The date of the Avalanche’s opening game in the second round has been announced. Vegas became the fourth team from the Western Conference to advance. Meanwhile, the best series from the first round will be the only one to reach a Game 7 finale. Also, Evgeni Malkin was open and honest about his future during locker cleanout day.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — May 2.

Colorado Hockey Now

Only one more night separates the Colorado Avalanche from Game 1 of their second-round series against the Minnesota Wild. The rest of the schedule has not yet been announced, but this will at least get us started. It should be an electric atmosphere at Ball Arena.

The two teams have a pretty solid playoff history between them, and you can read more about it below. One thing I failed to mention in the piece, which I realized afterwards, is that the Minnesota Wild have only advanced past the first round three times in their franchise’s history. That two times they defeated the Avs in the opening round make up two of the three.

This will be the first meeting between the clubs beyonf the opening round.

In case you missed it, the finalists for Jack Adams were also announced on Friday. And Jared Bednar was not among them (shocker).

I’ll be in Minnesota later this week, continuing my playoff coverage from the road. Unfortunately, the expenses are adding up pretty quickly, and it’s getting more difficult to be at every game. If you enjoy the coverage here at Colorado Hockey Now and want to chip in to our travel budget, you can do so here via PAYPAL or VENMO. My goal remains to bring the best possible coverage from the rink and inside the locker room. Thank you all so much for being readers and supporters.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Recap

Game 6 Recap —Lightning 1 at Canadiens 0 OT — (Series tied 3-3)

The Tampa Bay Lightning had vintage Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes with their backs against the wall on Friday. Vasilevskiy recorded his eighth career playoff shutout and first since 2022 after stopping all 30 Montreal shots. Right before Gage Concalves tallied the OT game winner, the Lightning killed off a penalty with Nikita Kucherov in the box.

This is the only series remaining from the opening round, and the only one that reached a Game 7. Puck drop for that one will be on Sunday.

Game 6 Recap — Sabres 4 at Bruins 1 — (BUF wins 4-2)

For the first time since 2007, the Buffalo Sabres have won a playoff series and will advance to the second round to face the winner of Montreal and Tampa Bay. The Sabres defeated the Bruins in six games, completing the series on the road behind a 25-save performance from Alex Lyon.

Game 6 Recap — Golden Knights 5 at Mammoth 1 — (VGK wins 4-2)

The Golden Knights put the final stamp on an intense series with the Mammoth on Friday by scoring first and never giving up the lead. Utah led in each of the first five games and lost twice in overtime. Those are the moments they’ll remember that likely let this very winnable series get away.

The Golden Knights will face the Anaheim Ducks in the second round.

Tonight’s Schedule

• Game 1: Philadelphia Flyers at Carolina Hurricanes (6 pm MT on ABC)

Around The NHL

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: It doesn’t sound like progress has been made to re-sign Evgeni Malkin. Here’s what the superstar centerman had to say about that.

Carolina Hockey Now: In an incredible turn of events, a trade deadline deal that sent Nic Deslauriers to the Carolina Hurricanes suddenly has him facing the squad that traded him in the second round.

Ottawa Hockey Now: Here’s what the latest chatter is regarding captain Brady Tkachuk.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Sunny Mehta made his first notable changes to the Devils’ front office.

The Colorado Avalanche are facing the Minnesota Wild in the second round! Please consider donating to the Colorado Hockey Now Playoff Travel Fund via PAYPAL BY CLICKING HERE or VENMO BY CLICKING HERE to help our beat writer continue to provide road coverage during a must-see second-round series.

The post Deen’s Daily: Game 1 Date Released; Habs, Bolts Game 7; Malkin’s Honesty appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.