The Colorado Avalanche continued their dominance through the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs losing just once. The Presidents’ Trophy winners will face the Pacific Division champion Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL Western Conference final.
Statistically Colorado has the edge finishing the regular season with 16 more wins and 26 more points than Vegas. The Avalanche also won two of three matchups during the year, though the games were close with Colorado having a 12-10 advantage in goals scored.
When Are the NHL Western Conference Finals 2026?
By securing the most points during the season the Avalanche have home ice advantage throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Game 1 of the NHL’s Western Conference final takes place on Wednesday, May 20.
The teams will play every other day until one club has four wins in the best-of-7 series. If the series goes the distance Game 7 is scheduled to take place in Denver on Monday, June 1.
The NHL has had more revisions to its playoff format over the years than any other league. The current format has the higher seeded team playing on home ice to start the series. Using a 2-2-1-1-1 format for the 7-game series the Avalanche will host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7
Teams in the NHL Western Conference Finals 2026
After winning the Presidents’ Trophy as the top team during the regular season, Colorado enters as the favorite in NHL Playoff Odds to not only win the series but to hoist the Stanley Cup Trophy. The Avalanche had five more wins than the next closest team in the conference and their plus-99 goal differential topped the NHL by 40 goals.
Being the best during the season doesn’t always translate into playoff success, though. Eight times since the President’s Trophy was first awarded for the 1985-86 season has the best team won the Stanley Cup, and it hasn’t been done in more than a decade. The 2012-13 Chicago squad was the last Presidents’ Trophy winner to also capture the Cup.
Despite being one of the youngest franchises in the NHL the Vegas Golden Knights have enjoyed playoff success. They reached the Stanley Cup final as an expansion team and have qualified for the playoffs in eight of their nine seasons, winning the Cup in 2023.
In a bold move Vegas made a late-season coaching change hiring fiery John Tortorella to shift the mindset and team’s performance ahead of the playoffs. The Golden Knights went 7-0-1 under Torts to close the season and win the Pacific Division by two points.
NHL Western Conference Finals 2026 Preview
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche are playing in the Western Conference finals for the eighth time since relocating in the mid-1990s. They have a 3-4 series record but won the Stanley Cup each time they advanced, most recently in 2022.
The 121 points recorded during the season were the most by the franchise, including its time in Quebec. The Avs were potent all around during the season leading the NHL in goals and goals against per game. They continued that success in the postseason sweeping Los Angeles in the first round allowing only five goals.
- Colorado boasts a deep roster that’s relentless and fast. Nathan MacKinnon was the NHL’s third-leading scorer during the season with 127 points.
- Showing off their depth 17 different Colorado players have scored a goal this postseason.
- The goaltending situation was under a microscope this postseason with Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood having limited playoff experience. Wedgewood was pulled from a few games in the Minnesota series but has a respectable 2.21 GAA and .914 SV%.
Vegas Golden Knights
The coaching change near the end of the season paid off for Vegas. Tortorella changed the identity of the team while injecting it with renewed vigor. His most significant move was likely making Carter Hart the undisputed No. 1 net minder.
Mitch Marner leads the NHL with 18 playoff points and is just one of many star players on the ice. Jack Eichel has just one goal but he’s added 14 assists as the Golden Knights average 3.67 goals per game. Vegas is more top heavy with six different players contributing three or more goals this postseason.
- The road to the Western Conference final was more treacherous for Vegas, which used six games to get past Utah and Anaheim. VGK was down two games to one against the Mammoth then won Games 4 and 5 in OT.
- Playoff goal scoring leader Pavel Dorofeyev tallied twice in the series clincher against the Ducks a game after netting the OT winner.
- Three of Brett Howden’s 8 playoff goals have been when Vegas was shorthanded. No other team this postseason has more than one SHG.
NHL Western Conference Finals 2026 Predictions and Expectations
Fans can expect plenty of goals in this series. The Avalanche have averaged the most goals this postseason with 4.11 while the Golden Knights are third at 3.67, so totals in NHL Playoffs odds could be higher than what are normally seen in the playoffs.
In the second round against a Minnesota team not as offensively-challenged as the Kings, Colorado allowed more chances and more goals. The Wild scored 18 goals in the five games. The Avs were better though, scoring 24 goals.
Depth has been a strong suit for the Avs with 10 players scoring multiple goals this postseason. MacKinnon is the team’s leading scorer with 13 points to rank sixth this postseason.
The status of Mark Stone is a huge deal for Vegas. The team’s second leading scorer with 73 points during the regular season has been out of the lineup since exiting Game 3 of the Anaheim series. Injury reports are vague so there’s no official word on Stone’s availability. Before his injury Stone was productive with 7 points (3G, 4A) in nine playoff games.
Colorado had the best home record among Western Conference teams during the regular season going 26-9-6. The Avs have yet to lose at home in the playoffs winning all five contests, including two that went to overtime.
The regular season series between the clubs was tight with Colorado winning two of the three meetings outscoring Vegas 12-10. Both wins came in Vegas with the Avs combining to score 10 goals. The two one-goal games in the series went to extra time with the Avs getting an empty-netter to win the other game 4-2.
NHL Western Conference Final Schedule
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- Game 1: at Colorado, Wednesday, May 20, 8 p.m. ET
- Game 2: at Colorado, Friday, May 22, 8 p.m. ET
- Game 3: at Vegas, Sunday, May 24, 8 p.m. ET
- Game 4: at Vegas, Tuesday, May 26, 8 p.m. ET
- *Game 5: at Colorado, Thursday, May 28, 8 p.m. ET
- *Game 6: at Vegas, Saturday, May 30, 8 p.m. ET
- *Game 7: at Colorado, Monday, June 1, 8 p.m. ET
- *- If Needed
Where to Watch the NHL Western Conference Finals 2026
The Western Conference Finals of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs will air exclusively on ESPN and ABC in the United States. Six of the seven games will air on ESPN. If needed, Game 6 on Saturday, May 30 will be broadcast on ABC.
Canadian viewers can watch the games across Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports. Live streaming is available on ESPN+.
