Welcome to the NHL Predictions for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Each day, our writers here at Last Word On Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the Minnesota Wild against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 5 of Western Conference second-round playoff action. Don’t forget to check out more NHL Predictions, as our writers will continue this series throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, up to the final game.
NHL Predictions with Minnesota Wild at Colorado Avalanche
Playoff Series: Colorado leads 3-1
Time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) | 5:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)
How to Watch: Canada: Sportsnet+, SN, CBC, TVAS, TVAS+
United States: HBO Max, TNT, truTV
Location: Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota
The Colorado Avalanche, following a convincing 5-2 win in Game 4, are on the verge of advancing to the conference finals. The Wild are coming off arguably one of their worst performances of the playoffs, and will play with their season on the line tonight.
The Avalanche Story
The Avs are firmly in the driver’s seat, and have been for most of this series. They have been unrelenting in their offence, and they are getting much-needed depth scoring as well. Parker Kelly scored his first career playoff goal, and Ross Colton chipped in with a valuable depth goal as all four lines contributed on the scoreboard in some way. Head Coach Jared Bednar used words like “dedicated” and “relentless” to describe how his team played in Game 4.
Josh Manson and Joel Kiviranta returned to the lineup in Game 4, and Jack Ahcan made his playoff debut. Sam Malinski and Artturi Lehkonen are listed as day-to-day, which will likely mean they will be game-time decisions for Game 5.
The Wild Story
There needs to be an element of focus going into Game 5. There was some drama on and off the ice involving Josh Manson and Michael McCarron, where Manson butt-ended McCarron, resulting in a $5,000 fine for Manson. McCarron went on to ESPN’s intermission report for an interview with PK Subban, where he said, “He’s a dirty player. Always has been.” Whether the play was dirty or not, the Wild as a team needs to put it behind them and play to win and not for any measure of revenge. The sweetest revenge would be to win this game.
#GoAvsGo D Josh Manson is issued a double minor for butt ending #mnwild F Michael McCarron.
NHL Rule 58.5 indicates a double minor is issued for an attempt to butt end, and an actual butt end should be a 5-minute major and a game misconduct. pic.twitter.com/0rq2MsHqqW
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) May 12, 2026
Bad news for the Wild, they will be without Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin yet again, as they did not travel to Colorado. The penalty kill continues to struggle without them, although they have allowed a power play goal in every single game in the playoffs so far. If the Wild want to stay alive in this series, they must stay out of the box.
Starting Goalies
Below are the projected starters for tonight’s game. Please check social media for the most updated information before locking in your daily fantasy lineups.
For Minnesota, we expect that Jesper Wallstedt will start, seeking a generational performance to save his team’s season. He has a 5-4 record, a 2.66 goals-against average, and a .912 save percentage in the playoffs.
On the Avs side, Mackenzie Blackwood will likely start for a second straight game. He stopped 19 out of 21 shots in Game 4 to earn his first win of the playoffs. He has a 1-0 record, a 1.95 goals-against average, and a .912 save percentage in the postseason.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets
It is hard to see the Avs not ending it tonight, especially with the fact that the Wild are still missing key players. The Avs have not lost at home in these playoffs, and we do not think it will happen tonight either.
Prediction: Avalanche win 4-2.
Best Bets
To wrap things up, here are our anytime goal scorer picks. For the Wild, we will pick Matt Boldy to get a much-needed goal. Count on Nathan MacKinnon to bring his best and pot a goal here tonight for the Avs as well.
Main photo by: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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