Kelly logged an assist, two shots on goal and two hits in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.
Kelly ended a five-game point drought with the helper. The 25-year-old opens the postseason in a fourth-line role, but he's one player who could be at risk of losing their place in the lineup once Gabriel Landeskog (knee) is cleared to return. Kelly had a career-high 19 points with 99 shots on net, 161 hits, 72 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over 80 regular-season outings in his first year with the Avalanche.
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Avalanche's Ryan Lindgren: Sends helper in Game 1 win
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Lindgren notched an assist, four hits and two PIM in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.
Lindgren returned from an upper-body injury that cost him the last three games of the regular season. His helper on Nathan MacKinnon's empty-netter in the third period snapped an eight-game slump for Lindgren. The 27-year-old Lindgren isn't a big factor on offense, having earned a career-high 22 points with 63 shots on net, 80 hits, 128 blocked shots, 40 PIM and an even plus-minus rating over 72 regular-season appearances between the Avalanche and the Rangers. The veteran defenseman will add a physical presence in a bottom-four role for the playoffs.
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Avalanche's Josh Manson: Nabs helper in return
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Manson logged an assist, four PIM and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.
Manson returned from an upper-body injury that cost him the last 15 games of the regular season. He bumped Sam Malinski out of the lineup for this contest, though Malinski, Manson and Erik Johnson figure to be competing for two spots in the lineup throughout the playoffs. Manson was limited to 15 points, 105 hits, 59 blocked shots, 65 shots on net and a minus-6 rating in 48 regular-season appearances due to various injuries.
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Avalanche's Jack Drury: Contributes assist
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Drury logged an assist in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.
Drury set up a Charlie Coyle goal late in the third period. With a goal and four assists over his last 11 contests, Drury is proving capable of adding some secondary scoring. He saw extra ice time late in the regular season but was back in a fourth-line role for the playoff opener. Drury combined for 18 points, 93 shots on net, 45 hits and 50 blocked shots over 72 appearances between Colorado and Carolina in the regular season.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Collects power-play helper
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Drouin notched a power-play assist and two blocked shots in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.
Drouin helped out on a Nathan MacKinnon tally in the second period. The 30-year-old Drouin was on a three-game skid before missing the final six contests of the regular season due to a lower-body injury. He'll be a factor in a top-six role and should see time on the first power-play unit for much of the postseason, though he could give way to Gabriel Landeskog (knee) in that role if or when the Avalanche's captain returns to the lineup.
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Avalanche's Cale Makar: Garners power-play assist
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Makar logged a power-play assist and two blocked shots in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.
Makar set up Nathan MacKinnon's second-period tally, which stood as the game-winner. Those two players figure to be bellwethers for the Avalanche's fortunes in the playoffs, and they're off to a good start. Makar had momentum entering the postseason, earning 17 points over his previous 13 outings before taking rest in the last two games of the regular season. Overall, he had career highs in goals (30) and points (92) in 2024-25, while adding a plus-28 rating, 246 shots on net and 128 blocked shots over 80 appearances in the regular season.
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Avalanche's Martin Necas: Provides assist on opening goal
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Necas logged an assist and four hits in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.
Necas has a helper in three straight contests. The 26-year-old will be a focal point in this series, as he gets to play against the player the Avalanche traded away to acquire him in Mikko Rantanen, with both featuring in similar roles. Necas put up a career year in the regular season, earning 27 goals, 56 assists, 194 shots on net, 62 hits and a plus-5 rating over 79 appearances. Necas' success on offense in the playoffs will likely correlate with Nathan MacKinnon's production, as long as the two stick together on the top line.
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Avalanche's Logan O'Connor: Picks up two helpers
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O'Connor notched two assists, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.
O'Connor helped out on third-period tallies by Devon Toews and Nathan MacKinnon to help the Avalanche solidify their lead. This was O'Connor's first multi-point effort since Jan. 9. Don't expect the 28-year-old forward to do a lot on offense -- he's playing in a bottom-six role and will likely be focused on playing a grinding and defensive style in the postseason. He had 21 points over 80 regular-season games, his lowest scoring output in the last four years. Entering this playoff run, he had just five points over 31 previous postseason games.
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Avalanche's Charlie Coyle: Tallies late in Game 1 win
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Coyle scored a goal in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.
