The Colorado Avalanche’s top line certainly didn’t disappoint. Outside of that, however, there was a lot missing from a team favored by many to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final.
Philipp Grubauer went down in Game 1 to be replaced by Pavel Francouz, but neither looked like a world-beater. Perhaps more impactful, Erik Johnson went down after a collision, and in spite of trying to return on several occasions, he never made it back into the full rotation. His partner on the third pair, Nikita Zadorov, never gelled with another partner, and the Stars forwards dominated while he was on the ice.