While the Vancouver Canucks’ 2025–26 season has officially concluded, the AHL remains in action for another few days. To get these two prospects some playing time, the Canucks have re-assigned forward Ty Mueller and defenceman Kirill Kudryavtsev to the AHL. 

Mueller returns to the Abbotsford Canucks having spent the past six games with Vancouver, scoring his first career NHL goal in his team’s 6–1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. The forward has primarily played in the AHL this season, putting up 16 goals and 19 assists in 59 games played at a top-six centre role for Abbotsford. For his efforts at the AHL-level, Mueller was named Abbotsford’s MVP for 2025–26. This season was not technically his first in the NHL, as Mueller made his NHL debut on April 12, 2025 against the Minnesota Wild. 

Like Mueller, Kudryavtsev also made his NHL debut the season prior, a game later on April 14, 2026 against the San Jose Sharks, but recorded his first NHL point this year. He played in three games with Vancouver this season and tallied his first point on Curtis Douglas’ first NHL goal against the Anaheim Ducks. Kudryavtsev also added an assist in Vancouver’s final home game of the 2025–26 season on April 14. 

Abbotsford will play out their final two games of the 2025–26 regular season on Saturday, April 18 against the Ontario Reign, and on Sunday, April 19 against the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The AHL Canucks currently sit at 30th-overall in the AHL standings ahead of the Hartford Wolf Pack and Calgary Wranglers. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Well, that didn’t take long.

In just their second year in the NHL, Clayton Keller’s Utah Mammoth have advanced to the postseason.

After clinching the first Wild Card spot in the West, André Tourigny’s club will take on Jack Eichel’s Pacific Division winning Las Vegas Golden Knights (who also went to the Stanley Cup in their inaugural season) first-ever playoff series.

Games 3 and 4 — along with Game 6 if necessary — at Utah’s Delta Center are set for:

Game ThreeFriday, April 24
7:30 p.m.

Game FourMonday, April 27
TBA

Game SixFriday, May 1
TBA

If you’d like to be there, tickets are available for all three potential tilts in Salt Lake City as of today.

At the time of publication, the lowest price we could find on tickets for any one first-round showdown in Utah was $176 including fees on StubHub.

Prices start at $64 including fees for games at Sin City’s T-Mobile Arena.

Over the course of the regular season, the Mammoth and Golden Knights met three times. And, while Vegas arguably had a better season, Utah did win two of their three matchups.

Still, oddsmakers consider the Knights to be the favorites in this high-stakes series.

Eichel and co. finished the 2025-26 campaign strong on a 10-game point streak and haven’t suffered a defeat in regulation in what we’re calling the John Tortorella era (which began in late March).

Therefore, Keller, Dylan Guenther, Mikhail Sergachev, Karel Vejmelka and Logan Cooley will need all the help they can get at the Delta Center.

“They earned the right to play game 83,” Tourigny said. “We talked about it all season long. Proud of the guys for that and excited to get going.”

Tusks up, Mammoth fans- this is your moment.

For more information, our team has everything you need to know and more about the Utah Mammoth vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights 2026 First-Round NHL Playoff Series below.

Utah Mammoth playoff home game tickets

A complete calendar including all announced Mammoth home game dates at the Delta Center and the best prices on tickets can be found here:

Las Vegas Golden Knights playoff home game tickets

All Golden Knights playoff home game dates and the cheapest tickets available can be found below.

How to watch the Penguins and Flyers on TV

Fans hoping to catch high-stakes showdowns on the tube can watch all first-round playoff games on ABC, ESPN and TNT.

Just make sure to review your local listings before tuning in.

If you don’t have cable, your best bet may be DIRECTV.

2026 NHL playoff schedule

Want to keep tabs on how the postseason is shaking out?

Check out the NHL’s 2026 Playoff Bracket here.

Huge concerts at the Delta Center in 2026

Who else is heading to the Mammoth’s home these next few months?

We thought you’d never ask.

Here are just five of our favorites that are coming your way the next few months that you won’t want to miss live.

