eliminated Colorado in the second round last season, winning the best-of-7 series 4-2. Dallas also eliminated Colorado in the second round in 2020 in seven games.
The Avalanche defeated the Stars in the first round of the 2006 and 2004 playoffs, both in five games. Dallas won consecutive Western Conference Finals against Colorado in 2000 and 1999, both in seven games.
Colorado has won the Stanley Cup three times (1996, 2001, 2022) and Dallas once (1999).
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