Road through Western Conference to Stanley Cup final is 'war of attrition'

Five of the top eight teams in the NHL this season play in the Western Conference. Two of them must face off in a first-round showdown between Dallas and Colorado.

Presidents' Trophy-winning Winnipeg has its own demons to slay, from elite goaltender Connor Hellebuyck on out, to get over the playoff hump that has been a recent roadblock. Defending West champion Edmonton is banged up going into a fourth consecutive opening series against Los Angeles. And don't forget about Vegas, just two years removed from winning the Stanley Cup and looking as imposing as ever.

The path through the West is a brutal one, though the tests along the way could be fit for a champion.

"It's a war of attrition," said six-time Cup champion and Hall of Famer Mark Messier, now an ESPN analyst. "For any team that's going to come through the West this year, they're going to have to be a big, strong team that can withstand that kind of not only physical stress but the emotional stress because we know the games are going to be close."

The Jets had the best regular season, but the Stars are 3-1 favourites to come out of the West, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Next up are the Avalanche, likely getting Gabriel Landeskog back for the first time since he captained them to the Cup three years ago, even though the Central Division rivals ranked fourth and eighth in the league are locked into playing each other because of the playoff format.

"It certainly makes it difficult, but that's the road that we have," Colorado head coach Jared Bednar said. "We finished where we finished, they finished where they are, playing a really good team, one of the top teams in the league right away."

This was always the punishment for whoever didn't win the Central, and