Nathan MacKinnon (goal and assist), Gabriel Landeskog (goal and assist) and Mikko Rantanen (goal and assist) all had multi-point outings in Colorado's win at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Brandon Saad and Valeri Nichushkin also scored while goaltender Philipp Grubauer made 18 saves.
It was the third four-game sweep in a best-of-seven series in team history and the first since the 2001 Western Conference Quarterfinals versus the Vancouver Canucks. The Avalanche also won in four games in its matchup against the Florida Panthers in the 1996 Stanley Cup Final. The Quebec Nordiques had one series sweep in its history, defeating the Buffalo Sabres in three contests in a best-of-five set in the 1984 division semifinals.
Colorado faced St. Louis in a playoff series for the second time, with the Avs also winning the previous matchup in the 2001 Western Conference Final in five games. Dating back to the that series and including the clubs' matchup in the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers, the Avalanche has won seven postseason outings in a row versus the Blues.
The Avs, who are in the playoffs for a fourth straight year, will play the winner of the Minnesota Wild-Vegas Golden Knights series in the second round. Vegas currently leads the best-of-seven set 3-1, with Game 5 scheduled for Monday at 8:30 p.m. MT.
As winners of the Presidents' Trophy for finishing the regular season with the best overall record, Colorado has home-ice advantage throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Avs are the fifth team in NHL history since the Presidents' Trophy was first handed out in 1985-86 to win the honor and sweep its opening-round series, and they are the only franchise to do it twice (also 2001).
The Avalanche's Round 2 schedule will be announced by the NHL at a later date.
