Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/03/2026

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Sunday, May 3, 2026

Venue:  Ball Arena, Denver, CO

Where to Watch:  TNT, HBO Max, truTV

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Wild +154, Avalanche -185; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Wild +155, Avalanche -185; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Wild +155, Avalanche -190; Over/Under:  6 goals

Minnesota Wild:  46-24-12 (3rd place, Central Division)

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

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Minnesota Wild:  5-4-1 last 10

Colorado Avalanche:  9-0-1 last 10

The Wild are entering the playoffs with 104 points, a 46-24-12 record overall, and they were 23-14-4 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Dallas Stars in their last game, winning that one at home 5-2. Quinn Hughes and Matt Boldy each led the team in goals scored with 2 while Vladimir Tarasenko scored 1 goal for them in that one. Quinn Hughes, Brock Faber, Marcus Foligno, Mats Zuccarello, and Nico Sturm each led the team in assists with 1 while Matt Boldy led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Jesper Wallstedt was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 23 shots with 21 saves and a .913 save percentage. Their offense has scored 272 goals this season averaging 3.3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 240 goals against them allowing 2.9 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 Los Angeles Kings in their last game, winning that one on the road 5-1. Nathan MacKinnon led the team in goals scored with 2 while Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and Nicolas Roy each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Gabriel Landeskog led the team in assists with 2 while Nathan MacKinnon led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Scott Wedgewood was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 1 goal on 25 shots with 24 saves and a .960 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 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 Wild have looked really good in their games this season with their 46-24-12 record overall which had them right in the top half of their division in the West. They have been a good road team too with their 23-14-4 road record this year. This is game 1 of a 7-game series between the 1st seeded Avalanche and the 3rd seeded Wild from the Central Division for the 2nd round of the NHL playoffs. The Wild have been one of the best teams in the NHL all season and they just kicked out the Dallas Stars who were the higher seed. They looked great in that 4-2 series win, getting better as the series went on, and now they have momentum on their side with 3 wins in a row. As good as they were against the Stars, they weren't that hot entering the playoffs and they are still 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. They have been one of the best in the NHL all year, but now they are facing the team that had the single best record this season and they look like they are playing on another level. The Avalanche have a lot more rest on their side since they swept the Kings in the 1st round and they have been rolling lately, going 9-0-1 in their last 10 games now. The Avalanche are in the better position to take this 1st game of the series at home and they have had a lot of success in the playoffs over the last few years. The best way to place a bet here is on the Avalanche to win this game. 

Wild Avalanche Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Sunday, May 3, 2026 (9:00 pm ET start time) is Avalanche 4 Wild 2.

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Minnesota Wild: 75-72 (+8.9 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 26-21 (+7.4 units) on the moneyline against good starting goalies - saving 91.5% of shots against or more. 26-20 (+9.7 units) on the moneyline against good defensive teams - opponents average 26.5 shots on goal or less. 15-7 OVER as an underdog of +100 to +200.

Colorado Avalanche: 101-65 (-10 units) on the moneyline off a win in their previous game. 68-59 (-10.1 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 110-75 (-8.4 units) on the moneyline against excellent power play teams- scoring on over 17.5% of their chances. 4-0 OVER when playing with 3 or more days rest.

Minnesota Wild:  J. Brodin (D) Day To Day - Lower Body.

Colorado Avalanche:  J. Manson (D) Day To Day - Upper-body.

"I'm really proud of the group. I mean, they're such a pleasure to coach. The way they went through the series, I think just learning lessons, and trying to get better and stronger. Tonight was another example of that. We came out on our toes, ready to play, had great commitment the last two games with the shot blocking ... and we had contributions throughout the lineup. It was fun to coach." - John Hynes after his team’s win against the Stars in game 6 of that series on Thursday. 

“I didn’t see any frustration from him at all, like when it comes to not producing through the first three games that he would normally produce, and that kind of tells me where our team is at.” - Jared Bednar on MacKinnon after his team’s win against the LA Kings in game 4 of that series on Sunday. 

LW Kirill Kaprizov

C Ryan Hartman

RW Mats Zuccarello

LD Quinn Hughes

RD Brock Faber

G Jesper Wallstedt

LW Artturi Lehkonen

C Nathan MacKinnon

RW Martin Necas

LD Devon Toews

RD Cale Makar

G Scott Wedgewood

Points: Kirill Kaprizov (89)

Goals: Kirill Kaprizov (45)

Assists: Quinn Hughes (48)

GAA: Jesper Wallstedt (2.61)

Points: Nathan MacKinnon (127)

Goals: Nathan MacKinnon (53)

Assists: Nathan MacKinnon (74)

GAA: Scott Wedgewood (2.02)

Coaches:

Minnesota Wild: John Hynes (3rd season)

Colorado Avalanche: Jared Bednar (10th season)