The Western Conference Finals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue this Friday, at 8:00 pm, as the Colorado Avalanche host the Vegas Golden Knights in Denver. The Golden Knights hold the lead on the series, having won Game 1 of the finals 4-2.
However, they’re considered the favorites for Game 2 at home. They’re nonetheless without key defenseman Cale Makar, who remains sidelined with an upper-body issue he suffered in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Avalanche vs. Golden Knights Full Lineups for NHL Western Conference Lineups, Stanley Cup Playoffs
Colorado Avalanche Full Lineup for Western Conference Lineup for Game 2, Stanley Cup Playoffs
Colorado Avalanche Offense
| Unit | Left Wing (LW) | Center (C) | Right Wing (RW) |
| Line 1 | Artturi Lehkonen | Nathan MacKinnon | Gabriel Landeskog |
| Line 2 | Valeri Nichushkin | Brock Nelson | Martin Necas |
| Line 3 | Ross Colton | Nazem Kadri | Nicolas Roy |
| Line 4 | Parker Kelly | Jack Drury | Logan O’Connor |
Colorado Avalanche Defense
| Unit | Left Defense (LD) | Right Defense (RD) |
| Pair 1 | Devon Toews | Sam Malinski |
| Pair 2 | Brett Kulak | Brent Burns |
| Pair 3 | Jack Ahcan | Josh Manson |
Colorado Avalanche Goalies
| Role | Name |
| Starter | Scott Wedgewood |
| Backup | Mackenzie Blackwood |
Vegas Golden Knights Full Lineup for Western Conference Lineup for Game 2, Stanley Cup Playoffs
Vegas Golden Knights Offense
| Unit | Left Wing (LW) | Center (C) | Right Wing (RW) |
| Line 1 | Ivan Barbashev | Jack Eichel | Pavel Dorofeyev |
| Line 2 | Brett Howden | William Karlsson | Mitch Marner |
| Line 3 | Brandon Saad | Tomas Hertl | Colton Sissons |
| Line 4 | Cole Smith | Nic Dowd | Keegan Kolesar |
Vegas Golden Knights Defense
| Unit | Left Defense (LD) | Right Defense (RD) |
| Pair 1 | Brayden McNabb | Shea Theodore |
| Pair 2 | Noah Hanifin | Rasmus Andersson |
| Pair 3 | Ben Hutton | Dylan Coghlan |
Vegas Golden Knights Goalies
| Role | Name |
| Starter | Carter Hart |
| Backup | Adin Hill |
Avalanche vs. Golden Knights Full Injury Report for Game 2 of Western Conference Finals, Stanley Cup Playoffs
Colorado Avalanche Injury Report for Game 2 of Western Conference Finals, Stanley Cup Playoffs
| Player | Position | Injury Type | Status for Game 2 | Details / Impact |
| Cale Makar | Defenseman | Upper-body | Out | Suffered an undefined upper body injury during a late collision in the second round against the Minnesota Wukd. He participated in the morning skate since Wednesday but still missed Game 1. He isn’t expected to play in Game 2. |
Vegas Golden Knights Injury Report for Game 2 of Western Conference Finals, Stanley Cup Playoffs
| Player | Position | Injury Type | Status for Game 2 | Details / Impact |
| Mark Stone | Right Winger / Captain | Lower-body | Out | Suffered a lower-body injury on May 8, during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs second-round series against the Anaheim Ducks. |
| Jeremy Lauzon | Defenseman | Upper-body | Out | He suffered an upper-body injury on May 1, 2026, during Game 6 of their first-round playoff series against Utah. |
| Alex Pietrangelo | Defenseman | Hip | Out (Long-term) | Has been sidelined for the rest of the 2025-26 season since October of last year. The Golden Knights have him on the long-term injured reserve with a chronic hip issue. |
Avalanche vs. Golden Knights Prediction
Expect the Avalanche to make their home turf, or in this case, ice, count. Even without Cale Makar back on their lineup.
Prediction:
Avalanche 5 – 3 Golden Knights
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