We’ve looked at the forwards and the defense; now, we’ll examine the final and, as some may argue, the most critical position for both the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights: goaltending.
Colorado Avalanche
Projected Starter: Scott Wedgewood
Projected Backup: Mackenzie Blackwood
Colorado Avalanche
The tandem effort of Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood powered the Avalanche to the top of the NHL for the near entirety of the NHL regular season, but it’s been Scott Wedgewood who has emerged as Jared Bednar’s go-to netminder
for the Avs’ 2026 playoff run. Wedgewood, who’s had a storybook year as one-half of the Jennings Trophy winning duo for Colorado, has put together an impressive, albeit small, body of work. On the eve of his first Western Conference Final as a starter, Wedgewood’s 2.21 goals against average and .914 save percentage rank seventh and sixth, respectively among playoff goaltenders. His only blemish was the 5-1 loss in Game Three to Minnesota, which snapped a six consecutive win streak that stretched over a first round sweep of the Los Angeles Kings and halfway through the second round against the Minnesota Wild.
Not bad for a goaltender who never started in a playoff game before.
The solid play of Wedgewood has limited Blackwood to relief duties to this point in the Avs playoff run. To his credit, Blackwood provided stability in a critical Game Four, stopping 19 of 22 shots to put the Avs in position to eliminate Minnesota two nights later. Unfortunately, a flaccid first period by the Avs in Game Five spelled an early exit for Blackwood, but a vastly improved effort by the Avs—and seven saves by the returning Wedgewood—led to the eventual knockout blow in overtime. Without Blackwood’s solid play in Minnesota, things could have played out much differently. Even though he got the hook in Game Five, his efforts in Game Four played a pivotal role in the Avs success in the second round.
Thanks to the Avs making quick work of their opponents, Wedgewood’s 435 minutes of game time puts him at ninth overall among playoff goaltenders. However, two other active goaltenders, Montréal’s Jakub Dobeš and Vegas’ Carter Hart (more on him later) have played more postseason minutes. Despite playing fewer games than Hart through two rounds, the reduced workload could favor Wedgewood and the Avs if this series goes the distance.
With only one postseason loss, and an incredible comeback win to close out Minnesota, Wedgewood certainly shouldn’t be lacking in confidence heading into this series against Vegas. Wedgewood is undefeated on Ball Arena in postseason play, and both of his regular season victories over Vegas—including another remarkable 6-5 comeback win—took place at T-Mobile Arena. Should he stumble, the Avs have the option to go to Blackwood for that opportunity to reset.
Just don’t expect the reset to last for very long.
Vegas Golden Knights
Projected Starter: Carter Hart
Projected Backup: Adin Hill
Vegas Golden Knights
When Vegas succeeded Colorado as Stanley Cup champions in 2023, they did so off an incredible run by Adin Hill. Three years later, injuries limited Hill to twenty-seven regular season games, and controversial free agent signee Carter Hart has since guided Vegas into the playoffs. Hart’s signing back in October certainly raised eyebrows, but his play in the postseason has paid dividends for a franchise that leans into controversy instead of shying away from it.
Hart has started all twelve playoff games for Vegas and is tied with Dobeš and Carolina’s Frederik Anderson for the lead in playoff wins (8). Having defeated both Utah and Anaheim in consecutive six game series, Hart has compiled a 8-4 record as he makes his first appearance in a Western Conference Final. His 2.37 goals against average and .917 save percentage eighth and fifth, respectively, among playoff goaltenders. Going head to head by these numbers, Hart fares slightly worse than Wedgewood when it comes to GAA, but owns a slightly better save percentage.
Hart’s 322 total saves also ranks second to Dobeš (363) among playoff goaltenders. While this certainly is an impressively high number, the problem is that it is an impressively high number: while Wedgewood’s 171 total saves—eighth among playoff goaltenders—can be attributed to playing fewer games through two rounds, Hart’s total also points seeing an average of just over 29 shots per game. With Colorado averaging over 31 shots on goaltenders per game in these playoffs, Hart will continue to stay busy in this series. Staying busy hasn’t been an issue for Hart (yet), as his 758 minutes of playing time trails only Dobeš among playoff goaltenders (858).
Despite the high save volume, Hart didn’t get off to the best start in the first round. He gave up nineteen goals against Utah—including four goals in three consecutive games—compared to the six goals allowed by Wedgewood in Colorado’s first round sweep of Los Angeles. He improved through the second round, however, limiting Anaheim to two goals or less in each of his wins. Despite allowing twelve total goals in the series against Anaheim, this figure bests both Wedgewood and Blackwood’s seventeen allowed goals against Minnesota.
Hill, who last played on April 9 (a 4-3 shootout decision over Seattle), could be pressed into service should Hart struggle against the potent Colorado offense. If Vegas is forced to roll the dice on Hill, it wouldn’t be the worst gamble to turn back to the goaltender that backstopped them to their first championship. Hill has met the pressure of the moment before, and already knows the expectations to meet that moment again.
Stepping into that moment, especially against the playoff juggernaut that is the Colorado Avalanche isn’t for the faint of…heart.
