by Rod Pearson
Friday, Apr 24, 2026
Game Time: 4:30 pm ET, Sunday, April 26, 2026
Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Where to Watch: TNT, HBO Max, truTV
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline: Avalanche -170, Kings +142; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Bet365: Moneyline: Avalanche -170, Kings +140; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
BetMGM: Moneyline: Avalanche -165, Kings +140; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Season Record
Colorado Avalanche: 55-16-11 (1st place, Central Division)
Los Angeles Kings: 35-27-20 (4th place, Pacific Division)
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Recent Form
Colorado Avalanche: 8-1-1 last 10
Los Angeles Kings: 5-3-2 last 10
Colorado Avalanche vs Los Angeles Kings Preview and Analysis
The Avalanche are entering the playoffs with 121 points, a 55-16-11 record overall, and they were 29-7-5 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Los Angeles Kings in their last game, winning that one on the road 4-2. Artturi Lehkonen, Brock Nelson, Cale Makar, and Gabriel Landeskog each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Artturi Lehkonen, Devon Toews, Josh Manson, and Nicolas Roy each led the team in assists with 1 while Cale Makar led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Scott Wedgewood was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 26 shots with 24 saves and a .923 sv percentage. 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 Kings are entering the playoffs with 90 points, a 35-27-20 record overall, and they were 15-17-9 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Colorado Avalanche in their last game, losing that one at home 4-2. Adrian Kempe and Trevor Moore each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Alex Laferriere led the team in assists with 2 while Alex Laferriere led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Anton Forsberg was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 22 shots with 19 saves and a .864 save percentage. Their offense has scored 225 goals this season averaging 2.7 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 247 goals against them allowing 3 goals per game.
Avalanche vs Kings Prediction
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 been a great road team too with their 29-7-5 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Kings have looked good in their games this season with their 35-27-20 record overall which had them in the top half of their division in the West. They have looked terrible on home ice though with their 15-17-9 home record this season. This is game 4 of a 7-game series between the 1st seeded Avalanche in the Central and the 2nd Wild Card Kings from the Pacific for the 1st round of the NHL playoffs. The Avalanche are entering this series with a 3-0 series lead after winning game 3 by a score of 4-2. The Avalanche had a lot of trouble scoring in the first 2 games of this series, winning both games at home 2-1, but they finally opened the game up in game 3. The Kings have looked like a team that has been hanging on this series and they finally got blown up in a 4-2 loss at home, now in a 3-0 hole in the series. The Avalanche always had the potential to sweep this series being the best team in the NHL all season and the Kings are a team that wasn't really in a playoff spot for a lot of the year and snuck in right at the end of the season, but they don't really belong in this series. They were able to hang on for so long in the first 2 games, but they couldn't do that in their 4-2 loss in game 3 and that has been a common theme for them this year since they have actually been a worse team at home. The Avalanche have all of the momentum on their side now and look well on their way to sweeping this series. The best way to place a bet here is on the Avalanche to win this game.
Avalanche Kings Prediction: Our NHL Pick for Sunday, April 26, 2026 (4:30 pm ET start time) is Avalanche 4 Kings 1.
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NHL Betting Trends
Colorado Avalanche: 57-17 (+22.6 units) on the moneyline when playing against a marginal losing team (Win Pct. 40% to 49%). 87-45 (+20.4 units) on the moneyline after playing a road game. 42-20 (+5.2 units) on the moneyline after a 3 game winning streak. 18-10 UNDER as a road favorite of -200 or less.
Los Angeles Kings: 129-130 (-42.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 29-50 (-13.5 units) on the moneyline as an underdog. 59-66 (-22.1 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss versus opponent as a favorite. 18-10 UNDER as an underdog.
Key Injuries
Colorado Avalanche: None.
Los Angeles Kings: K. Fiala (LW) Out For Season - Leg.
Notable Quotes
“It’s been tough sledding to create offense, but we have different guys stepping up on different nights and scoring in different situations, even if it’s just one to do it to make the difference.” - Jared Bednar after his team’s win against the LA Kings in the 3rd game of this series on Thursday.
“(We have to) find ways to score. We had looks. I mean, give them credit, but we missed the net 13 times leading into the third period. Sometimes you can play real well for stretches, and it happens in the regular season, and you don’t get the results. Then you’ll win a game you don’t deserve to win. For us, I thought the first half of the game, we played them as hard and as good as we could, and we probably didn’t get the results.” - D.J. Smith after his team’s loss against the Avalanche in game 3 of this series on Thursday.
Starting Lineups
Colorado Avalanche
LW Artturi Lehkonen
C Nathan MacKinnon
RW Martin Necas
LD Devon Toews
RD Cale Makar
G Scott Wedgewood
Los Angeles Kings
LW Artemi Panarin
C Anze Kopitar
RW Adrian Kempe
LD Mikey Anderson
RD Drew Doughty
G Anton Forsberg
Statistical Leaders
Colorado Avalanche
Points: Nathan MacKinnon (127)
Goals: Nathan MacKinnon (53)
Assists: Nathan MacKinnon (74)
GAA: Scott Wedgewood (2.02)
Los Angeles Kings
Points: Adrian Kempe (73)
Goals: Adrian Kempe (36)
Assists: Adrian Kempe (37)
GAA: Anton Forsberg (2.57)
Coaches:
Colorado Avalanche: Jared Bednar (10th season)
Los Angeles Kings: D.J. Smith (Interim)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
