Connor McDavid can sit this one out. The two big dogs in the Western Conference who already have Stanley Cup rings need a minute while they battle to earn another.

In hockey, it’s never truly one-on-one out on the ice throughout the course of an entire game. There’s too much room, too much movement, and too many players on the ice for that to happen consistently. But make no mistake, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Vegas’ Jack Eichel are going to see a lot of each other over the next two weeks.

And it’s the premier center matchup of the NHL playoffs.

Eichel is “Mr. Everything” for the Golden Knights. He’s the second-leading scorer in the playoffs, plays in all situations, and last season, finished top five in voting for both the Hart Trophy and Selke Trophy. The Avalanche have yet to face a first-line center this postseason, let alone a top-tier center like Eichel, so he’ll present an entirely new challenge for them.

From a Vegas perspective, the same can be said about MacKinnon, who is the straw that stirs the drink for the Avalanche. He’s a finalist for the Hart Trophy again and has a good case to take home the award for the second time in his career. He’s also (big surprise) Colorado’s leading scorer this postseason and if you’re looking for a ridiculous stat, here’s one: he’s scored a goal in 46.2% of the playoff games he’s played. That’s the fourth-highest rate in NHL history.

Both have the pedigree, both have the skill, and both have Stanley Cup rings. MacKinnon led the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup back in 2022, while Eichel did the same the following year for the Golden Knights. This is a big-boy matchup, to say the least.

One the Avalanche are comfortable with on the ice.

“Historically, we’ve gone MacKinnon against Eichel, they’ve gone Eichel against MacKinnon,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “Our numbers say that (MacKinnon’s) had good success against him. Is that something that we want to do or do we move away from it? We’ll see as the series goes on.”

Eichel did not play when these two teams met back in December, a game Colorado won in a shootout, but in the other two games between the Avalanche and Golden Knights this season, he was the center MacKinnon saw the most when he was on the ice at 5 on 5. In those two games, Colorado held an 82.7% expected goals-for percentage when those two were on the ice and outscored the Golden Knights 1-0.

So yes, there’s reason for the Avalanche to feel confident about that potential matchup.

What could be different this time around is the presence of center William Karlsson, who missed 68 games during the regular season. He returned last round against the Anaheim Ducks and made an immediate impact, picking up three assists. Karlsson is a great defensive center, so there’s a chance he’ll see a good bit of MacKinnon in this series as well.

“This is a deep, deep center team,” Bednar said. “They added (Nic) Dowd at the deadline, they get Karlsson back, they’re structured one through four in the center position, but really it’s their whole forward group.”

In those moments when Eichel and MacKinnon aren’t on the ice together, it will likely be Brock Nelson who is tasked with slowing down Eichel. Those two centers won a gold medal together at the Olympics a few months back, and Nelson knows as well as anyone how dangerous the Vegas center can be.

“I feel like when you watch (Eichel) as a fan, you see how much he controls the play,” Nelson said. “Feels like he has the puck the majority of the game and creates a lot out there for himself and his teammates. He just looks so calm and poised with it. You have to play him tight, be in his face, and be physical on him.”

MacKinnon is never going to look at a potential matchup with Eichel and see it as “me against him.” That’s just not how he’s built. He knows there are too many variables at play and that other players have control of what happens when those two are on the ice as well.

But there’s a respect factor from him on what he might face. He knows it won’t be easy.

“He’s one of the best players in the league, going to be extremely challenging,” MacKinnon said of Eichel. “He’s a two-way force out there. Big, strong guy. It’s going to be definitely a team effort to take away time and space, but he’s going to create. He’s just that good. Hopefully we can limit it.”

Wednesday will be the first time these two face each other in the postseason, with both looking to add another ring to their collection. It’s going to be a war.

“I just can’t see this being a short series. It’s going to be tough, and we’re ready for a seven-gamer here,” MacKinnon said.

Practice notes

• The only Avalanche skater absent from practice Tuesday was Cale Makar. When asked if there was any concern about that, Bednar said, “no, not yet.”
• Beyond Makar, the Avalanche are in good shape. Brent Burns and Sam Malinski were in regular jerseys after missing some practices and appear good to go for Game 1. Artturi Lehkonen also returned and wore a regular jersey, skating on a line with Brock Nelson and Nicolas Roy. It looks like all three of those guys should be able to play Wednesday.