If anything, there has been more confirmation bias about the Avalanche as they head into the Western Conference finals. Finding a breakthrough against the Golden Knights' penalty kill. That could be among the keys to whether the Avs advance to the Stanley Cup Final -- or if their season comes to an earlier end than they would prefer.

The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway, and the bracket already shows how tight the race is in both conferences. In the West, the Colorado Avalanche have already moved past the Los Angeles Kings, while the Dallas Stars are battling the Minnesota Wild ...

The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is ongoing, with the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche already advancing to the conference finals.