Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche 2026 Western Conference First-Round Playoff Series Preview

Welcome to Last Word On Hockey’s coverage of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Throughout the playoffs, our writers will preview, predict, and review all the matchups and give in-depth analysis. For this Western Conference Round 2 series preview, we will take a look at the Minnesota Wild against the Colorado Avalanche. Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar will face each other for the first time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Game 1 will start at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time or 6:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Sunday, May 3rd at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.

2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Western Conference First Round: Wild vs Avalanche Series Preview

To start off the preview, let us look at the tale of the tape for both teams. Colorado holds the advantage in most metrics, except for the power play.

2025-26 Season Series Recap and How the Two Teams Got Here

Credit Image: © Spencer Lee/ZUMA Press Wire

Both teams went 2-1-1 in the season series, meaning these two teams could be quite evenly matched. Two of the games were decided via a shootout, which, for all intents and purposes, could be called a “tie” in this context. Colorado outscored Minnesota 12-11 in those four games. If all of this holds up for this series, it could very well go down to the wire. These two Central Division juggernauts meeting up in the second round feels earlier than warranted, but this is the result of the current playoff format.

In the first round, Colorado and Minnesota had very different experiences. The Avs swept the Los Angeles Kings and dominated play for the majority of the series, while Minnesota fought hard to defeat the Dallas Stars in six games and win their first playoff series since 2015. For Colorado, they have been here many times, but for Minnesota, it feels like rarified air, especially for their current core.

Team Outlook and Keys to Victory for the Wild

Minnesota has held on to the third spot in the competitive Central Division for virtually the entire season. GM Bill Guerin made a serious push when he gave up a king’s ransom to acquire Quinn Hughes in December. The Wild’s biggest strength is on the blue line, with excellent puck-moving defencemen in Hughes and Brock Faber. That defence limited a very strong Dallas Stars team to just 15 goals in their first-round series.

Goaltending has also been a strength for the Wild. Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt split the duties this season, but Wallstedt ultimately started in every game in the first round. He was a big reason why the Wild were able to get past the Stars. Wallstedt has allowed two goals in each of his last three starts and has a .924 save percentage in six games so far. He will undoubtedly start Game 1 for Minnesota.

The stars of the team showed up big-time in the first round. Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy each recorded nine points, leading the way, while Quinn Hughes led the scoring amongst defenders with eight points, including two big goals in Game 6 versus Dallas. While the Wild may not have as deep a forward core as the Avalanche, they have shown that they can dominate the game as well as anyone this season.

Team Outlook and the Avalanche’s Keys to Victory

It is no secret how strong a season Colorado has had, with a Presidents’ Trophy under their belt. In the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they showed they could play a low-scoring, tight-checking series perfectly. They outscored the Los Angeles Kings 13-5 in their four-game sweep. They were not phased by the heavy defence that L.A. threw at them, eventually breaking them down. The only thing that has not improved was the power play, which only scored a single goal in 11 tries. With the firepower they have offensively, it is a surprise that their power play has been a weakness for this entire season. Perhaps, they can take advantage of a Minnesota penalty kill that struggled mightily against the Stars.

Scott Wedgewood may not have been a finalist for this year’s Vezina Trophy, but he followed up an excellent regular season with a monstrous first-round series where he only allowed five goals. His .950 save percentage ranks just behind Frederik Andersen of the Carolina Hurricanes going into the second round.

It feels like only a matter of time before Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas start dominating the scoreboard again. Both of them had 100-point seasons, but were quieter in the first round compared to their usual standards. MacKinnon did record four points in four games, but Necas only had two assists in the series. The Wild will not play the stifling style of game that the Kings employed, so the star players should find the back of the net more often. Combined with their shutdown defence, they continue to look like the favourite to win it all this year.

Series Prediction and Best Bets

The odds should indicate the Avalanche to be the favourites, and they should be. They are an all-around beast of a team, but Minnesota will also be a much bigger challenge for them. Kaprizov, Boldy, and Hughes had an amazing first round, and they have shown that they can dominate games. For Colorado, MacKinnon, Necas, and Makar are itching to put up the numbers they know they can. This is shaping up to be a very entertaining series, but if Colorado gets going offensively, it is hard to see how Minnesota can keep up. On the other hand, the Wild have been battle-tested in the first round, while Colorado cruised through. It is very possible the Wild will have a good start to the series, but ultimately, we believe the Avalanche will take this.

Prediction: Avalanche win the series in 6 games.

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Main Photo Credit:  Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images