The Colorado Avalanche appear to be in big trouble in the Western Conference Final of the NHL Playoffs, as the Vegas Golden Knights won the first two games in Denver. Now the Avalanche need to win Sunday night in Las Vegas to avoid a daunting 3-0 deficit. Colorado has been the favorite to win the Stanley Cup Finals for much of the season, as they came in as the Presidents' Trophy winner. They also led the league in goals scored while allowing the fewest. The Golden Knights haven't been impressed, as they have taken 4-2 and 3-1 victories in the first two games. Colorado lost three games in a row just twice during the regular season, so the Avalanche still have hope, but they're running out of time and can't afford another loss Sunday.
Colorado is a -145 road favorite (wager $145 to win $100), according to the latest Avalanche vs. Golden Knights consensus odds, while Vegas is a +121 underdog (wager $100 to win $121). The Over/Under for total goals scored is 5.5 (Over -113, Under +113).
The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NHL game 10,000 times, has locked in its NHL picks and best bets for Sunday's Avalanche vs. Golden Knights Game 3 matchup. The model entered the conference final round of the 2026 NHL playoffs with a +668 return on top-rated money-line NHL picks. Anyone following its NHL betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.
Bettors have no shortage of NHL betting opportunities in this Game 3 showdown, including spread betting, Over/Under bets, money line bets and even player prop bets. Bettors also can combine picks to make a same-game parlay bet for Sunday's Game 3 matchup for a chance at a nice profit.
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NHL Playoffs picks for Sunday, May 24
- Golden Knights money line
- Nathan MacKinnon 2+ points
Golden Knights money line
Vegas has been at the top of its game, and Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart has been better than counterpart Scott Wedgewood. The Avalanche goalie hasn't struggled like he did at times in the previous series, but the Golden Knights are going to be fired up back at home and are sure to put the pressure on. Vegas was 20-12-9 at home in the regular season and has won four of six there during the playoffs, but the Avalanche are 11-1-0 in their past 12 road games. Mitchell Marner (19 points) and Jack Eichel (16 assists) have led the way for Vegas. MacKinnon hasn't been dominant for Colorado, with seven goals and seven assists in the nine games. The SportsLine model has a strong plus-money play on the Golden Knights, who are winning in 52% of its simulations as underdogs, good for a 'B' grade.
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Nathan MacKinnon 2+ points (+114, FanDuel)
MacKinnon leads the team with 14 points, but he knows he has to be more dominant for Colorado to get back into the series. He also knows the Avalanche are running out of time, so he should be flying all over the ice in Game 3. MacKinnon led the NHL with 53 goals in the regular season, but three Vegas players have at least as many goals as his seven in the postseason. Friday was the first game since Game 4 of the first round that the Avs superstar didn't notch at least one point, and he won't want that to happen again, especially in such a critical game. MacKinnon is the only player the SportsLine model projects as having more than a 50% chance to score (0.59 projected goals), and he is projected for 0.87 assists.
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