A year ago, and with relative ease, the Avalanche swept the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly, the popular former Avs center, was pointless in Games 1 and 2 and finished with just three assists in four games. His lack of production was one of the main reasons St. Louis couldn’t get past Colorado, much less win one game.
O’Reilly, however, is now the primary reason the Avs could go down against the Blues in their upcoming second-round series. The 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as MVP of the playoffs is all about resiliency and succeeding on the second try.