Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon: Paves way for Game 1 return

MacKinnon (undisclosed) practiced in a full-contact sweater Saturday, so he'll be ready to return for Monday's series opener against the Blues, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

MacKinnon missed the final two games of the regular season, but his return to practice Saturday confirms the suspicion that those absences were mostly precautionary. That notion was further confirmed by coach Jared Bednar, as Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports that Bednar expects to have MacKinnon in the Game 1 lineup. Colorado's arguably the team to beat as the playoffs get underway, and MacKinnon is a big part of the reason why, as he racked up 20 goals and 45 assists in 48 regular-season games.