{"id":486481,"date":"2026-04-01T08:05:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T12:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=486481"},"modified":"2026-04-01T08:47:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T12:47:03","slug":"nhl-predictions-vancouver-canucks-colorado-avalanche-april-1st","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/04\/01\/nhl-predictions-vancouver-canucks-colorado-avalanche-april-1st\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: Vancouver Canucks vs Colorado Avalanche, April 1st"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header mb-6\">\n<p class=\"p1\">Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at\u00a0<i>Last Word On Hockey<\/i>\u00a0look 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\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/03\/20\/vancouver-canucks-news-signs-depth-defenceman-two-year-extension\/\" target=\"_self\">Vancouver Canucks<span>\u00a0<\/span><\/a>taking on the<span>\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/03\/05\/toronto-maple-leafs-sell-off-begins-as-avalanche-acquire-depth-help\/\" target=\"_self\">Colorado Avalanche<\/a><span>.<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span>Don\u2019t forget to check out more NHL Predictions, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<h2><strong>NHL Predictions:<span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><strong>Vancouver Canucks at Colorado Avalanche<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>2025-2026 Season Series:<span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Vancouver 0-2 Colorado<\/p>\n<p><strong>Time:<span> <\/span><\/strong><span>8<\/span>:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) | 5:30 p.m. Pacific<\/p>\n<h3><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/full-guide-for-how-to-stream-and-watch-nhl-hockey-games\/\" target=\"_self\">How to Watch<\/a>: Sportsnet+, SNP, TVAS, ALT, ESPN+, NHL Centre Ice<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Location:<\/strong><span> Ball Arena<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span>in Denver, Colorado.<\/p>\n<p><span>The Vancouver Canucks continue their four-game road trip with a matchup against the league-leading Colorado Avalanche. Vancouver sits at 21-44-8 after 73 games, with 50 points, while Colorado sits at 49-14-10 after 73 games, with 108 points. This marks the third and final meeting between these two teams. Colorado won the last meeting, 3-1, on December 2nd.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOB1X32XFhu\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 7347px; aspect-ratio: 7347\/4614;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p><span>Credit Image: \u00a9 Ulrik Pedersen\/ZUMA Press Wire<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>The Canucks Story<\/h3>\n<p>Vancouver has lost six consecutive games and has officially clinched last place in the NHL for this season. The on-ice product has not been great lately, though the players are giving it their all. They continue to play out the string with hopes of building for the future. There is no shortage of rumblings off the ice, given how poorly this season has gone. The glimmer of positivity is that <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/boesebr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-31_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brock Boeser<\/a> has scored six goals in 14 games in the month of March, and he now leads his team with 18 goals on the year.<\/p>\n<h3>The Avalanche Story<\/h3>\n<p>Colorado has their eyes on the Stanley Cup as they have led the NHL for virtually the entire regular season. They look poised to win the Presidents&#8217; Trophy with their strong, consistent play for most of the year. They decimated the Calgary Flames on Monday, 9-2 at home. <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/k\/kadrina01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-31_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nazem Kadri<\/a> made his return to Calgary after his <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/03\/06\/calgary-flames-trade-stanley-cup-champion-to-avalanche\/\" target=\"_self\">trade<\/a> and scored two goals in the victory. <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/mackina01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-31_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nathan MacKinnon<\/a> is still within striking distance of the scoring lead in the NHL, with 49 goals and 71 assists for 120 points in 72 games.<\/p>\n<p>The concern for the team lies with the upper-body injury to <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/makarca01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-31_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cale Makar<\/a>. He was absent in the third period against the Flames after taking a hit from <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/k\/klapkad01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-31_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adam Klapka<\/a> late in the second period. According to TSN analyst Pierre LeBrun, he will miss a few games before the Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Cale Makar did not return to the game after taking this hit from Adam Klapka in the second period. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jbabyg4PWi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/jbabyg4PWi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Sportsnet\/status\/2038823980002398645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 31, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">On Cale Makar, don\u2019t believe it\u2019s too serious but he will likely miss a few games in order to get him to 100 percent before the playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PierreVLeBrun\/status\/2039109671177379850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 31, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Starting Goalies<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Below are the projected starters for tonight\u2019s game. Please check social media for the most updated information before locking in your daily fantasy lineups.<\/p>\n<p>For Vancouver, we expect<span>\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/l\/lankike01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-29_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Lankinen<\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/tolopni01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a><\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span>to get the start. In 42 games this season, he has an 8-26-5 record, a 3.63 goals-against average, and an .877 save percentage.<\/p>\n<p>For Colorado,<span> <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/blackma01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-31_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mackenzie Blackwood<\/a> will likely get the start. In 34 games this season, he has a 21-9-1 record, a 2.42 goals-against average. and a .905 save percentage.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Prediction and Best Bets<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This should be a rather easy game for the Avalanche to win. The key will be to get off to a good start and not let Vancouver get any type of momentum. It should be easy cruising from there.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Prediction: Avalanche win 5-2.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Best Bets<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>To wrap things up, here are our anytime goal scorer picks. For the Canucks, we will pick<span>\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/boesebr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-29_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brock Boeser<\/a>\u00a0to get a goal<\/span>. On the Avalanche side, we will pick<span> leading scorer Nathan MacKinnon\u00a0to score one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions; some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at\u00a0Last Word On Hockey\u00a0look 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\u00a0Vancouver Canucks\u00a0taking on the\u00a0Colorado Avalanche.\u00a0Don\u2019t forget to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5733,"featured_media":466412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,28,4547,4548,4524],"tags":[6085,6014],"class_list":["post-486481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-canucks","category-avalanche","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","tag-colorado-avalanche-predictions","tag-vancouver-canucks-predictions"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5733"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=486481"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":486594,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486481\/revisions\/486594"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/466412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=486481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=486481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=486481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}