The Colorado Avalanche hold a six-point lead in the Central Division over the Dallas Stars, but Dallas still has a chance to chip away at that margin with only a handful of games remaining in the regular season.

Colorado is stacked — there’s no doubt about that, even with the absence of Cale Makar. But one issue that continues to surface is their tendency to get lackadaisical defensively. Regardless of the standings or how many goals they put up, the Avalanche have a habit of making small mistakes against top-tier teams, and those errors almost immediately end up in the back of their net.

That’s something they simply can’t afford against the Stars tonight. With puck drop just minutes away, if you’re a boxing fan, the early rounds of Floyd Mayweather vs. Ricky Hatton offer a good comparison for how this game might unfold.

If the Avalanche can get off to a strong start, it could be enough — but their defensive play has to be sharp from the opening faceoff.

I also disagree with Ryan Whitney’s take that goaltending should be a major concern for Colorado. Scott Wedgewood owns the best save percentage among NHL goaltenders this season. If the concern is Mackenzie Blackwood, that’s a different conversation. He’s been a bit inconsistent over his last few outings, but head coach Jared Bednar — despite his frustration following the Vancouver loss — remains confident Blackwood will bounce back.

Meanwhile, Brent Burns will skate in his 1,000th consecutive game tonight, becoming just the second player in NHL history to reach the milestone, joining three-time Stanley Cup champion Phil Kessel.

Let's see what happens!