Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche Game 1 Preview, Picks & Odds for Sunday, May 3, 2026

By Kody Malstrom | May 02, 2026, 8:52pm

The Colorado Avalanche wasted no time in their efforts of moving on to the second round, sweeping the Los Angeles Kings in dominant fashion in game four. The Minnesota Wild on the other hand were taken the distance, needing six games to put away the Dallas Stars.

Heading into Sunday night, expect the Wild to fall back down to reality, battling it out against a far higher quality front line who will be able to relentlessly pressure their net. Especially with their own offense lacking the versatility that is needed to break through the Avs defense, leaving them vulnerable to falling into a prolonged scoring lull.

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche Betting Analysis

After ending the regular season ranked near the top of the board in Expected Goals Against in All Situations, the Colorado Avalanche back line have been able to build on their momentum in the first round of the playoffs, climbing up to second overall. Their suffocating coverage makes it difficult for their opponents to create space in front of the crease, drastically lowering the quality of their Shots on Goal.

Against Minnesota, expect the Avs back line to continue to thrive, facing off against an offense who has steadily fallen down the board in Expected Goals For. Their lack of versatility will allow the Avs to collapse their coverage to help smother their shooting lanes, fielding just four players who average more than 0.25 Expected Goals per game.

When protected, Scott Wedgewood has been able to play at a very high level, averaging just 1.21 Goals Against per game and a .950 Save Percentage. With Wedgewood consistently walling off the Wild’s Shots on Goal, his individual production will help reduce the amount of negative variance in their contests, increasing the Avs chances of pulling away on the scoreboard.

On the other end, the Wild will have their hands full trying to bottle up the Avs front line, combatting against a group who led the league in Expected Goals For in All Situations throughout the regular season. With his back line scrambling to stay in front of the puck, Jesper Wallstedt will struggle to match their pace across the ice, creating wider gaps beside him for the Avs high powered offense to exploit.

With clear advantages on both sides of the ice, expect the Avs to overwhelm the Wild and set a scoring pace too fast for them to keep up with. If you want to increase your risk on the Avs, escalator bet their puck line by placing smaller wagers on their alternate overs at the best available odds across multiple sportsbooks.

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche Best Bet, Pick & Prediction

Best Bet: Avalanche Puck Line -1.5 (+163)
Score Prediction: Avalanche 4, Wild 2

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche Game Odds

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche Game Information

Date: Sunday, May 3, 2026
Time: 9:10 p.m. ET
Network: TNT
Location: Denver, Colorado
Venue: Ball Arena
Series Score: 0-0

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche Betting Resources

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche Key Players

Minnesota Wild

Kirill Kaprizov – Last Game: (0 Goals, 0 Assists, 1 Shot on Goal)
Matt Boldy – Last Game: (2 Goals, 0 Assists, 5 Shots on Goal)
Jesper Wallstedt – Last Game: (2 Goals Against, 21 Saves)

Colorado Avalanche

Nathan MacKinnon – Last Game: (2 Goals, 1 Assist, 5 Shots on Goal)
Martin Necas – Last Game: (0 Goals, 1 Assist, 4 Shots on Goal)
Scott Wedgewood – Last Game: (1 Goal Against, 24 Saves)

Photo Credit: AP/Mark J. Terrill

Kody Malstrom

Kody is a professional sports bettor and sports betting journalist with eight years of experience in the industry. He covers a wide range of sports, including NFL, NCAAF, NBA, NCAAB, NHL, MLB, and UFC. What started as a side gig has turned into a full time job, spending a majority of his time staring at odds screens and market movement. When away from the computer, Kody enjoys spending his time outdoors relaxing at the beach or golfing with friends.