NHL futures odds, predictions: Avalanche take on Wild in second round of 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Minnesota trailed Dallas 2-1 in their first-round series but took three consecutive games to win a playoff series for the first time in its last 10 attempts. Matt Boldy scored twice in the Wild's 5-2 Game 6 victory and is tied for the postseason lead with six goals after setting a career high with 42 during the regular season.

Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov lead Minnesota with nine points, while defenseman Quinn Hughes has registered eight. The Wild will be without blue-liner Jonas Brodin in Game 1 against the Avalanche due to a lower-body injury while Joel Eriksson Ek, who recorded three goals and two assists against the Stars, is questionable for the series opener with an apparent leg ailment.

The Avalanche and Wild split their four meetings in the regular season, with each team posting a road victory and winning at home in a shootout. MacKinnon collected four goals and three assists for Colorado and Martin Necas scored three times while Landeskog and Makar each had a tally and three assists. The Wild were led offensively by Kaprizov (three goals, three assists) and Boldy (two, two).

This is the fourth postseason meeting between the teams. Minnesota defeated Colorado in the first playoff series in franchise history, winning their 2003 conference quarterfinal matchup in seven games, and also took their 2014 first-round showdown that went the distance. The Avalanche beat the Wild in six in the 2008 conference quarters.

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The NHL betting odds at the major sportsbooks see the Avalanche as considerable favorites in the second-round series, with futures betting odds in the -205 to -250 range. Meanwhile, the Wild are priced from +170 to +200. Learn how to read betting odds here.

Pick: Avalanche to advance

Colorado has been idle for a week, while Minnesota has had only two days to recover from its series against Dallas, which featured an overtime victory and a double-OT loss. Considering the experience on the Avalanche's roster, they shouldn't come out flat after the long layoff.

Scott Wedgewood did his best to silence the naysayers in his first playoff series as his team's starting goaltender. The 33-year-old, who made three relief appearances with Dallas in 2023 and one with Colorado last postseason, allowed just five goals on 101 shots and ranks third in the league in both goals-against average (1.21) and save percentage (.950).

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Wedgewood's performance was much needed, especially early in the series when the Avalanche had difficulty scoring. But they appeared to rediscover their touch over the final two games against Los Angeles and now face a rookie goaltender in Jesper Wallstedt who gave up only one goal in his postseason debut but yielded seven over his next two outings before settling down and limiting the Stars to two tallies in each of the last three games of the series.

The Avalanche did a great job containing the Kings' top three regular-season goal scorers, as Adrian Kempe (team-high 36), Quinton Byfield (24) and Alex Laferriere (21) combined to score just once. They'll need a similar defensive effort against the Wild, who are tied for second in the postseason with 23 goals and netted at least three in four of their six first-round games.

No member of the Avalanche had more than two goals in the opening round, and neither Martin Necas (career-high 38 goals in the regular season) nor Valeri Nichushkin (22 in 37 games over the previous four postseasons) converted while Brock Nelson (33 in 2025-26) scored just once. It's hard to believe those three will be quiet again, and with MacKinnon heating up, Colorado's offense should prove to be too much for Walstedt and the Wild.

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