Avalanche advance to Western Conference Final, will face Golden Knights

The Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights will open the Western Conference Final on Wednesday, May 20, after each club finished off its second-round series last week, according to the NHL’s 2026 playoff bracket and conference-final schedule. Colorado advanced with a 4-3 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 on May 13, while Vegas moved on with a 5-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6 on May 14. The NHL said the best-of-seven series will begin in Denver, with Game 1 set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Game 2 is scheduled for May 22 in Colorado before the series shifts to Las Vegas for Games 3 and 4 on May 24 and May 26. ### How did Colorado reach the Western final? Colorado advanced on May 13 when defenseman Brett Kulak scored the overtime winner in a 4-3 Game 5 victory over Minnesota at Ball Arena, NHL.com reported. (nhl.com) The Avalanche won that second-round series 4-1 and reached the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2022. The Avalanche swept the Los Angeles Kings 4-0 in the first round before beating the Wild in five games, NHL.com’s series preview said. (nhl.com) Colorado finished the regular season as the Central Division’s top seed in the bracket shown on the league’s playoff page. ### How did Vegas set up the matchup with Colorado? (nhl.com) Vegas advanced on May 14 with a 5-1 road win over Anaheim in Game 6, ending that second-round series 4-2, according to NHL.com’s game recap. Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice, and the Golden Knights built a three-goal first-period lead. The Golden Knights beat Utah 4-2 in the first round before eliminating Anaheim, NHL.com’s Western Conference Final preview said. (nhl.com) Vegas entered the series as the Pacific Division representative opposite Colorado, setting up the conference’s final playoff matchup. ### What does the season series say before Game 1? (nhl.com) NHL.com’s series preview listed Vegas at 1-1-1 and Colorado at 2-0-1 in the regular-season meetings between the teams. That split left neither side with a clear edge based on head-to-head results alone. The NHL media site said this will be the second playoff meeting between the franchises. (nhl.com) Vegas won the previous postseason matchup in six games in the 2021 second round against a Colorado team that had won the Presidents’ Trophy. ### Where can readers find the full schedule and TV information? The NHL published the full conference-final schedule on May 17, including dates, start times, broadcast partners and a results tracker for both the Eastern and Western finals. (nhl.com) For the Western series, the league listed ESPN for Games 1 through 5, ABC for Game 6 if necessary, and ESPN for Game 7 if necessary. (media.nhl.com) Colorado’s team site and Vegas’ team site also posted the Western final schedule after the matchup was set. Those pages repeated the league-announced dates and local broadcast details for each market. ### When are the key dates in the series? Game 1 is scheduled for Wednesday, May 20, in Colorado, and Game 2 will follow on Friday, May 22, according to the NHL schedule page. (nhl.com) Games 3 and 4 are set for Sunday, May 24, and Tuesday, May 26, in Las Vegas. The NHL lists Game 5 for May 28 in Colorado, Game 6 for May 30 in Las Vegas and Game 7 for June 1 in Colorado, if needed. (nhl.com) The league’s playoff bracket and series page will track results as the Avalanche and Golden Knights begin the Western Conference Final. (nhl.com)