Coyle scored 11 seconds after Nathan MacKinnon put away an empty-netter. The 33-year-old Coyle enters the postseason as the Avalanche's third-line center, though a spot on the second power-play unit should help his offense. The center had 35 points (17 goals, 18 helpers) over 83 regular-season appearances between Colorado and Boston, though he earned 13 of those points in 19 games with the Avalanche. He can still be impactful in a depth role.
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Avalanche's Devon Toews: Tickles twine Saturday
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Toews scored a goal on three shots and blocked three shots in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.
Toews redirected home a pass from Josh Manson at 12:56 of the third period to restore a two-goal lead for the Avalanche. This was Toews' first game action since April 10, as he rested in the last two games of the regular season. The 31-year-old defenseman missed the 50-point mark for the first time in four years, earning 10 goals, 34 assists, 138 shots on net, 103 blocked shots and a plus-30 rating over 76 outings in 2024-25. That's still good offense for a blueliner, and he'll remain a big part of the Avalanche's overall game while skating alongside Cale Makar on the top pairing.
Lehkonen scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.
Lehkonen didn't get any bounces to go his way late in the regular season -- he was limited to four assists over his last 16 outings before missing the Avalanche's game against the Ducks last Sunday due to a lower-body injury. However, his return to action in Game 1 saw him score when the puck bounced in off his skate after he was knocked off his feet midway through the second period. The veteran winger produced a career-high 27 goals and added 18 assists over 69 regular-season outings, and prior to this year, he had 23 goals and 20 assists over 71 NHL playoff contests. He can elevate his game and provide top-six scoring when it matters most.
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Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon: Leads offense with three points
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MacKinnon scored twice on six shots, added an assist and went plus-2 in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.
MacKinnon's first goal was on the power play, and it stood as the game-winner. He also added an empty-netter. The superstar center finished second in the regular season with 116 points (32 goals, 84 assists) over 79 appearances, though he missed the last three games of the year with an undisclosed injury. Keeping him fresh for the playoffs was likely part of that decision, and MacKinnon looked pretty healthy in Game 1. He'll play a critical role for the Avalanche during the postseason.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Steady in playoff debut
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Blackwood stopped 23 of 24 shots in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.
Making his playoff debut, Blackwood was up for the challenge. This was a close game for the better part of two periods, though the Avalanche's rally in the third made it look less competitive than it was. Blackwood limited the damage to a Roope Hintz power-play goal in the final frame. This ended a three-game losing streak for Blackwood, who was 28-21-6 with a 2.55 GAA and a .912 save percentage over 56 regular-season outings. While he shared the crease with Scott Wedgewood on occasion, Blackwood figures to get the vast majority of the starts during the playoffs.
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Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Expected to start Saturday
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Blackwood is expected to start on the road against Dallas for Game 1 on Saturday, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports reports.
Blackwood finished the regular season with a 28-21-6 record, 2.55 GAA and .912 save percentage across 56 appearances between San Jose and Colorado. Although the 28-year-old Blackwood is a veteran of 252 NHL outings, this will be his first time in net for a playoff game. The Stars ranked third in goals per game with 3.35 during the regular season, but Dallas will be without Jason Robertson (knee) for Game 1.
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Avalanche's Matthew Stienburg: Up from AHL
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Stienburg (suspension) was recalled from AHL Colorado on Saturday, per the NHL media site.
On Oct. 31, Stienburg received a two-game suspension for charging Tampa Bay's Erik Cernak in a 5-2 loss. The 24-year-old Stienburg spent the remainder of 2024-25 in the minors, but he will serve his suspension in the NHL playoffs.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Ready to rock
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Lehkonen (lower body) will play in Game 1 against the Stars on Saturday, according to Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports.
After sitting out Colorado's regular-season finale, Lehkonen finished 2024-25 with 27 goals, 45 points and 148 shots on net in 69 outings. In the postseason, he will play in the top six and see power-play usage.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Playing Saturday
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Nichushkin (lower body) will be in the lineup versus Dallas on Saturday, per Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports.
Nichushkin sat out last Sunday's 4-2 win over Anaheim but had plenty of time to recover. He had 21 goals and 34 points in just 43 regular-season appearances in 2024-25. Nichushkin will occupy a top-six spot and could see time on the first power-play unit versus the Stars.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Ready for Game 1
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Drouin (lower body) will be available for Game 1 against Dallas on Saturday, according to Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports.
Drouin missed the final six games of the regular season, finishing with 11 goals, 37 points and 56 shots on net across 43 appearances. He will occupy a top-six role and see time on the power play during the playoffs.
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