Round Two Preview: Colorado Avalanche vs. Minnesota Wild

After much speculation, we finally know that the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild will start their second-round series on Sunday. The when might have been a mystery, but who and where are not as Ball Arena is the stage and two of the Central Division’s best meet in the second round of the playoffs. This series features a litany of big names and star power, with players like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, and Kirill Kaprizov, and two goalies who have arrived on the scene at opposite ends of the timeline.

Quinn Hughes following Minnesota’s victory over Dallas in round one: “No we got the best team in the league. It’s gonna be tough. ” It’s looking like #Avs vs.

#Wild (game one) will happen as early as Sunday. #GoAvsGo pic. twitter.

com/8bdSCoNuXG — Adrian Hernandez (@AdoHernandez27) May 1, 2026 Both teams sport plenty of forward depth and have proven back-end guys with playoff experience. There are some wrinkles to the stylistic differences between these two clubs that will come into play, but I’d say for the most part they stack up as formidable foes. Let’s take an in-depth look at each position group and see who has the advantage!