The Colorado Avalanche have already locked up the top seed in the Western Conference, leaving just one box left to check before the postseason begins: securing the Presidents’ Trophy and home-ice advantage all the way through the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They’re within striking distance, too. Just two more points over their final five games would seal it, and their first opportunity comes Thursday night against the Calgary Flames on home ice. Colorado (51-16-10, 112 points) punched its ticket to the top of the conference with a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. It’s been a long time coming—the Avalanche have held the NHL’s best record since Dec. 1—and the only team still within reach is the Carolina Hurricanes, who sit six points back with four games remaining. Colorado also holds the edge in the season series, going 1-0-1. “We set our goals at the start of the year, and we wanted to be on top,” captain Gabriel Landeskog said after the win in St. Louis. “That's a big step. We know it doesn't mean anything come playoff time, other than we get an extra game at home every series.” INJURY CONCERNS SURFACE DESPITE WIN As dominant as Tuesday’s win looked on paper, it didn’t come without a cost. Nazem Kadri exited after blocking a shot late in the second period, suffering a finger injury that will sideline him for an undisclosed period. Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed Wednesday on Altitude Radio that Kadri will miss time, though no timeline has been set. Kadri, who was dealt from Calgary to Colorado on March 6, still leads the Flames in scoring with 50 points (16 goals, 34 assists). Since joining the Avalanche, he’s chipped in nine points (four goals, five assists) over 16 games. Colorado has also been without star defenseman Cale Makar, who has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since March 30—ironically suffered against Calgary. The good news: he’s expected to return before the regular season wraps up. Kadri is no stranger to playing through adversity. During the 2022 Stanley Cup run, he underwent thumb surgery in the second round but still managed to return for the final three games of the Final. On the other side, Calgary (32-36-9, 73 points) is playing out the string after being officially eliminated from playoff contention following a win by the Nashville Predators on Monday. Still, the Flames didn’t roll over in Dallas on Tuesday, pushing the Dallas Stars to the brink before falling 4-3 in overtime. Calgary had built a 3-1 lead early in the third period before the Stars stormed back to steal the extra point. “I liked our game,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “There was a lot of our game where I thought we played hard. We did a good job away from the pucks, thought we had some lengthy shifts in the offensive zone. ... At the end of the night, again, you're taking penalties against a very good power play. That's tough.” The Flames also took an injury hit of their own, as defenseman Kevin Bahl logged just two shifts before leaving with a lower-body issue. No update was provided postgame. Thursday’s matchup marks the second meeting in a condensed stretch, with the two teams set to face off three times in just nine games. After not seeing each other at all earlier this season, they’ll wrap up the series Tuesday in Calgary. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/ec8a049d-6717-44b8-b8ba-68252d7f2f40.jpeg]
