Overview
- The 16-team field locked in after Thursday’s finales, placing the second West wild-card Kings at the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche for Game 1 on Sunday at Ball Arena.
- Edmonton clinched second in the Pacific with a 6-1 win over Vancouver and will open at home against Anaheim on Monday.
- Anaheim secured the Pacific’s No. 3 seed by beating Nashville 5-4, sealing the Ducks’ first postseason berth since 2018.
- Colorado enters the series as the NHL’s top team and swept all three regular-season games against Los Angeles in regulation.
- Los Angeles earned a fifth straight playoff berth under new coach D.J. Smith as captain Anze Kopitar heads into his final playoff run.