Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 05/03/26

The second-round in the NHL Playoffs introduces its second series, as the Colorado Avalanche host the Minnesota Wild. These Central Division teams have dominated all season long, and begin what should be an intense playoff series. To get you set for Game 1, here is our Wild vs. Avalanche prediction.

Colorado was able to take care of the Los Angeles Kings in 4 quick games in Round 1. While impressive, they have not hit the ice since April 26. This shouldn’t be completely detrimental to an elite and experienced team like Colorado, but it remains a question for me — how their legs will perform after an extended layoff? In Game 1, I am leaning on the team who is battle-ready and riding a major high in Minnesota, who just took down an elite rival in 6 games. Minnesota has impressed in their first-round, led by their elite core of Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber, who combined for 13 goals and 32 points in a combined 24 games. Rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt was unbeatable, with a 2.05 goals against average and .924 save percentage. There’s enough here to be excited about a big plus-money price. For our Game 1 Wild vs. Avalanche prediction, I am siding with Minnesota to win and kick-off the second-round NHL drama.

Wild vs. Avalanche prediction: Minnesota Wild ML (+160) available at time of publishing. Playable to (+140).

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