• Los Tigres Del Norte (April 25)

• Carin León (Oct. 2)

• Disney’s Worlds Collide (Oct. 14)

• Gorillaz (Oct. 20)

• Teddy Swims (Nov. 3)

Want to see who else is SLC-bound? Check out this list of all the upcoming events at the Delta Center to find the show for you.

Why you should trust ‘Post Wanted’ by the New York Post

This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.

The Colorado Avalanche enter the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs chasing something the NHL hasn’t seen in over a decade: a Presidents’ Trophy winner finishing the job with a Stanley Cup. The last team to pull it off was the Chicago Blackhawks—and that’s the kind of company this Colorado roster believes it belongs in.

Colorado didn’t just have a great year—they controlled the league. A 121-point campaign was the best in franchise history. That's really all that needs to be said there.

At the center of it all was Nathan MacKinnon, who delivered a defining season. His 53 goals not only led the NHL but earned him his first-ever Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, adding another layer to an already elite résumé. Meanwhile, Cale Makar piled up 79 points while anchoring the blue line. It won't be good enough for a third Norris Trophy, but he's still one of the best players in the world. 

And then there’s the difference-maker Colorado hasn’t always had in recent postseasons: stability in net. Scott Wedgewood quietly put together one of the best goaltending seasons in the league, leading the NHL with a 2.02 goals-against average—exactly the kind of reliability that can swing a playoff series.

The First Test: Los Angeles

Standing in the way is the Los Angeles Kings, a team that made the playoffs without much margin for error. Their 90-point season was enough to sneak in, but it came with clear limitations—especially offensively.

Where L.A. hangs its hat is structure. They finished among the league’s better defensive teams, allowing the seventh-fewest goals. But scoring? That’s been the issue all year. Only one player, Adrian Kempe, cracked the 50-point mark.

The Kings will need to lean heavily on Darcy Kuemper, who brings playoff experience—including a Cup run with Colorado—to even the playing field.

If you’re looking for optimism from the Kings’ perspective, the regular-season matchups don’t offer much. Colorado swept all three meetings, outscoring L.A. 13–5 without allowing even an overtime point

Colorado has continuity with Jared Bednar, one of the league’s longest-tenured coaches, guiding a veteran core that knows how to win.

The Kings, meanwhile, are navigating the postseason with interim coach D.J. James, who did stabilize things late (11-6-6 finish), but this is still a team finding its identity under pressure.

Series Odds 

Every major sportsbook is leaning heavily in the same direction—but each one prices the series slightly differently.

Across DraftKings, the Avalanche are listed at -450, making them strong favorites, while the Kings sit at +340 as a long-shot underdog.

At FanDuel, Colorado is even more heavily favored at -530, with Los Angeles priced at +390, reflecting a similar expectation that the Avalanche should advance.

Caesars is the most aggressive on Colorado, listing them at -600, the steepest favorite number among the books, while the Kings come in at +450, signaling a major underdog status.

Meanwhile, BetMGM mirrors DraftKings closely, with the Avalanche at -450 and the Kings at +350.

Avalanche "Should" Win

There’s always temptation to chase the underdog in a playoff series—but this one feels different.

Colorado checks every box: elite scoring, suffocating defense, playoff experience, and now, dependable goaltending. The so-called “Presidents’ Trophy curse” lingers, but history suggests if it strikes, it usually doesn’t happen this early.

For Los Angeles to flip this series, they’d need to play near-perfect defensive hockey and get a vintage performance from Kuemper—while somehow manufacturing offense against one of the league’s best defensive teams.

That’s a tall task. 

It would seem that the Avalanche are destined to dominate their first round series, but we've seen upsets before. It's up to Colorado to find a way and get overthrow the monarchs. 

The simulation puck has officially dropped—and if this version of reality holds any weight, the Colorado Avalanche aren’t just winning their first-round series… they’re steamrolling it.

The full 2-hour and 45-minute stream can be watched in its entirety here.

Game 1 — Avalanche 3, Kings 2

The opening frame had a little bit of everything—tempo, tension, and an early missed opportunity. Colorado’s first power play came eight minutes in after Cody Ceci cross-checked Nazem Kadri, but the Avs couldn’t cash in.

