The West Division powerhouses will meet after all.

The Minnesota Wild played the part of disruptor all the way to the second period of Game 7, but at the end, it’s the matchup long expected. Once up 3-1 in the series, the Vegas Golden Knights pulled away on a Max Pacioretty goal and finished off the Wild on Friday.

That pits the Golden Knights against the Colorado Avalanche, who took the Presidents’ Cup from them in the final game of the regular season.

Each team won four games against the other during a breakneck regular season. Five were by a single goal. The goals scored were nearly even, with Vegas holding an 18-17 edge.

Vegas can take one day off before heading to Denver for Game 1 on Sunday. The Avalanche will have been idle a full week.

“I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to look at it,” defenseman Devon Toews said of the long break. “We can only control what we can control.”

Nathan MacKinnon, who led Colorado in those eight games against Vegas with six points (2 goals, 4 assists), pointed out that he’s more used to the current situation than some of his teammates, having missed eight games due to injury.

“I’m sure guys that played all 56 games, every other night, it’s just different to get used to,” he said.

“I’m sure they’re really appreciating their bodies healing and resting.”

Resting seems to have done MacKinnon some good, as he posted nine points in a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Blues. His only game in the final week of the regular season was a high-stakes, high-intensity 2-1 win over the Golden Knights on May 10, in which the Avalanche rarely got their offense churning but managed to take the road victory anyway.

The Golden Knights dealt with holes in their roster during the postseason’s first round but appear to be moving in the right direction. Vegas’ Brayden McNabb remained on the COVID protocol list Friday. Ryan Reaves was removed and played in Game 7.

Finally, the Colorado coaching staff can deliver the information they’ve been holding back until Vegas clinched.

“Our coaches have been working hard and getting prepared along with our analytics team,” coach Jared Bednar said, adding a cram session was in the team’s future.

In practice Friday, hours before Game 7, the Avalanche worked largely on odd-man rushes and special teams for about an hour.

“We’re working really hard in practice,” MacKinnon said. “We’ve had two good days so we’re excited to get going.”

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