Colorado at Calgary

Colorado comes into Game 1 of the playoffs playing well, on an 8-3 run. That included three wins as an underdog at Minnesota, at Dallas and against Vegas. Colorado is top 10 in the NHL in goals scored and on the power play, while the defense has allowed two or fewer goals in nine of the last 14 games. They face a Calgary team that lacks playoff experience and doesn't have great goaltending with David Rittich (.911 save percentage) and Mike Smith (.898 save percentage). Calgary is 31-39 against starting goalies that save 91.5%+ of their shots, plus 16-22 at home versus excellent power play teams (tallying on 19%+ of their chances). The Avalanche also get a boost tonight with the return of Mikko Rantanen after missing eight games due to a rib/hip injury. All of which makes this a great spot for the very live big dog. Play Colorado.