Avalanche aiming to avoid rust during long break before final

Facing a potential 11-day break in between games, the Colorado Avalanche are making a point to stay sharp leading up to the Stanley Cup Final.

"I think our guys were pretty dialed in," Avalanche blue-liner Devon Toews told NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika. "We got some five-on-five stuff in today that guys didn't get in yesterday. I think our guys are ready to go, and we're excited, but we'll take the rest as well. You can't really hope for a certain amount or a set number of days off before you start playing again, so we'll just take it day by day. We're using these days to recover and reset."

The Western Conference champions face a minimum of eight days off after finishing the Edmonton Oilers in four games on Monday. The final starts June 15 if the Tampa Bay Lightning eliminate the New York Rangers on Saturday. If the series goes to Game 7, Colorado will have to wait until June 18 to retake the ice.

Toews said he doesn't believe the Avalanche have a preference on who they face in the next round.

"I think most guys are tuning in, at least," he said. "I don't know how much guys are looking into it, and we'll do our deep dive when we figure out who we're playing."

Colorado is 12-2 in these playoffs. The club earned home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Final after posting a 119-point regular season, the league's second-highest total.

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