How to live stream Kings vs Avalanche: NHL Playoffs, TV channel

The Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche open their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series Sunday, with Colorado entering as the NHL’s top team and clear Cup favorite.

MORE: 5 first-round bold predictions for the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs

How to Watch Kings vs Avalanche

• When: Sunday, April 19, 2026
• Time: 3:00 PM ET
• TV Channel: TNT / truTV
• Live Stream: DIRECTV (try for free)

Game 1 is set for Sunday, April 19, at 3:00 p.m. ET in Denver, with national coverage on TNT as the Avalanche host at Ball Arena.

Colorado earned the Presidents’ Trophy with a league-best 121 points, while Los Angeles secured the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference to clinch this matchup. The Kings locked in their playoff berth late in the season, setting up their first postseason meeting with Colorado since 2002.

– Live Stream Kings vs Avalanche with DIRECTV –

This series opens with a major gap in regular-season performance. Colorado dominated the league behind Nathan MacKinnon’s 53-goal, 127-point season, finishing as one of the highest-scoring and most complete teams in hockey. The Kings, meanwhile, enter as underdogs after battling through the wild-card race, but bring experience and a veteran core led by Anže Kopitar. Oddsmakers have installed the Avalanche as Stanley Cup favorites entering the postseason, underscoring the challenge Los Angeles faces in this matchup.