Our Kings vs. Avalanche prediction opens the 2026-27 season in Denver, where Los Angeles visits the team that ended its last one. Colorado swept this exact matchup in the first round in April. The Avalanche are -190 on the moneyline, -1.5 (+137) on the puck line, and the total sits at 6.0. Opening night brings a new Kings head coach, a rebuilt forward group and two unsettled creases. Both picks are below.
Last Updated: September 30, 2026
Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche — Game Info
| Where | Ball Arena, Denver Colorado |
| When | September 30 – 10:00 PM ET |
| TV | TNT |
Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche Betting Preview
Start with the crease, because neither team has settled it. Daily Faceoff projects Scott Wedgewood for Colorado and Darcy Kuemper for Los Angeles, and both are listed as unconfirmed. That matters more here than the labels suggest. Wedgewood led the NHL last season with a 2.02 goals-against average and .921 save percentage, and he shared the Jennings Trophy with Mackenzie Blackwood. Together they gave Colorado the fewest goals against in the league. Coach Jared Bednar has since pointed to Blackwood as the man to claim the job. Either way, the Avalanche hand the puck to a goaltender coming off a strong year.
Los Angeles cannot say the same. Kuemper fell from 2.02 and .921 in 2024-25 to 2.78 and .891 last season. He was benched for the final week of the regular season and for all four playoff games against Colorado. Anton Forsberg finished at 2.57 and .910 and closed the year in better form. Peter Laviolette has not named a starter, and a light early schedule gives him room to wait.
The gap in last season’s results was wide. Colorado went 55-16-11 for 121 points and the Presidents’ Trophy. The Avalanche scored more goals than any other team and allowed the fewest. The Kings finished 35-27-20 for 90 points and the second wild card, then lost four straight. Colorado was 31-11-6 at home. Los Angeles was 20-11-12 on the road, a mark padded by overtime points rather than wins. We broke down the rest of the league’s opening slate in our NHL best bets for September 29.
Special teams frame the rest. Colorado’s penalty kill ranked first at 84.6 percent. The Kings’ kill ranked 30th at 74.6 percent and their power play ranked 28th at 17.0 percent. However, Colorado’s own power play was a below-average 17.1 percent, which softens the mismatch without erasing it. Los Angeles also took 3.5 penalties per game last season. On the injury side, Kevin Fiala is out after a second procedure on the leg he fractured at the Olympics. Colorado placed Logan O’Connor and Zachary L’Heureux on injured reserve and opens with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche Odds
| Puck Line | Moneyline | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kings | +1.5 (-163) | +163 | O 6.0 (-120) |
| Avalanche | -1.5 (+137) | -190 | U 6.0 (+100) |
Odds accurate as of September 30, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest NHL Odds – Futures – Props
Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche — Who Is the Public Betting?
| Kings | 71% | 29% | Avalanche |
See the latest NHL Public Betting Splits and make smarter wagers!
Kings vs. Avalanche Prediction — Will Aves Cash on Puck Line?
The market has moved in one direction since August. Colorado opened at -1.5 (+145) on the puck line and now sits at -1.5 (+137). The moneyline shortened from -183 to -190 over the same window. What makes the puck line interesting is who is on the other side of it. Seventy-one percent of puck-line tickets sit on Los Angeles at +1.5, and the number has still crept toward Colorado. That is reverse line movement, and it is the strongest single signal the market offers.
The moneyline tells a different story. Ninety-four percent of moneyline tickets are on Colorado and the price moved with them. That is exactly what should happen, and it carries no signal at all. The two-goal market is where the money and the tickets disagree. Meanwhile, the research sides with the money. Los Angeles lost Anze Kopitar to retirement and starts without Fiala. Quinton Byfield centers the top line for the first time, under a coach who arrived in June. Colorado returns its core, its coach and a defense fronted by Cale Makar and Devon Toews.
