After the Colorado Avalanche clinched a playoff berth with a 4–1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center, the focus now shifts to a pivotal Central Division showdown.

The second- and third-place teams—the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild—are set to face off at Grand Casino Arena at 4 p.m. ET.

If you're an Avalanche fan, you'll be pulling for the Wild. A Minnesota win would help preserve the edge Colorado gained with its victory in Chicago. For Stars fans, however, any kind of win would wipe out that advantage and tighten the race once again.

We’ll have full coverage of this matchup on the Avalanche site as the playoff chase intensifies.

Come join the fun.

You can also follow me on X (I still call it Twitter) for live updates and analysis throughout the game.