Oilers start preparing for Western Conference final against Avalanche

The Edmonton Oilers have made it through two rounds of the NHL playoffs, but they've used two Game 1 mulligans along the way.

They'll look to start strong this time around against the Colorado Avalanche when the Western Conference final kicks off Tuesday in Denver.

"We want to have a good first 10 minutes, good first period," defenceman Tyson Barrie said Saturday after the Oilers practised at Rogers Place. "Everyone has got to be ready, that's a good club coming against us. In those two [Game 1s] we probably could have played better for sure.

In the first round, the Los Angeles Kings built an early 2-0 lead on Edmonton en route to a 4-3 Game 1 victory. The Oilers came back to win the series in seven games.

In their second-round series opener against Calgary, the Oilers gave up two goals just 51 seconds into the game. The Flames went on to win 9-6 before Edmonton stormed back to win four games in a row.

The top-seeded Avalanche, meanwhile, led by blueliner Cale Makar and star forward Nathan MacKinnon, secured their spot in the third round with a Game 6 win over St. Louis on Friday night. Makar was second among league defencemen with 86 points this season and MacKinnon has 13 points in 10 playoff games.

The Oilers, who finished in fifth place - 15 points behind Colorado - in the conference standings, have had standout performances by Connor McDavid and linemate Leon Draisaitl, who share the playoff scoring lead with 26 points apiece.

"We're playing good hockey, we beat a good Calgary team [and] it's only going to get harder," McDavid said. "We're playing a real good Colorado team and it's going to take our best."

Coach Jay Woodcroft promised his team would be ready to come out strong at the start of Game 1 against the