The Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild now know the days in which they are scheduled to face each other in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Colorado gained home ice advantage for the playoffs, which is why we’re getting more home games than away.
The first game is Sunday night at 9pm ET/7pm MT at Ball Arena in Colorado. The game will be available to watch on TNT, TruTV, HBO MAX, SN, SN360, CBC, and TVAS.
Game 2 will also take place at Ball Arena on Tuesday, May 5 at 8pm ET/6pm MT. That game will be available to watch on ESPN, SN, CBC and TVAS.
Here is where things switch up. Game 3 will not be held until four days later, on Saturday, May 9 at 9pm ET/7pm MT in Minnesota. That game will be available on TNT, TruTV, HBO MAX, SN, SN1, CBC, OMNI, and TVAS. If you didn’t catch the twist, it’s that there are three days in between Game 2 and 3, whereas there are typically just two days in between.
Game 3 between Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild held later than it should
So, why the wait? Well, unfortunately, other events are allowed to take place on days that teams aren’t playing, and with the schedule coming out so late, other events are already planned, as is the case here.
Grand Casino Arena has events on Thursday (PWHL) and Sunday (Figure Skating) that complicated things. https://t.co/Dk7Ulrb5MF
— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) May 3, 2026
Now, hopefully there aren’t many, if any, issues with the quality of the ice in Minnesota on Saturday. I think that ice crews are generally good at making the conditions good enough to play on, though it wouldn’t be the first time that players might complain about the ice quality. Unfortunately, that happens too often.
We have seen some instances where goaltenders ask to stop play so that referees can help patch some of the ice up for smoother movement and so goaltenders don’t get thrown off by dips or bumps in the ice.
We also do not want to see anybody get hurt, and while they can still get hurt by getting hit and whatnot, slipping on the ice because of poor quality is certainly avoidable.
The rest of the schedule between the Avalanche and Wild
The last four games of the series will be held two days apart of each other, starting on Monday, May 11, with the remaining games being on Wednesday, May 13th, Friday, May 15th, and Sunday, May 17th.
The location of each game alternate from there, with Games 4 and 6 held in Colorado and Games 5 and 7 held in Minnesota. Right now, however, the times of each of those games has yet to be announced.
Colorado should have the upper hand in this series, as they are the better team overall, including their depth. Scott Wedgewood is scheduled to be in net again, which is no surprise, as he was dominant for the Avs in the series against the Los Angeles Kings.
The Wild are dealing with a few injuries, which benefits the Avalanche, while Colorado is getting healthier. Minnesota will be without Jonas Brodin on Sunday, and Joel Eriksson Ek could miss Game 1.
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