It's been four years since the Avalanche last made the Western Conference Final in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Avalanche didn't stop there, though, and went on to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the final round as they collected their third Stanley Cup. The next year, the Avs were bounced by an expansion team in the first round as the team before that expansion, the Vegas Golden Knights, won their first Cup within the first ten years of their existence.
Since then, neither the Avs nor the Golden Knights have managed to make it back this far, and now, the two find themselves squaring off in the playoffs for the first time in 5 years, when in 2021 the NHL's still-somewhat COVID-19 restricted playoff format had the two teams squaring off in the second round
The Colorado Avalanche dispatched the Minnesota Wild in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after an intense bout with Quinn Hughes and the no.3 seeded Wild team that featured a high scoring offense led by Kirill Kaprizov. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights dispatched the Anaheim Ducks in the second round after facing the Utah Mammoth in the first round. Vegas has a long list of recent free agent and trade acquisitions leading the charge, including prize offseason acquisition Mitch Marner.
The Avs on the other hand, are comprised mostly of a roster of their own homegrown stars, with Nathan MacKinnon, Gabe Landeskog, and Cale Makar leading the way. However, the Avs certainly have their own trade acquisitions giving significant contributions, including Nic Roy, who was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs from Vegas in the Marner trade.
The Avs and Golden Knights won their divisions this year, making it a heavyweight bout between the top of the western conference as the Avalanche look to secure their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history.