I'm going to take a little heart from the NCAA men's basketball tournament this year:
There is a reason they actually PLAY all the games. Put guys in a playoff environment, ESPECIALLY in a situation where, "there no WAY that THEY can win" and interesting results are sure to follow.
The Avs really don't have anything to lose in this scenario. Very few people expected them to even MAKE the playoffs and NOBODY is giving them a chance against the Preds.
Just go out, have fun, "take a swing at the fence" and let the chips fall where they may.
At worst, it's a good thing for the young guys to get (even if it's just four) games of actual playoff experience and at best?