The field was set for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the final bracket was scheduled to be finalized Thursday as 16 teams moved into the NHL postseason. The first-round picture already carried pressure points: the Colorado Avalanche got Cale Makar back, the Carolina Hurricanes were sorting out their crease, and the Dallas Stars were waiting on injured forwards and defensemen before facing the Minnesota Wild.
Makar made an immediate impact Tuesday with three assists in Colorado’s 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames after missing seven games with an upper-body injury. Tracey Myers said the Avalanche looked like they have all season, adding that Makar was back to normal after his return. Colorado was still missing Nazem Kadri with a finger injury and Josh Manson with an upper-body injury, and coach Jared Bednar had also missed the past two games after taking a puck to the face. The Avalanche were scheduled to finish their regular season Thursday at home against the Seattle Kraken.
For Carolina, the main edge was geography as much as form. Mike G. Morreale said the Hurricanes had home-ice advantage for as long as they remained alive in the Eastern Conference, and that the team was built for this time of year if the goaltending held up. Pyotr Kochetkov was recalled Monday after two starts on a conditioning loan to Chicago of the American Hockey League last week, after being thought lost for the remainder of the season on Dec. 29. Brandon Bussi carried a 2.68 goals-against average and an.876 save percentage in four April games, while Frederik Andersen posted a 2.26 goals-against average and a.902 save percentage in four April games.
Dallas entered its first-round series against Minnesota with home-ice advantage but plenty of damage to manage. Roope Hintz will not play in Games 1 or 2 at minimum after a lower-body injury on March 6, and Miro Heiskanen missed the last three games of the regular season with a lower-body injury. Dan Rosen said the Stars were banged up heading into the series, and that is the part of this bracket that could matter most: a deep lineup facing its first real test before the playoffs have even settled in.
That is what makes this opening round harder to read than the seeding alone suggests. The Avalanche have star power but are still shorthanded. The Hurricanes have the building and, for now, the edge in goal. The Stars have the matchup they wanted and the injuries they did not. The bracket may be set, but several of the teams most likely to shape it are still waiting to see how healthy they really are.
