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After blowing a three-goal lead, the Colorado Avalanche are on the verge of being swept by the Vegas Golden Knights.

We saw eight players score in Vegas' 5-3 win on Sunday — including Mark Stone — and my Avalanche vs. Golden Knights goal scorer predictions expect him to strike again tonight.

For more NHL picks, be sure to also check out our Avalanche vs. Golden Knights predictions for May 26.

Avalanche vs Golden Knights goal scorer predictions for Game 4

Player to score a goal	Odds
Mark Stone	+280
Gabriel Landeskog	+220
Brett Howden	+305
💲Goal scorer parlay	+2250

Goal scorer pick: Mark Stone (+280)

Mark Stone scored his fourth goal of the 2026 postseason after two weeks off.

The 34-year-old winger's excellent play around the net allows him to cause trouble up front, especially on the power play.

In Game 3, Stone spent 4:25 of ice time on the man advantage, and the Vegas Golden Knights were able to generate seven scoring chances and five high-danger chances.

Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner can control the puck and find Stone for easy tap-ins, while his elite positioning also creates chances for him to knock in loose pucks off saves.

The Golden Knights' man advantage has scored in two of three games in the series, and the veteran's heavy involvement on PP1 has me betting this at +280 with confidence. Anything down to +250 is a go for me.

Goal scorer pick: Gabriel Landeskog (+220)

I desperately wanted to take Nathan MacKinnon at +105, but after missing the morning skate, I am pivoting to the Colorado Avalanche's captain, Gabriel Landeskog, who was highly active on Sunday.

Landeskog scored his second goal of the series on six shots in Game 3, and the Avs dominated while he was on the ice. In 24:04 of ice time, Colorado outshot Vegas 17-4 and had 21 scoring chances for compared to eight against.

The captain also sported a 66.67% Corsi For percentage (CF%), including 58.62% at 5-on-5.

His strong play at even strength is important to highlight, as the Avalanche have been downright ass on the man advantage. Landeskog is tilting the ice whenever he plays, and I would play this down to +200.

Goal scorer pick: Brett Howden (+305)

This is purely a price play for me. Brett Howden scored his 10th goal of the postseason in Game 3 — albeit an empty netter — but I still think +305 is a misprice we can take advantage of.

Brett Howden pairs nicely on the second line with William Karlsson and Mitch Marner, with the trio sporting a 53.33% CF% in 9:49 of 5-on-5 in Game 3. 

Howden played just over 12 minutes at 5-on-5 in his last outing, and the Golden Knights had four high-danger chances while giving up zero.

His elite 60% face-off percentage has the Knights relying on him defensively just as much as they do offensively, which puts him in situations like penalty kills — and the final minutes of the game with an empty net just begging to be scored on.

Howden doesn't shoot often, but his 37% shooting percentage in the playoffs proves that even when the volume is low, his efficiency is there. I would play this down to +275.

Avalanche vs Golden Knights anytime goal parlay

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With NHL free agency about one month away, the rumors are already swirling on what kind of blockbuster trades we can expect to happen this offseason.

According to Pierre LeBrun, writer and sportscaster for the Sports Network, reported that the Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, and Montreal Canadiens are among several teams that will be interested in Nico Hischier if he becomes available in this summer’s trade market.

The Kings, Wild, and Canadiens would be among the clubs that will be interested if Hischier becomes available in this summer’s trade market.

However, Pierre LeBrun believes an extension is the more likely outcome, though the discussions are at “an early and delicate stage”.

— The Mug NHL (@TheMugNHL) May 26, 2026

While Lebrun reported that an extension remains as the most likely outcome for Hischier to remain with the New Jersey Devils, there is still a possibility that he will hit the trade market, which would create one of the biggest offseason storylines if he gets moved. 

For years now, the Los Angeles Kings have searched for a solution down the middle to solve their center position. With Anze Kopitar retiring, there are still question marks about who will take the mantle and become the next captain of the Kings organization. 

NEW for @TheAthletic, Nico Hischier’s future, NHL coaching carousel, Bo Byram, Claude Giroux and more in Rumblings ! ⤵️https://t.co/XpnXRoxdHU

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 26, 2026

Hischier in a Kings uniform will instantly change that conversation. The 27-year-old Devils captain has quickly developed into one of the best two-way centers in the NHL. Known for his leadership and offensive consistency, Hischier represents the exact type of player the Kings have been searching for in line with their organizational identity. 

The Swiss hockey star finished this season with 28 goals, 38 assists, and 66 points playing all 82 games. Hischier has consistently stayed healthy every season, averaging 70 games played over the last five seasons, but it hasn't translated into wins. 

In nine seasons, Hischier has qualified for the playoffs just three times and won only one playoff series, in the 2022-23 season. The Devils, as a franchise, have struggled to stay consistent throughout Hischier's tenure with the team, currently sitting as just an average or good team, despite being loaded with top-tier offensive talent.

When healthy, players like Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier form one of the most dangerous and skilled offensive cores in the NHL.

But outside of their top lines, the team's depth and bottom-six forwards have frequently struggled to consistently generate offense or control play.

If Hischier wants a change of scenario, instead of constantly running it back with the same team and roster and remaining average at best, the Kings should put all the chips on the table for a potential trade this summer. 

Now, there is no rumored package or deal that LA can offer New Jersey to acquire Hischier, but it will likely include some of their young talent and multiple draft picks that New Jersey can use to build for their future. 

Hischier signed a seven-year contract with the New Jersey Devils, carrying an average annual value of $7,250,000 million in the 2020-21 season and will expire at the end of the 2026-27 season, which will have him as an unrestricted free agent. 

If no trade or contract extension happens, LA can wait until the summer of 2027 to pursue him as a free agent, but the risk is that Hischer may be interested in signing with the Kings or taking his talents elsewhere, where he feels he has a better chance of winning.

