Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
The first domino of the 2022 Stanley Cup final has fallen.
The Nashville Predators are the first team to be eliminated from the post-season after the Colorado Avalanche completed a four-game sweep on Monday with a 5-3 win.
Colorado has advanced to the second round for the fourth straight year, last losing in the opening round to the Predators in 2017-18.
Colorado finished first in the Western Conference this season with a 56-19-7 record. The Predators finished in the bottom wild-card spot with 97 points, 22 points below the Avalanche.