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NASHVILLE Danton Heinen Jersey Kids , Tenn. (AP) The moment the Predators have been waiting for since June 11 finally is here. After failing to force a Game 7 for the Stanley Cup, Nashville is back in the postseason eager to chase hockey’s ultimate prize once again.This time, the Predators are the Presidents’ Trophy winners for their first-round series starting Thursday night at home against the Colorado Avalanche. Nashville forward Filip Forsberg sees the NHL’s best in the regular season as a better team than the group that made a thrilling run to the franchise’s first final as the lowest-seeded team in the playoffs.”Same group of guys, same great mindset, great mentality in this group, but we’re a more skilled team,” Forsberg said.”Everyone who was here last year is a year older, a year better, and all the guys that they brought in have been great additions and really created a big impact on this team.”Winning the Presidents’ Trophy is no guarantee of success: Since 2004-05, more teams with the most regular-season points (four) have been eliminated in the first round than have reached the final (three). And Nashville’s own first-round sweep of Chicago, the Western Conference’s top seed last year, has given the Avalanche confidence after their own amazing turnaround for their first playoff berth since 2014, even if they have lost 10 straight to Nashville.”We got in Authentic Mitchell Marner Jersey ,” forward Nathan MacKinnon said. ”Anything can happen now. We’re excited for the challenge. It’s not going to be easy against the Presidents’ (Trophy) winning team.”Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said the Predators won’t take anybody lightly.”We’re disappointed obviously the way the thing ended last year,” Laviolette said. ”We put ourselves in position to finish it off, and we didn’t get it done. We wanted to give ourselves the best position that we can through the course of the regular season in order to be successful, and we made it. We’re here.”Some things to know about the Predators and Avalanche for this series:YOUTH MOVEMENTThe Avalanche have one of the youngest rosters with an average age of just 25.8. This season, they dressed 11 rookies. That youthful spirit has rejuvenated the veterans. ”You can feel the excitement and energy from all those guys,” said 28-year-old center Colin Wilson, who spent his first eight seasons with Nashville. ”It’s a fun energy to be a part of.”PIT OF MISERYNobody spent more time in the penalty box than the undisciplined Predators, who led the NHL with 928 penalty minutes at an average of 11.3 minutes per game. They led the league with 320 minor penalties and 10 misconducts and tied San Jose with the most game misconducts (four). Laviolette said they have to be better. ”It’s playoff time, and we have to be in control of our actions on the ice,” Laviolette said.TALENTED TRIOSColorado’s top line of captain Gabriel Landeskog, MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen had a combined 243 points, which accounted for 36 percent of the team’s scoring in the regular season. The speedy MacKinnon led the way with 39 goals and 58 assists to put himself in the Hart Trophy discussion as for the league’s MVP. They’ll likely be matched against Nashville’s top line of Forsberg, who led Nashville with 64 points http://www.officialmapleleafsproshop.com/authentic-adidas-morgan-rielly-jersey , center Ryan Johansen (54) and Viktor Arvidsson (61). ”We’re always OK with best-best,” Laviolette said.WHO’S IN GOALThe Predators have a big advantage in Pekka Rinne , a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist who could finally win the award after a career-high eight shutouts and 42 wins this season. Rinne played a huge role in Nashville’s playoff run last spring. Colorado will be without Semyon Varlamov this series because of a knee injury, putting Jonathan Bernier in net. Bernier went 19-13-0 for Colorado with two shutouts, but this will be just his second career playoff start. His first? A 6-3 loss to Nashville as the Predators clinched the Western Conference title against Anaheim last spring.ON THE CALLAJ Mleczko, who won Olympic gold with the U.S. women’s hockey team in 1998 and silver in 2002, will be the color analyst for this game on NBCSN. The network believes this will be the first time a woman has been in the booth for an NHL playoff game in the U.S. Mleczko, who worked broadcasts for the 2018 Winter Olympics, started doing analysis on men’s hockey with NBC’s national broadcast March 6.—AP Sports Writer Pat Graham contributed to this report.— The best players in the NHL descend upon San Jose, California, for the 2019 NHL All-Star Game Saturday night.In addition to participating in the All-Star Game, a majority of the players selected for the exhibition will partake in Friday's All-Star Skills contest, which includes contests like hardest shot and fastest skater.A year ago in Tampa Nikita Zaitsev Jersey Kids , Florida, the Pacific Division won its second All-Star Game title in the third year of the three-on-three tournament format.Entering Saturday's All-Star Game, the Metropolitan Division is the only other team to come out on top in the new format. Format and RulesSimilar to the past three years, the 2019 NHL All-Star Game is a three-on-three tournament with each of the four divisions represented by a team.Every one of the 31 NHL teams must be represented on the All-Star Game rosters, which is why you won't see a plethora of players from multiple teams in each squad.Since the new format was instituted,the Atlantic and Metropolitan have faced off against each other in a semifinal, while the Pacific and Central squared off in the other semifinal pitting Western Conference divisions against one another.Both of the semifinal games last 20 minutes with the winner of each game advancing to the championship.The title clash at the All-Star Game is also a 20-minute affair, and in each of the last two seasons, seven goals have been netted in the final. Full Weekend ScheduleNHL Skills Competition (Friday, 9 p.m. ET, NBCSN)NHL All-Star Game (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN) Can Pacific Win 3rd Title In New Format?The Pacific Division is in good position to win its third All-Star Game title because of the wide array of offensive players it contains on its roster.Edmonton's Connor McDavid Womens Patrick Marleau Jersey , Calgary's Johnny Gaudreau and San Jose's Joe Pavelski all rank in the top 10 in goals in the NHL, while Leon Draisaitl of the Oilers is 16th.Paul Sancya/Associated PressThe Pacific roster looks even scarier when you glance at the league assist chart, as San Jose's Brent Burns, Gaudreau and McDavid all sit in the top 10.Burns, who is listed as a defender but can play further up the ice on occasion, leads all defensemen in assists and points.As if that wasn't impressive enough, Vancouver's Elias Pettersson, who is one of three Pacific players making their first All-Star Game appearances, is tied for second in game-winning goals alongside McDavid and three others.In between the pipes, Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury leads the NHL in wins with 27, while Anaheim's Gibson is first in saves with Fleury directly behind him in second.Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesIn addition to all of those statistical leaders, the Pacific roster carries plenty of experience in defense with Los Angeles' Drew Doughty and San Jose's Eric Karlsson, while Arizona's Clayton Keller rounds out a talented collection of forwards.Burns Rasmus Andersson Jersey Womens , Doughty and Gaudreau won the All-Star Game in 2016 and 2018, Gibson and Pavelski were on the winning squad in 2016, and both Fleury and McDavid were victors in 2018.While the other divisions boast impressive rosters as well, the Pacific squad has a perfect complement of experience, goalscoring prowess and goaltending that could frustrate any opponent that stands in its way.And if that wasn't enough to predict the Pacific to win Saturday, it is playing on home ice inside the SAP Center in San Jose.Follow Joe on Twitter, JTansey90Statistics obtained from NHL.com