Sadly, I think it's the Avs; they really struggled against the Preds this year, losing all 4 matchups.
Ehhhh, that doesn't really paint the full picture.
Yes we lost all 4 games. But were the Preds the better team in those 4 games? No, Avs were pretty easily the better team in 3/4 of those games, but in the first one of the season it was during a stretch where the Avs weren't firing well offensively and couldn't score.
The 2nd pair of games in Denver down the stretch were actually really good games. Avs carried the play for the most part in both games but had a last minute goal + really soft OT goal cost them the first one, and ran into a really hot goalie again on the 2nd one.
Now, do I expect the Avs to actually win this series?
no, not by a long shot. And I think it is fair to say its a possibility they get swept especially without EJ and Varlamov. But based on the season series, even though the Preds won all 4 games, it was a lot of close matchups and the Avs did quite well in terms of possession against the Preds.
I expect the series to go 5 or 7 games(And most likely 5), but every game should be a close and tense battle.