The Colorado Avalanche are on the verge of becoming the first team to secure a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs this season, with a pivotal matchup set for Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.

With the postseason less than a month away—set to begin April 18—the Avalanche need just a single point against Chicago to officially punch their ticket to the playoffs. But Colorado will surely want more than an overtime or shootout consolation; they want, and need, a decisive victory over the Blackhawks, who enter the contest with the second-worst record in the NHL at 26-30-12.

The Avalanche may be facing a team that isn’t quite on their level, but Chicago has shown they can disrupt expectations. Colorado holds a slim two-point lead—a margin that once seemed unassailable but has shriveled since the Olympic break. That lead has continued to erode as the Avalanche have struggled, while the Dallas Stars have surged with an 8-1-1 run over their last 10 games. Meanwhile, Colorado has gone 6-3-1 in the same span and has dropped its last three games, including a 2-1 shootout loss to Dallas in their most recent outing at Ball Arena.

These teams have already squared off twice this season, and in both instances, the Blackhawks demonstrated they can hang with the Avalanche.

The first matchup came on November 23 at the United Center. Scott Wedgewood stopped 22 shots to backstop a 1-0 Colorado victory, while Cale Makar scored the game’s lone goal. That contest marked only the 25th game of the season, and at that point, Colorado had suffered just one regulation loss—highlighting the Avalanche’s early-season dominance.

Fast forward to February 28 for their most recent meeting. Colorado was entering only its third game since the Olympic break and had lost four of its previous seven contests, signaling some midseason turbulence. Chicago struck first when Connor Bedard netted an early goal to take a 1-0 lead. But the Avalanche quickly regained control, responding with three unanswered goals over the next two frames to secure the win.

The Blackhawks managed just 15 shots on net that night, while Mackenzie Blackwood guarded Chicago’s crease, making Colorado’s path to victory appear controlled, yet far from effortless.

Colorado has 15 games remaining in the regular season, and in a league as unpredictable as the NHL, anything can happen. Under the playoff format, the division winner with the best record in each conference faces the wild-card team with the lesser record, while the wild-card team with the better record takes on the other division winner.

If the playoffs were to start today, the Avalanche would face the Los Angeles Kings, while the Anaheim Ducks would square off against the Utah Mammoth—a team quietly loaded with talent and rising stars.

With the division race tightening and the postseason looming, the Avalanche know there’s no room for complacency. It’s time to put the pedal to the metal.

Tonight’s game against Chicago kicks off at 8:30 p.m. ET at United Center.