Still, they struck first.

With under five minutes to play in the period, Nic Roy buried a rebound off a Gabriel Landeskog chance that slipped through Darcy Kuemper. Depth scoring, right on cue.

Colorado carried a 1–0 lead into intermission, narrowly edging Los Angeles 9–8 in shots.

The Kings pushed back in the second. Anze Kopitar—playing what could be his final postseason—redirected a Drew Doughty point shot past Scott Wedgewood to even things up. The period tilted toward Los Angeles, who outshot Colorado 9–4, but the score stayed locked at one.

Then came the chaos.

Just 1:49 into the third, a Colorado turnover sparked a 2-on-1, and Artemi Panarin found Adrian Kempe for a clean finish to give Los Angeles its first lead.

It didn’t last.

Off an offensive-zone draw, Brock Nelson did the dirty work, and Landeskog did the rest—dangling from forehand to backhand and beating Kuemper to tie it. A captain’s answer.

Moments later, Nathan MacKinnon hit another gear, slicing through defenders before setting up Artturi Lehkonen on the doorstep… only for the puck to clang off iron like it owed him money. Full Arnold Schwarzenegger, terminator-level post.

Late-game pressure broke the Kings. With under a minute to go, Nelson retrieved a loose puck behind the net and fed Landeskog in the slot. This time, no mistake—glove side, game over.

Landeskog finished with three points (2G, 1A), Nelson added two, and Roy chipped in with the opener. Wedgewood stopped 21.

Game 2 — Avalanche 3, Kings 2

Colorado controlled the pace early but found themselves trailing after Taylor Ward cleaned up a power play scramble midway through the first.

The response came quickly—and bizarrely.

Kuemper mishandled a routine puck in his crease, chaos followed, and Nelson capitalized with a slick backhand to tie it.

The second period belonged to Colorado. After Brian Dumoulin took a penalty, Martin Necas hammered home a power play goal to make it 2–1. The Avs dominated possession, outshooting the Kings 25–11 through two.

Kuemper, to his credit, kept Los Angeles alive with several massive saves, including a rocket from Cale Makar.

Kopitar tied it again early in the third on a power play one-timer, because of course he did.

But once again, Colorado had the final word.

Ross Colton forced a turnover, Nic Roy picked it up, and Colton spun and fired past Kuemper in one motion. Clinical. Decisive.

Blackwood stopped 18, and the Avalanche took a 2–0 series lead.

Game 3 — Avalanche 2, Kings 1 (OT)

Los Angeles struck first, capitalizing on a 2-on-1 as Kempe set up Brandt Clarke to beat Wedgewood.

From there, it became a goaltending duel.

Colorado dominated stretches of the second, but Kuemper refused to break—until Sam Malinski burst in on a breakaway and slipped a backhand home late in the period to tie it.

The third period? Pure chaos disguised as control. Both goalies traded highlight-reel saves.

Then overtime delivered the madness.

Scott Laughton nearly ended it for L.A., but Wedgewood pulled off a save that defied both physics and basic human expectation.

Moments later, the Kings went on the power play—but it backfired spectacularly.

Cale Makar won a race to the puck, fed Logan O’Connor in the slot, and O’Connor buried the shorthanded winner.

Ballgame. Series stranglehold.

Wedgewood was unreal, stopping 38.

Game 4 — Avalanche 1, Kings 0

This one was tight. Suffocating, even.

Both teams traded chances, but nothing got through—until the final seconds.

With just 21 ticks left, Nelson forced a turnover at center ice and sent Landeskog flying down the wing. One shot. One finish.

That was it.

Four games. Four wins. Series over.

Let’s Be Real

Nathan MacKinnon going an entire series without a goal? Not happening in any known universe. The simulation clearly has a personal vendetta.

But if there’s one takeaway here, it’s this: Colorado’s depth, structure, and late-game execution completely overwhelmed Los Angeles.

Now, reality steps in.

Game 1 hits Sunday at Ball Arena.

And unlike the simulation… this one counts.