Los Angeles Kings vs Colorado Avalanche Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 04/19/26

The Los Angeles Kings played well down the stretch, earning a wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The good news is that L.A. doesn’t have to face Edmonton for a fifth straight playoffs. The Kings have been ousted in the first round by the Oilers in each of the past four seasons. The bad news is that the Kings draw the Avalanche, the team which notched 121 points and 55 wins enroute to the Presidents’ Trophy in the regular season. Colorado outscored L.A. 13-5 in three meetings in the regular season, with the total going 1-1-1 in those meetings.

The only previous meeting at Ball Arena in Denver came on Dec. 29, 2025, a 5-2 win by the Avalanche. While all of that looks like doom and gloom for the Kings, they played extremely well down the stretch, and they have plenty of postseason experience lately, albeit poor results in four straight series setbacks to the Oilers. Expect L.A. to make life very uncomfortable for Colorado in Game 1. In fact, it might be the only chance for the Kings to steal a game before the Avalanche get settled in for what they hope is a long run in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Kings +1.5 (-115) at time of publishing. Playable to -130.