The Halloween matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights is set for 4 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Arena. Both teams arrive with strong early-season form, each posting 6-1 in regulation wins but having stumbled in overtime situations. Colorado snapped a four-game skid with an 8-4 win over New Jersey, while Vegas looks to rebound from a 3-0 shutout loss to Florida.
This first meeting of the 2025-26 season between these divisional rivals promises an afternoon of high-intensity hockey, with both teams managing injury concerns that have forced lineup adjustments early in the season.
Avalanche projected lineup: Nathan MacKinnon centers a top line with Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas. The second line includes Ross Colton, Brock Nelson, and Valeri Nichushkin. The return of Gabriel Landeskog centers the third line with Jack Drury and Victor Olofsson. The fourth line features Parker Kelly, Zakhar Bardakov, and Gavin Brindley. Notable absences include Joel Kiviranta and Logan O’Connor due to injuries.
Vegas projected lineup: The top line is Ivan Barbashev, Jack Eichel, and Alexander Holtz. The second line features Brandon Saad, William Karlsson, and Reilly Smith. The third line includes Pavel Dorofeyev, Tomas Hertl, and Mitch Marner. The fourth line is Cole Reinhardt, Brett Howden, and Keegan Kolesar. Mark Stone is out with an upper-body injury, and Colton Sissons misses his second straight game for undisclosed reasons.
Defensive matchups for Colorado feature Devon Toews and Cale Makar on the top pair, Josh Manson and Brent Burns on the second, and Ilya Solovyov with Sam Malinski on the third. Vegas counters with Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore on the top pair, Ben Hutton and Zach Whitecloud on the second, and Jeremy Lauzon with Kaedan Korczak on the third. Noah Hanifin remains out, with Jaycob Megna reassigned to the AHL.
Goaltending: Colorado’s Scott Wedgewood is projected to start, with Mackenzie Blackwood as the backup. Vegas’ Akira Schmid is set to start, with Adin Hill sidelined and Carl Lindbom as the backup. Colorado has shown strong goaltending amid injuries, while Vegas looks to bounce back from a tough start and rely on Schmid’s steady play.
Key notes: Colorado’s power play recently surged at 4-for-6 against New Jersey, while Vegas will rely on its depth and special teams to swing the matinee.
This Halloween matinee is expected to be a competitive preview of the season series between two Western Conference heavyweights, each chasing a deep postseason run.
Par Mike Jonderson
Mike Jonderson is a passionate hockey analyst and expert in advanced NHL statistics. A former college player and mathematics graduate, he combines his understanding of the game with technical expertise to develop innovative predictive models and contribute to the evolution of modern hockey analytics.