Golden Knights vs Avalanche Western Conference Finals Game 2 Picks

The Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche are set for Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Friday night. Puck drop is slated for 8:10 PM ET at Ball Arena in Denver.

Vegas owns a 1-0 series lead after picking up a 4-2 victory in Game 1. The Golden Knights never trailed in the contest and got goals from Dyland Coughlan, Pavel Dorofeyev, Brett Howden, and an empty-netter from Nic Dowd. 

Heading into Friday night’s Game 2, the Golden Knights have a chance to take a commanding 2-0 series lead while the Avalanche are looking to avoid an 0-2 hole before the series moves to Vegas for Game 3.

Golden Knights vs Avalanche Game 2 predictions

• Pick #1: Avalanche 3-way ML (-115)
• Pick #2: Over 6 (-120)
• Pick #3: Nathan MacKinnon (COL) anytime goalscorer (-105)

Pick #1: Avalanche 3-way ML over Golden Knights (-115)

Despite falling short in Game 1, the Avalanche should still enter Game 2 with plenty of confidence. The Avalanche have been great at bouncing back all season long, and they have not lost back-to-back games since all the way back on March 16-18. They have also been sensational on home ice this season, owning a record of 31-10-6 at Ball Arena.

Furthermore, the Avalanche have now lost just two games in the playoffs. Of their eight wins, six have come in regulation time, and five have been by multiple goals. Thus, Wednesday’s Game 1 is more of an outlier than the norm for Jared Bednar’s team so far in the playoffs. 

In Game 1, the Avs started to figure things out late. They potted two goals in the 3rd period after being held off the scoreboard over the first two periods, and they were much better against Vegas’ physicality. It was too little too late, but that momentum could carry over into Game 2 on Friday night. 

The Avs will also have a heightened sense of urgency, and it should be able to lead them to a convincing victory. Look for Colorado to even up this series in regulation. 

Pick #2: Over 6 (-120)

These are two of the highest-scoring teams in all of hockey. So far in the postseason, Colorado leads all playoff teams, scoring 3.90 goals per game, while Vegas isn’t far behind, ranking third with 3.69 goals per game.

The Avalanche had a one-week break between Game 5 of their second-round series against the Wild and Game 1 of this series against the Golden Knights. It would be a stretch to say that rust was evident in Game 1, but it was clear that Colorado was a bit out of sync offensively. 

They still managed to generate pressure and ended up out-shooting Vegas 38-28, but they weren’t able to capitalize on their scoring chances. Cale Makar being unexpectedly unavailable may have played a part in that, but he seems to be trending in the right direction to play in Game 2. But even if he isn’t able to go, Colorado’s high-octane offensive attack should be able to put forth a better performance.

Colorado goaltender Scott Wedgewood has been shaky lately. He’s allowing 3.5 goals per game over his last 4 starts, and it’s clear he hasn’t been at his sharpest. Vegas owns a well-rounded offensive attack that has plenty of postseason experience. They should be able to give Wedgewood some issues once again. Look to the Over.

Pick #3: Nathan MacKinnon (COL) anytime goalscorer (-105)

Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon figures to be extremely aggressive in the offensive zone in Game 2. Not only is he looking to lead his team back from a 0-1 hole after losing Game 1, but he is looking to start a new goal-scoring streak. MacKinnon generated a six-game goal streak from Game 4 against the Kings to Game 5 against the Wild before being held without a goal in Game 1 of this series against Las Vegas.

After leading the NHL with 53 goals during the regular season, MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with seven goals in 10 postseason games so far. He is putting nearly 4 shots on goal per game, and after a disappointing outing in Game 1, don’t be surprised if his shot total sees an uptick in Game 2. That could lead to another goal-scoring effort from the Colorado superstar.