Colorado Avalanche vs Los Angeles Kings Prediction, 4/23/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Colorado Avalanche vs Los Angeles Kings

Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: Avalanche (-155) Kings (+130)

The Colorado Avalanche (55-16-11) are en route to Crypto.com Arena on Thursday where they will go up against the Los Angeles Kings (35-27-20) in Game 3 of their 1st round series. The Avalanche lead 2-0. The moneyline on this game has the Avalanche at -155 while the Kings are coming in at +130. The total is set at 5.5.

The Colorado Avalanche were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 2-1 victory against the Kings in Game 2. Colorado amassed 12 mins in the box for this matchup. In addition, they had 3 power play tries but didn't net one. The Avalanche didn't have a great showing offensively in the win. In the matchup, they earned a goal on 2 out of the 36 shots they put on goal.

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Colorado Avalanche opponents have 234 power play tries (18th in the league) and have come away with 36 goals in those chances. The Avalanche so far have had 2,144 shots taken against them and have a save percentage of .908. Colorado has tried 2,766 shots and has a shooting percentage of 10.8%. While playing at even strength, the Avalanche have allowed the opponent to score 161 goals while getting 253 themselves. Colorado has accumulated 263 power play opportunities and they have tallied 45 goals out of those attempts, giving them a percentage of 17.11%. For the current campaign, they have scored 121 points and their points percentage sits at .738. When it comes to their goal scoring prowess, the Colorado Avalanche have notched 298 goals (1st in pro hockey) on the campaign and have given up 197.

The man in goal for this game is Scott Wedgewood. Over the course of his pro career, Wedgewood is sitting with 99 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .553. His save percentage is at .909 during his 8,268 mins played. Wedgewood has seen 5,498 shot attempts against him and has accrued 4,999 total saves. The opposition has scored 499 goals versus Wedgewood in his pro hockey career and his goals against average per game is 2.79. He has compiled an overall mark of 93-60-30 and was named the starter in 179 games. Wedgewood has been involved in 199 matchups throughout his professional hockey career.

Los Angeles came up short in Game 2 but played well defensively. They had 5 opportunities on the power play in this game and netted 1 out of those chances. The Kings notched 1 goal out of the 25 shots on goal they pursued.

The Kings have scored 182 goals at even strength and 38 goals (29th in pro hockey) while on the power play. Los Angeles has taken 2,297 shots (17th in the league) and has accumulated a shooting percentage of 9.58%, while allowing their opponents 2,228 shots. During this campaign, the Los Angeles Kings have notched a total of 220 goals, 90 points, as well as a points percentage of .549. They have permitted 238 goals to be scored by of a combination of 177 goals at even strength and 61 goals while they were shorthanded. They have a tally of 224 power play chances and they have a power play rate of 16.96%. They have earned a penalty kill percentage of 74.58% on their opponents 240 power play tries, and their save percentage is 89.3%.

For the opposition you are likely to see Anton Forsberg defending the goal. He has gathered 5,697 stops out of 6,295 shots taken against him, which gives him a save percentage of .905. Forsberg has a career record of 90-93-19 and has been in goal for 226 games. He has made the start in 205 games and has played for a total of 10,155 minutes. Forsberg's quality start percentage sits at 53.7% and he has qualified for 110 quality starts in his pro hockey career. Opponents are averaging 2.92 goals per game and he has surrendered 598 goals in total.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh's Pick: Take Colorado (-155)

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