The Vegas Golden Knights take on the Colorado Avalanche for Game 1 of the Western Conference Final. Here’s how to watch live on TV.
- Time: 8:00 PM ET
- Location: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
- TV Channels: ESPN
How to Watch Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche on May 20, 2026
You can watch the Colorado Avalanche take on the Vegas Golden Knights live on ESPN channel 206 with DIRECTV on May 20, 2026 at 8:00 PM ET.
Vegas Golden Knights at Colorado Avalanche — Game Preview
Game 1 of the Western Conference Final opens at Ball Arena, where the Colorado Avalanche meet a Vegas Golden Knights side carrying 12 postseason games of mileage to Colorado’s 9. The Avalanche have been the more efficient offense through two rounds, averaging 4.11 goals per game against Vegas’s 3.67, while both clubs sit within a tenth of each other defensively at 2.56 and 2.58 goals against per game.
Nathan MacKinnon has been Colorado’s lead playoff producer with 7 goals and 6 assists for 13 points, while on the Vegas side Mitch Marner sits atop the team’s scoring chart with 7 goals and 11 assists for 18 points. Jack Eichel adds 15 points behind Marner with 14 assists and a +6 rating, giving Vegas two top-line drivers Colorado will need to slow. The goalies arrive nearly even on save percentage, with Carter Hart at .917 and Scott Wedgewood at .914, though Wedgewood’s 2.21 GAA edges Hart’s 2.37 on the strength of a 7-1 record. Colorado will also be without forward Artturi Lehkonen and defenseman Sam Malinski, both listed day-to-day with upper-body issues.
This is Game 1 of the series.
National TV
ESPN
What Time is the Colorado Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights Game Today?
The Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche game starts at 8:00 PM ET.
Where Can I Watch Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche?
You can watch Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche on ESPN.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche Channel on DIRECTV
The Colorado Avalanche air locally on Altitude Sports and Entertainment (Channel 681), and the Vegas Golden Knights air locally on Scripps.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche — 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Series Schedule
| Game | Date | Time (ET) | Venue | TV | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | May 20, 2026 | 8:00 PM ET | Ball Arena – Denver, CO | ESPN | — |
| Game 2 | May 22, 2026 | 8:00 PM ET | Ball Arena – Denver, CO | ESPN | TBD |
| Game 3 | May 24, 2026 | 8:00 PM ET | T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, NV | ESPN | TBD |
| Game 4 | May 26, 2026 | 9:00 PM ET | T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, NV | ESPN | TBD |
| Game 5 | May 28, 2026 | 8:00 PM ET | Ball Arena – Denver, CO | ESPN | TBD |
| Game 6 | May 30, 2026 | 8:00 PM ET | T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, NV | ABC | TBD |
| Game 7 | June 1, 2026 | 8:00 PM ET | Ball Arena – Denver, CO | ESPN | TBD |
Players to Watch: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche
Vegas Golden Knights
Mitch Marner — RW. Vegas’s leading playoff scorer, Marner has posted 7 goals and 11 assists for 18 points across 12 games. His +11 rating is the strongest among forwards in this matchup, and his 2 power-play goals reinforce a Vegas unit converting at 25.7% on the man-advantage.
Jack Eichel — C. Vegas’s top playmaker this postseason, Eichel sits second on the team in scoring with 15 points, fueled by a team-leading 14 assists and a +6 rating. Six of those assists have come on the power play.
Pavel Dorofeyev — RW. Vegas’s pure goal-scorer this postseason, Dorofeyev has 9 goals, 2 assists and 11 points across 12 games. Three of those goals have come on the power play, giving Vegas a finisher to complement the Marner-Eichel scoring duo.
Carter Hart — G. Vegas leans on Carter Hart as its postseason starter, and he’s responded with an 8-4 record, a .917 save percentage and a 2.37 GAA across 12 starts. The save percentage gives him a slight edge over Wedgewood on raw stopping rate, though the ledger has more losses behind it.
Colorado Avalanche
Nathan MacKinnon — C. The engine of Colorado’s offense throughout the postseason, MacKinnon has led the Avalanche in both goals and points, posting 7 goals, 6 assists and 13 points across 9 games. His +7 rating is among the team’s best, and 3 of his goals have come on the power play.
Martin Necas — C. Colorado’s leading assist producer in the playoffs, Necas has racked up 10 assists and 11 points through 9 games. His +9 rating is among the team’s best, a sign of how the depth has held its end of the ice.
Cale Makar — D. The Avalanche’s catalyst from the blue line, Makar has converted his trademark offensive game into 4 goals and a +5 rating through 9 starts. The assist column has dipped to 1 this postseason, but the goal output has more than compensated.
Scott Wedgewood — G. Colorado has ridden Scott Wedgewood through the postseason, and he’s rewarded the call with a 7-1 record, a .914 save percentage and a 2.21 GAA in 8 starts. The GAA is among the playoff’s best, the calling card of a goalie who has kept Colorado in games.
What is the Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche Series Record?
This is Game 1 of the Western Conference Final, and the series begins with both teams even. Vegas comes in carrying 12 games of postseason action while Colorado has played 9, the byproduct of how the brackets have bounced for each side.
Injury Report: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche
Vegas Golden Knights
No significant injuries reported.
Colorado Avalanche
Sam Malinski (D) — day-to-day, upper body
Artturi Lehkonen (LW) — day-to-day, upper body
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