Avalanche’s X-factor in West Final vs. Golden Knights

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Avalanche’s X-factor in West Final vs. Golden Knights

Michael Whitaker, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Wed, May 20, 2026 ·

3 min read

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For the first time since capturing the Stanley Cup in 2022, the Colorado Avalanche have secured a spot in the Western Conference Final, where they will face the Vegas Golden Knights for the opportunity to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Colorado has looked dominant through the opening two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, first sweeping the Los Angeles Kings in four games before defeating the division-rival Minnesota Wild in a five-game series. While Minnesota briefly made the matchup more competitive by handing the Avalanche their first postseason loss in Game 3, Colorado quickly regained control and closed out the series with back-to-back victories to eliminate the Wild from postseason play.

Now, Colorado turns their attention to the Golden Knights, who defeated the Utah Mammoth in round one, followed by a victory over the Anaheim Ducks ; both series went six games. For Vegas, it's their first trip back to the Conference Final since defeating the Dallas Stars en route to their Stanley Cup win in 2023.

However, the Avalanche have cause for concern, as top defenseman Cale Makar , who was once again nominated for the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best blueliner, has been officially announced as unavailable for Game 1, which will take place at Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday evening. According to Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, Makar didn't practice on Tuesday but skated on Monday and Wednesday, and is currently considered day to day .

"I think he's doing a lot better," Bednar said of Makar via ESPN. "He's on the ice again this morning, feeling pretty good."

Devon Toews and Brock Nelson will be the X-factor for the Avalanche against the Golden Knights

While the good news for the Avalanche is that Makar isn't expected to miss an extended period of time, the bad news is that he's not available for Wednesday's Game 1, something the Golden Knights will want to exploit.

This means that the Avalanche will be relying extra heavily on defenseman Devon Toews, who has had a solid showing so far in the postseason. He actually leads all Avalanche skaters in average ice time, skating in 25:28 per game, which is 29 seconds more than Makar. He's also tallied two goals with six assists, while registering a solid plus-nine rating, which is tied for the team lead.

Speaking of team leads, Mitch Marner leads all Vegas forwards in scoring with 18 points. And in order to counter Marner's production, Avalanche forward Brock Nelson, who was named a finalist for the Selke Trophy as the NHL's best defensive forward this season, will act as a human blanket on him.

Despite providing offense, Nelson has blossomed into one of the NHL's best two-way forwards and is routinely matched up against the opposition's top forwards. To keep Marner and the rest of the Golden Knights' offensive weapons at bay, it will be Nelson who plays perhaps the most critical role of any non-Avalanche defenseman.

Game 1 between the Avalanche and Golden Knights is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET from Ball Arena in Denver, with national television coverage being offered in the United States on ESPN.

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