Vegas Golden Knights vs Colorado Avalanche Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/20/2026

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Venue:  Ball Arena, Denver, CO

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Knights +150, Avalanche -180; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Knights +150, Avalanche -180; Over/Under:  6 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Knights +150, Avalanche -185; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Vegas Golden Knights:  39-26-17 (1st place, Pacific Division)

Colorado Avalanche:  55-16-11 (1st place, Central Division)

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Vegas Golden Knights:  7-3-0 last 10

Colorado Avalanche:  9-1-0 last 10

The Golden Knights are entering the playoffs with 95 points, a 39-26-17 record overall, and they were 19-14-8 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Anaheim Ducks in their last game, winning that one on the road 5-1. Pavel Dorofeyev led the team in goals scored with 2 while Mitch Marner, Shea Theodore, and Brett Howden each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Mitch Marner, Shea Theodore, Ivan Barbashev, Noah Hanifin, Rasmus Andersson, Tomáš Hertl, and William Karlsson each led the team in assists with 1 while Jack Eichel led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Carter Hart was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 1 goal on 32 shots with 31 saves and a .969 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 265 goals this season averaging 3.2 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 250 goals against them allowing 3 goals per game.

The Avalanche are entering the playoffs with 121 points, a 55-16-11 record overall, and they were 26-9-6 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Minnesota Wild in their last game, winning that one at home 4-3 in overtime. Brett Kulak, Parker Kelly, Jack Drury, and Nathan MacKinnon each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Brent Burns and Martin Nečas each led the team in assists with 2 while Nathan MacKinnon led the team in shots on net in that game with 9. Mackenzie Blackwood was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 13 shots with 10 saves and a .769 sv percentage before getting replaced by Scott Wedgewood who stopped all 7 shots he faced. Their offense has scored 302 goals this season averaging 3.7 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 203 goals against them allowing 2.5 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Avalanche listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Avalanche have looked great in their games this season with their 55-16-11 record overall which had 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 26-9-6 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights have looked good in their games this season with their 39-26-17 record overall which had them right at the top of their division in the West. They haven't been a great road team though with their 19-14-8 road record this year. This is game 1 of a 7-game series between the 1st seeded Avalanche from the Central Division and the 1st seeded Golden Knights from the Pacific Division for the Western Conference Finals of the NHL playoffs. The Golden Knights are off a 4-2 series win over the Ducks, but they haven't had the toughest path in the playoffs so far. They got by the Mammoth in the 1st round who were making their 1st ever playoff appearance as a franchise and they just beat up on a young Ducks team that made the playoffs for the 1st time in years. All of the good teams in the West this season were at the top of the Central Division though, and now the Golden Knights are going to get a taste of that. The Avalanche are 9-1-0 in their last 10 games and they have been rolling in the playoffs. They swept the Kings with ease in the 1st round and now they are off a 5-1 series win over the Wild who were one of the best teams in the NHL all season. The Avalanche look like the clear best team in the NHL right now and they are going to be able to take advantage of the Golden Knights on the road where the Golden Knights haven't looked as good. The Golden Knights also had some trouble at the start of both of their series' so far, so look for the Avalanche to come out strong and set the tone for this series in this game. The best way to place a bet here is on the Avalanche to win this game and on the puckline. 

Golden Knights Avalanche Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Wednesday, May 20, 2026 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Avalanche 4 Knights 1.

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Vegas Golden Knights: 150-126 (-24 units) on the moneyline in all games. 29-27 (-11.8 units) on the moneyline after allowing 1 goal or less in their previous game. 66-66 (-13.3 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 8-2 UNDER after a blowout win by 4 goals or more. 12-6 UNDER against good defensive teams - opponents average 26.5 shots on goal or less. 

Colorado Avalanche: 91-42 (+8.5 units) on the moneyline as a home favorite. 87-41 (+7.8 units) on the moneyline in a home game where the total is 6 or more. 46-20 (+14.9 units) on the moneyline revenging a same season loss vs opponent. 26-19 UNDER as a favorite of -200 or less. 10-5 UNDER revenging a same season loss vs opponent.

Vegas Golden Knights:  M. Stone (RW) Day To Day - Lower-Body. J. Lauzon (D) Out - Upper-Body.

Colorado Avalanche:  A. Lehkonen (LW) Day To Day - Upper-body. S. Malinski (D) Day To Day - Upper-body.

"We worked extremely hard for all these little goals we set throughout the year. We've got to take these couple days, whatever we have, try to refuel and refresh and be ready to go." - Mitch Marner after their win against the Ducks in game 6 of that series on Thursday. 

“That one was something, but give them credit. I felt like there was some moments in the game where we were a little down, but we had enough guys that were upbeat, positive, kept the belief -- that kind of dragged the other guys into the fight a little bit. It wasn't everyone's best game, that's for sure, but that's what a team's all about. You're dragging each other into the fight and trying to find a way. It was a struggle, but we got it done.” - Jared Bednar after his team’s win against the Wild in game 5 of that series on Wednesday. 

LW Ivan Barbashev

C Jack Eichel

RW Pavel Dorofeyev

LD Dylan Coghlan

RD Shea Theodore

G Carter Hart

LW Gabriel Landeskog

C Nathan MacKinnon

RW Martin Necas

LD Devon Toews

RD Cale Makar

G MacKenzie Blackwood

Points: Jack Eichel (90)

Goals: Pavel Dorofeyev (37)

Assists: Jack Eichel (63)

GAA: Akira Schmid (2.59)

Points: Nathan MacKinnon (127)

Goals: Nathan MacKinnon (53)

Assists: Nathan MacKinnon (74)

GAA: Scott Wedgewood (2.02)

Coaches:

Vegas Golden Knights: John Tortorella (Interim)

Colorado Avalanche: Jared Bednar (10th season)