Colorado opens its second-round matchup against Minnesota as the betting favorite, but the Wild’s upset-driven playoff run has already tightened the odds and set up a far more unpredictable Western Conference clash than expected.
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche are still winning the way contenders are supposed to, but the Minnesota Wild arrive in Round 2 with just enough bite to make this feel less like a step forward and more like a real test.
The Colorado Avalanche made quick work of the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, sweeping the best-of-seven series. It wasn’t a clean walkover in every sense, though—Los Angeles hung around early, dragged a few games into uncomfortable territory, and forced Colorado to earn its separation before the Avalanche finally put it away in four.
Now the stakes shift. Colorado continues its pursuit of a second championship in five years when it opens a second-round series against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday at Ball Arena. The Wild finally broke through their postseason ceiling with a six-game win over Dallas, their first series victory since 2015, and they arrive with momentum that didn’t exist for them in recent playoff runs.
Colorado led the league in scoring during the regular season with 298 goals, but that edge didn’t fully show up right away in Round 1. The Avalanche managed just two goals in each of the first two games against Los Angeles before breaking loose for nine over the final two contests.
Nathan MacKinnon, who finished the regular season with a career-high 53 goals, was quiet by his standards early in the series before snapping into form in the clincher. He finished alongside Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen as Colorado’s top point producers through the opening round.
Cale Makar chipped in offensively from the blue line, while Scott Wedgewood gave Colorado steady, low-drama goaltending—stopping 96% of the shots he faced in the series and giving the group room to settle in.
Minnesota is not walking into this the same way it has in past years. Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov have carried the offense, Quinn Hughes has stabilized the back end, and for the first time in a while the Wild don’t look like they’re just trying to survive a series—they look like they expect to win it.
The question is whether that holds up against Colorado’s pace, depth, and playoff experience.
Avalanche Still Have the Edge—But It’s Razor-Thin
Colorado’s advantage is obvious on paper: deeper scoring, more postseason reps, and a core that has already been through championship pressure. Even when the offense lagged early against Los Angeles, the structure and talent gap eventually showed.
But Minnesota’s identity is different from past Wild teams. They’re faster, more aggressive through the neutral zone, and far less passive when games tighten up.
If Colorado drifts even briefly, Minnesota is built to turn that into momentum.
Wild Enter With Real Confidence
The Wild just did something they haven’t managed in 20 years—knock off the Dallas Stars in the playoffs. They took down Colorado’s longtime rivals in six games, grinding through tight, one-goal battles and finding answers late in a series that easily could have swung either way.
Matt Boldy has been their most consistent finisher, Kirill Kaprizov continues to dictate play at an elite level, and Minnesota finally looks like a team that doesn’t treat the second round as unfamiliar territory.
That alone changes the entire feel of this matchup.
Odds and Outlook
On FanDuel, the Avalanche open as favorites at -205, while the Wild sit at +168.
Colorado is still the more complete team, but this series starts with something they didn’t get much of in Round 1: a team that believes it can match them stride for stride.