No matter what happens with Hischier this offseason, if he becomes available for a trade, the Kings have no choice but to pull the trigger and make a serious call to go all out for the star center.  

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K’Andre Miller has seemed to tap into his potential with the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Selected by the New York Rangers in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft, the potential was always there. 

Given his 6-foot-5 frame and impressive skating abilities on top of his defensive skill set, the Rangers hoped Miller could blossom into a sure-fire top-four defenseman. 

Despite showing flashes of what he was capable of as a defenseman and once being considered to be a cornerstone on the blueline for the Rangers, Miller’s inconsistent play over his five seasons in New York scared the front office away from giving him a long-term commitment.

When Miller was set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2025, the Rangers opted to send Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes in a sign-and-trade deal that included a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 or 2027 NHL Draft, and Scott Morrow.

The Hurricanes went ahead and signed Miller to an eight-year, $60 million contract, which was deemed to be a risky move at the time, given some of his inconsistencies and flaws that held him back with the Blueshirts. 

However, Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky and head coach Rod Brind'Amour had a vision for how they planned to utilize Miller in their system, and credit to them, that vision came to fruition. 

The 26-year-old defenseman stepped into a top-four defensive role for the Hurricanes this season while playing valuable minutes on both the power play and penalty kill, showing how well-rounded his game truly is if properly utilized. 

Averaging a career-high 22:14 minutes per game, Miller has certainly wiped away some concerns about his leaky defensive game with the Rangers, proving his capabilities to mold into a shutdown defenseman. 

“He’s been great from Day 1,” Brind’Amour said via The Athletic. “Seemed to just fit in seamlessly. I mean, he has the physical attributes. He’s a great athlete. That’s what you see in those plays. That’s just athletic ability. There’s no scheme or anything. … He’s got reach and he can skate, and that’s what we’ve seen all year.”

Through the Hurricanes’ playoff run thus far, Miller leads all defensemen on the team with seven points, while his 24:02 minutes per game are the most amongst all Carolina players.

“He’s an explosive skater,” Tulsky said. “We ask our defensemen to really gap up and close out, and that ability to get a strong first push and get into a guy faster than he expects, coupled with the reach that he has and his ability to recover with his stick when he gets a little bit caught, it makes him very effective in the way we ask our defensemen to play.”

The Colorado Avalanche looked like a team hanging by a thread after Game 3, but the return of Nathan MacKinnon for Game 4 suddenly gives Colorado a pulse again.

Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed Tuesday morning that MacKinnon will suit up despite suffering a frightening knee injury during Saturday night’s 5-3 collapse against the Vegas Golden Knights. Multiple sources also informed The Hockey News on Monday evening that MacKinnon’s X-rays came back completely clear, an encouraging development for an Avalanche team facing elimination.

Colorado still has uncertainty elsewhere in the lineup, however, as Valeri Nichushkin remains a game-time decision after exiting Game 3 late.

“I think we’ll be able to use him (normally),” Bednar told reporters. “He’s feeling a lot better today. We’ll see when he gets on the ice tonight and what the game brings, but he’s feeling pretty good today and feels like he’ll be ready to go.”

MacKinnon Avoids Disaster As Avalanche Search For Life

The injury sequence involving MacKinnon immediately sent panic through bench and fan base.

Midway through the second period of Game 3, the Avalanche superstar dropped to the ice in agony after blocking a shot from Shea Theodore off the outside of his right knee. MacKinnon stayed down for several seconds before finally managing to limp off under his own power while Ball Arena fell silent.

For a brief stretch, it looked like Colorado’s season — and perhaps its summer — had taken an even darker turn.

MacKinnon missed the remainder of the second period and the opening portion of the third while receiving treatment. Although he eventually returned, his usage was noticeably limited. Most of his late-game ice time came during power plays or with the net empty as Colorado desperately tried to erase another devastating loss.

The Avalanche have already been battered physically throughout this playoff run. Cale Makar missed the opening two games of the Western Conference Final with an upper-body injury, while both Sam Malinski and Artturi Lehkonen entered the Vegas series still working their way back from injuries suffered against the Minnesota Wild.

Nichushkin’s situation only added to the concern. The power forward barely saw the ice after the midway point of Game 3 and did not play during the final 22 minutes of regulation.

Now, facing a 3-0 series deficit, Colorado is searching for anything capable of shifting momentum.

Avalanche Turn To Blackwood In Critical Game 4

Bednar is also making a significant change in goal.

Mackenzie Blackwood will start Game 4 in place of Scott Wedgewood, marking Blackwood’s first start since the opening round against the Wild. Wedgewood had largely taken control of the crease late in the regular season and carried that momentum into the playoffs, including an outstanding performance during Colorado’s sweep of the Los Angeles Kings.

But with the Avalanche now staring down elimination, Bednar believes a different look could help reset the group mentally.

“I think Mackenzie’s the type of guy and goalie that plays better when he’s loose and confident and he’s been doing the work to make sure that he’s ready and prepared,” Bednar said. “It’s not a desperation move. It’s just … you’ve got to make a change and see if something else works for me. We felt confident in both these guys all year long. I felt like (Wedgewood) kind of earned the net in (Games) 1 and 2 and we gave him the shot in (Game) 3 and we didn’t get it done. It’s not on him, either. It’s on our team.

“We’re just looking for (Blackwood) to come in and play to the best of his ability and be loose and have fun. The whole team’s kind of in that mode right now, and I think if you can do that, you might see the best of him.”

That mindset may be Colorado’s only option left.

The Avalanche are wounded, frustrated, and suddenly out of room for mistakes — but with MacKinnon cleared to play and Blackwood stepping into the spotlight, they at least have one more chance to stop this series from slipping away completely.