The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 on Thursday night to claim the Presidents' Trophy as the league's top regular-season team with 82 points.
As a result, Colorado supplanted the Vegas Golden Knights atop the West Division and will take on the fourth-seeded St. Louis Blues in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Both Colorado and Vegas finished the 56-game schedule equal in points, but the Avalanche earned the tiebreaker with five more regulation wins.
2021 NHL standings
| Team | GP | Record | Reg. wins | P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche | 56 | 39-13-4 | 35 | .732 |
| Golden Knights | 56 | 40-14-2 | 30 | .727 |
| Hurricanes | 56 | 36-12-8 | 27 | .714 |
| Panthers | 56 | 37-14-5 | 26 | .705 |
| Maple Leafs | 55 | 35-13-7 | 29 | .700 |
The Avalanche have now won the Presidents' Trophy three times in franchise history. They previously earned the honor in 1996-97 and then again in 2000-01, which they paired with a Stanley Cup.
The Presidents' Trophy winner hasn't won it all since the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks and hasn't advanced past the second round in each of the last five postseasons.
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