Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche Prediction, Preview and Odds - 02/26/2026

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Thursday, February 26, 2026

Venue:  Ball Arena, Denver, CO

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Wild +130, Avalanche -155; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Wild +130, Avalanche -155; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Wild +130, Avalanche -155; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Minnesota Wild:  34-14-10 (2nd place, Central Division)

Colorado Avalanche:  37-9-9 (1st place, Central Division)

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Minnesota Wild:  8-1-1 last 10

Colorado Avalanche:  4-5-1 last 10

The Wild are entering this game with 78 points, a 34-14-10 record overall, and they are 17-8-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Nashville Predators in their last game, winning that one on the road 6-5 in overtime. Matt Boldy led the team in goals scored with 3 as he recorded the hattrick while Jared Spurgeon, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Yakov Trenin each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Quinn Hughes led the team in assists with 2 while Yakov Trenin led the team in shots on net in that game with 7. Filip Gustavsson was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 5 goals on 35 shots with 30 saves and a .857 save percentage. Their offense has scored 196 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 169 goals against them allowing 2.9 goals per game.

The Avalanche are entering this game with 83 points, a 37-9-9 record overall, and they are 21-3-4 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the San Jose Sharks in their last game, winning that one at home 4-2, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Utah Mammoth still to be played on Wednesday night. In their game against the Sharks, Artturi Lehkonen led the team in goals scored with 2 while Brock Nelson and Josh Manson each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Valeri Nichushkin led the team in assists with 3 while Artturi Lehkonen and Brock Nelson each led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Mackenzie Blackwood was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 25 shots with 23 saves and a .920 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 212 goals this season averaging 3.9 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 138 goals against them allowing 2.5 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Wild listed as an underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Wild have looked really good in their games this season with their 34-14-10 record overall which has them right near the top of their division in the West. They have been a great road team too with their 17-8-3 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Avalanche have looked great in their games this season with their 37-9-9 record overall which has them right at the top of their division in the West with the best record in the entire NHL. They have looked great on home ice too with their 21-3-4 home record this season. The Avalanche have easily been the best team in the NHL all season and it hasn't even been close, but they didn't look good going into the Olympic Break and they are starting to see some regression now. They went into the break off a 4-2 win over the Sharks, but they are only 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and they aren't in a great situation here. They are playing this game on a back-to-back with a tough game against the Mammoth the night before and they have a lot of key players who were playing late into the Olympic Break. There is a chance that they aren't ready to go in this game and the Wild are still a really good team that would be leading the division if it wasn't for the Avalanche. The Wild also went into the break off a 6-5 win over the Predators and they were rolling too, going 8-1-1 in their last 10 games. The Wild have a big advantage here with this being their first game back from the break as they have the rest on their side and they haven't been a bad road team this year either. Look for the Wild to take advantage of the Avalanche in a bad situation here as the Wild have the talent to go toe-to-toe with the best in the league. The best way to place a bet here is on the Wild to win this game. 

Wild Avalanche Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Thursday, February 26, 2026 (9:00 pm ET start time) is Wild 4 Avalanche 3.

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Minnesota Wild: 29-42 (-6.4 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +150. 23-32 (-9.1 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss vs opponent as a home favorite. 45-64 (-11.8 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 31-24 UNDER versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 0.5+ goals/game.

Colorado Avalanche: 81-34 (+15.1 units) on the moneyline as a home favorite. 72-29 (+18.5 units) on the moneyline against poor defensive teams - opponents average 29.5+ shots on goal. 73-31 (+15.4 units) on the moneyline against poor defensive teams - 29 shots on goal or more, convert 17% pp or more. 10-5 UNDER when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%).

Minnesota Wild:  J. Wallstedt (G) Out - Illness. M. Foligno (LW) Day To Day - Illness. J. Brodin (D) Out - Lower Body.

Colorado Avalanche:  L. O'Connor (RW) Out - Hip.

“I think it comes down to consistency in our game. Like, why did we get outskated? Why did we win a lot of faceoffs in the first period, and then we didn’t win any faceoffs in the second half? It’s not about being fragile, it’s about doing the right things. It’s about having some toughness to you and digging in. Understanding when we’re in those situations that they matter. It’s not about being fragile; it’s about digging in and competing. If there’s a 50-50 puck, you want the puck, or you don’t want the puck? You’ve got to outcompete them.” - John Hynes on his team this season. 

“I’m definitely not doing that. No. If we make a decision to sit guys on Wednesday, then we’re back to business. The five in seven nights is probably the toughest part of this. But if we’re fighting for first place, they need to play. Our guys are gonna have to play. Otherwise we’re gonna be chasing first place instead of in it, in my opinion.” - Jared Bednar on sitting the players coming back from the Olympics for their back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday.

LW Kirill Kaprizov

C Ryan Hartman

RW Mats Zuccarello

LD Quinn Hughes

RD Brock Faber

G Filip Gustavsson

LW Artturi Lehkonen

C Nathan MacKinnon

RW Martin Necas

LD Devon Toews

RD Cale Makar

G Scott Wedgewood

Points: Kirill Kaprizov (70)

Goals: Kirill Kaprizov (32)

Assists: Kirill Kaprizov (38)

GAA: Filip Gustavsson (2.64)

Points: Nathan MacKinnon (93)

Goals: Nathan MacKinnon (40)

Assists: Nathan MacKinnon (53)

GAA: Mackenzie Blackwood (2.25)

Coaches:

Minnesota Wild: John Hynes (3rd season)

Colorado Avalanche: Jared Bednar (10th season)