DENVER • If the brand of hockey played between the Avalanche and Oilers is closer to that of a video game than the traditional sport, the turbo button is getting worn out in the Western Conference Finals.

A day after an 8-6 win over the Oilers in Game 1, Avalanche forward Logan O’Connor said the pace of play was as high or higher than anything else he’s experienced.

“Yeah, it’s probably right there for the fastest I’ve been a part of. We like to play a quick game, and they’ve got some fast players on their team, as well,” O’Connor said Wednesday. “A lot of times throughout the year, we feel as though our speed can take over games, and I think you saw last night that both teams with their structure and the players on the ice that, you know, both teams have the ability to use their quickness and speed and skating.

“That’s something unique about both of our teams.”

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For Edmonton, the speed starts with Connor McDavid. The Oilers captain won the fastest-skater competition during All-Star festivities for three straight seasons 2017-19. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon took fifth in the event in 2020. Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano is another former winner of the event in 2009. All that speed can make mistakes even more costly, as the Game 1 score indicated.

“The transition can be so quick back and forth. You’ve got to be in tune,” Alex Newhook said. “You’ve got to be dialed in, because one misplay and guys are flying by the other way. Both sides, we can all skate.”

O’Connor said getting above the puck and shutting down Edmonton’s transition opportunities will remain priorities as the series progresses.

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“They get everyone up in the rush pretty quickly,” O’Connor said. “If you hesitate 200 feet from your net, they’re going to get guys above you, and that’s how they can create a lot of chances.”

NHL 22, the video game licensed by the league’s players association, gave McDavid the slight edge in speed. His rating of 96 tops all players on this year’s edition, but MacKinnon’s 94 speed rating and Cale Makar’s 93 are tied for second and third on the list, respectively. All three had multipoint games in the series opener.

With some adjustments before Game 2, coach Jared Bednar hopes the Avalanche can prevent McDavid and the Oilers from putting up video-game numbers in the rest of the series.

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“Whenever you’re giving up a scoring chance, there’s a mistake. It’s really that simple. Even elite players, they’re going to create when you’re doing everything right a little bit, but not to the level that we gave up last night.

“I look at our game, loved everything we did offensively. I think there’s a lot of really good things there — work ethic, competitiveness, puck play, managed the puck well in a lot of different areas on the offensive side of things. Defensively, there’s some things we’ve got to improve,” Bednar said.

“I would expect it to tighten up, because I’m sure they’re feeling the same way. You’re not going to win a lot of playoff games when you give up six or seven.”