NHL Playoff Predictions 2026: Will the Avalanche or Golden Knights represent the West?
· Yahoo Sports
NHL Playoff Predictions 2026: Will the Avalanche or Golden Knights represent the West? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The conference final stage has officially arrived in these Stanley Cup playoffs, with the final four teams remaining as the Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche, and Vegas Golden Knights.
Visit newsbetsport.bond for more information.
The Avalanche and Golden Knights kick things off on Wednesday with Game 1 at Ball Arena in Denver.
The Central and Pacific division winners will battle for a spot in the Cup final, which should be an entertaining, likely long series. Nonetheless, here is our prediction for the Western Conference final.
Colorado Avalanche (C1) Vs. Vegas Golden Knights (P1)
Season series: Avalanche 2-1
Why Colorado Will Win: The Avalanche made a statement to the rest of the NHL when they slayed the Minnesota Wild in just five games. That series was expected to be longer, reaching the six or seven-game mark, but Colorado was able to wrap it up quickly, despite Minnesota finishing seventh in the NHL regular-season standings.
Let alone the fact that the Avalanche dominated in the regular season, winning the Presidents’ Trophy with an eight-point lead over the Hurricanes. Their performance against the Wild makes them the clear favorite against the Golden Knights in this Western Conference final.
They haven’t outscored their opponents by a large margin by any means, but the Avs have proven that they can beat their opponents in any style of game.
MORE: Cale Makar OUT For Game 1 Against Golden Knights In Western Conference Finals
They handled the defensive Los Angeles Kings in a four-game sweep. Colorado was held back offensively to some degree, but still bested Los Angeles. And with the Wild, the Avalanche still came out on top in an offensive explosion of a series.
The Golden Knights will be somewhere in the middle, but it’s not anything the Avalanche won’t be able to handle. Also, Colorado is one of the best teams in the NHL in terms of depth, as they basically own a star-studded lineup.
Imagn Images
Why Vegas Will Win: Colorado won’t be like Vegas’ two previous opponents, the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks. However, that doesn’t mean the Golden Knights don’t have a chance against the Avalanche.
They, too, have stars sprinkled throughout their lineup, including right winger Mitch Marner, who leads the playoffs in scoring with seven goals and 18 points in 12 appearances.
Don’t forget about his connection with Brett Howden in this campaign, as well as the production they’ve been getting out of Pavel Dorofeyev. And of course, Jack Eichel has been consistent for Vegas all post-season long.
MORE: Jack Eichel, Chris Chelios are wrong about the history of Mitch Marner and the Maple Leafs
Add those weapons up front with the goaltending they’ve been getting with Carter Hart, posting a 2.27 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in these playoffs.
Not to mention, Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella certainly knows how to motivate an underdog team, and he’s been able to bring the best out of Vegas since joining late in the regular season.
The Verdict:
It’ll certainly be a battle as the Central and Pacific division winners fight for a spot in the final, especially considering both franchises have won a Stanley Cup in the past five years.
However, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche are far from fraudulent, and we think they get the edge in this series.
Prediction: Avalanche win in six games
More NHL News
- 4 intriguing Edmonton Oilers head coach targets
- 5 items Maple Leafs GM John Chayka must address this summer
- Jack Eichel, Chris Chelios are wrong about the history of Mitch Marner and the Maple Leafs
- 3 NHL free agent destinations for Buffalo Sabres' Alex Tuch
- Team Canada playing like they know there's more at stake than usual at 2026 World Championship