Does the Western Conference run through Colorado again?

As the first round of this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs has crossed the halfway mark, a couple of teams are starting to play like championship contenders.

One team that is looking really good thus far is the Colorado Avalanche. While the team is just two years removed from winning the franchise’s third Stanley Cup, they came into the postseason with some bumps and bruises, finishing third in the Central Division.

However, against the Winnipeg Jets, the Avs have dominated. After losing the wild 7-6 series opener, Colorado has settled in and has really taken the play to the Jets, winning the last three games to come within a win of the second round.

From players like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, to Arttrui Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin, everyone is stepping up, making the Avs look like a team that can play well into next month.

On Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, former NHLers Colby Cohen and Carter Hutton discuss if the Avalanche can be slowed down.

Colby Cohen: It seems like, when Alexandar Georgiev is giving them some good goaltending, this train cannot be stopped.

Carter Hutton: This is a team that kind of limped into the playoffs…This is a team that has that capability with their talent [to turn the switch on]. Look at their Game 1, I think Game 1 was a panic button. [Georgiev] silenced a lot of critics over these last three games, he’s been great.

You look at this team, and how dynamic they are, and playing at home, they get going downhill. It’s almost like the ice is tilted, and Winnipeg just does not have an answer for it…This Colorado team is for real.

You can watch the entire segment and full episode here…