The case against is the price itself. The value lived at +145. At +137 the break-even rate is 42.2 percent on a bet that needs a two-goal margin. Hockey favorites lose one-goal games constantly, and Colorado lost 11 games beyond regulation last season. Still, the empty net is a genuine counterweight. A trailing team pulls its goaltender, and a one-goal game becomes a two-goal game in the final minute more often than most readers expect. That late goal is a real part of why favorite puck lines cash.
The Pick: Avalanche Puck Line -1.5 (+137)
Kings vs. Avalanche Prediction — Is the Total Listed too High?
The full-game total opened at 5.5 and now sits at 6.0, with the same prices on both sides. That is a half-goal move through a key number, and it deserves an explanation before anything else. Season-opening totals often drift up. The Kings’ 30th-ranked penalty kill against a full Colorado power play is the obvious reason to buy goals here.
The scoring profiles argue the other way. Colorado’s games averaged roughly six total goals last season, with the Avalanche at 3.63 per game and 2.40 against. Kings games averaged closer to 5.6, at 2.68 for and 2.90 against. Blend the two and the honest projection sits below the current number. Los Angeles ranked 29th in scoring with Kopitar and Fiala in the lineup. Now the Kings open without both, under a coach installing a new structure, against the team that allowed the fewest goals in the league.
Two things cut against this read. Colorado scored more goals than any team in the NHL last season, and that offense against a Kings crease coming off an .891 save percentage can get away from a game quickly. The empty net applies here too, since a late insurance goal pushes a total as easily as it pushes a puck line. It is also worth saying plainly that this read and the one above rest on the same foundation, namely Colorado’s goaltending and a thinner Los Angeles attack. They are not independent. The edge is moderate rather than large, and exactly six goals returns the stake.
The Pick: Full-Game Total Under 6.0 (+100)
Our Final Word on Kings vs. Avalanche
Colorado is the better team, the healthier team and the more settled team, and the market has spent six weeks agreeing. The only real question is price. On one market the tickets and the money are still pointing in opposite directions, and that is where the read lives. In contrast, Los Angeles has enough scoring in Artemi Panarin, Adrian Kempe and Byfield to keep this inside a goal if the crease holds up. That is the risk on both plays, and it is the same risk. Our Panthers vs Hurricanes prediction covered the league’s true opener on Tuesday.
We are taking the Avalanche at -1.5 on the puck line at +137, because 71 percent of puck-line tickets sit on the Kings while the number has moved the other way. We are also taking the full-game total under 6.0 at +100, because the blended scoring rates of these two teams sit below the number the market has climbed to.
NHL Kings vs. Avalanche FAQ: September 30, 2026
What time does the Kings vs. Avalanche game start?
Puck drop is set for 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at Ball Arena in Denver. It is the second night of the NHL’s 2026-27 regular season and the first game of the year for both clubs, following a five-game slate on Tuesday.
What channel is the Kings vs. Avalanche game on?
The game airs nationally on TNT in the United States, with a 10 p.m. ET puck drop from Ball Arena in Denver. TNT carries the Wednesday opener as part of the NHL’s national package, and the night doubles as Colorado’s home opener for the 2026-27 season.
Where are the Kings and Avalanche playing?
The game is at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, the Avalanche’s home building. The same rink hosted the first two games of Colorado’s four-game sweep of Los Angeles in the Western Conference First Round last April, and the Avalanche won both of them.
Who won the last meeting between the Kings and Avalanche?
Colorado won 5-1 on April 26, 2026, completing a four-game sweep of Los Angeles in the Western Conference First Round. The Avalanche also handled the Kings in the regular season that year, winning 4-1 in October and 5-2 in December before the playoff meeting.
Is Kevin Fiala playing tonight?
No. Fiala is out after a second procedure on the leg he fractured playing for Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Kings general manager Ken Holland has described early November as a best-case return, with no guarantee attached. Los Angeles opens the season without him in the top six.