Avalanche, Flames are the ever-unpredictable NHL West's top seeds

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In assessing the status of his Pacific Division champion Calgary Flames, coach Darryl Sutter may have at the same time aptly captured the unpredictable state of the entire Western Conference once the playoffs open on Monday.

"We’re good. We’ve been consistent all year," Sutter said. "The key is being healthy and know what we’re up against. There’s a big storm coming here this week."

Sutter’s point was for the Flames to not take for granted their first-round opponent, the Dallas Stars, who made the jump from ninth to seventh during a frantic final week in becoming the NHL’s final team to clinch a playoff berth.

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Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, right, is congratulated by right wing Valeri Nichushkin, left, center Nathan MacKinnon, front center, and center Nazem Kadri for Makar's goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators on Thursday, April 28, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

As storm warnings go, the playoffs have traditionally stirred up havoc for the top seeds in the West, in which only one division champ — Vegas in its first season of existence, 2018 — reached the Stanley Cup Final since the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks won the title in 2013. The Blues finished fifth in the West when they won the Cup in 2019, the 2014 Cup-wining Los Angeles Kings were sixth, while Nashville was eighth when losing the championship to Pittsburgh in 2017.

This year's field doesn't include Vegas for the first time in franchise history, while Calgary and Colorado are the top two seeds, but with a recent history of early round playoff collapses. The