3 Keys: Oilers at Avalanche, Game 1 of Western Conference Final

(2P) Oilers at (1C) Avalanche
Western Conference Final, Game 1
8 p.m. ET; TNT, CBC, SN, TVAS

The Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers each return to the Western Conference Final for the first time in more than 15 years when they play Game 1 at Ball Arena on Tuesday.
The Avalanche, who defeated the St. Louis Blues in six games in the second round, are in the conference final for the first time since 2002, when they lost to the Detroit Red Wings in seven games. Colorado had lost in the second round in each of the past three seasons.
"It was nice getting past the second round, but each year was a different circumstance, different team we played," Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said. "This year, we did a great job against the St Louis Blues. That was an excellent opportunity. And that was the goal for that round. Now we're playing a real tough Edmonton Oilers team that's been one of the best teams in last three months in the League. So, we're not facing the third round now, we're facing the Edmonton Oilers in a seven-game series."
RELATED: [Complete Avalanche vs. Oilers series coverage]
The Oilers were last in the conference final in 2006, when they advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games.
"It's hard to win in this League, right?" Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said. "It's not easy to do, so we're going through that right now. But it's two highly skilled teams going at it and it'll be a fun series to watch and obviously fun for us to be a part of. Just looking to get out on the good end."
Teams that take a 1-0 lead hold an all-time series record of 505-234 (68.3 percent) in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series including 6-6 in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Here are 3 keys to Game 1:

1. McDavid-MacKinnon Show

Given their speed and highlight-reel scoring abilities, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon are two focal points in this series.
McDavid, the Oilers center, has 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists) in 12 games, tied for most in the playoffs with teammate Leon Draisaitl. MacKinnon, the Avalanche center, has 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in 10 games.
"Two of the best to be playing right now," Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri said. "I know they're both humble guys and not going to try to make it about them. It's more of a media storyline kind of thing, two great players leading two great teams. So, it's certainly going to be exciting."

2. Rantanen finding the net

Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen has 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) through the first 10 games of the playoffs. He scored an NHL career-high 36 goals during the regular-season and had some good scoring opportunities in the playoffs, despite only scoring one goal.
"Just have to get one and it gets a lot easier," Rantanen said. "But yeah, I've been getting a lot of chances. Just got to bear down and find a way to get it past the goalie. But I try not think about it too much. Just try to keep what I'm doing and as long as you're creating chances, you know eventually it's going to go in and help the team."

3. Starting on time

The Oilers have yet to win a Game 1 in any of their playoff series; they lost 4-3 to the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of the first round and 9-6 to the Calgary Flames in the first game of the second round. They've also been outscored 11-9 in first periods in the playoffs. Getting off to a good start is their focus.
"We've been here enough now, we've been through two rounds, been through seasons, so we should know how to start a game," Oilers forward Zach Hyman said. "At times, throughout the playoffs, we have started games on time. I think we want to do it more often and this is a big test for us coming into Colorado. Individually, just doing whatever you have to do to get ready. It's hard to speak for other guys, but just getting focused and being ready for puck drop."
Oilers projected lineup
Zach Hyman -- Connor McDavid -- Leon Draisaitl
Evander Kane -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Kailer Yamamoto
Warren Foegele -- Ryan McLeod -- Jesse Puljujarvi
Josh Archibald -- Derek Ryan -- Zack Kassian
Darnell Nurse -- Cody Ceci
Duncan Keith -- Evan Bouchard
Brett Kulak -- Tyson Barrie
Mike Smith
Mikko Koskinen
Scratched:Derick Brassard, Kris Russell, Devin Shore, Olivier Rodrigue
Injured:None

Avalanche projected lineup

Gabriel Landeskog -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Valeri Nichushkin
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nazem Kadri -- Mikko Rantanen
Andre Burakovsky -- J.T. Compher -- Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Andrew Cogliano -- Darren Helm -- Logan O'Connor
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Jack Johnson -- Josh Manson
Bowen Byram -- Erik Johnson
Darcy Kuemper
Pavel Francouz
Scratched:Nico Sturm, Alex Newhook, Ryan Murray, Kurtis MacDermid, Justus Annunen
Injured: Samuel Girard (sternum)

Status report

The Avalanche are expected to use the same lineup from their last game, a 3-2 win against the Blues on Friday. … The Oilers didn't hold a morning skate.