How to Watch Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche 2026 NHL Western Conference Finals Game 1
The Avs and Golden Knights will look to get the conference finals off on a good note in Denver on Wednesday night.
After a week off, the Colorado Avalanche will be back in action on Wednesday, May 20, when they welcome the Vegas Golden Knights to the Ball Arena for Game 1 of the NHL Western Conference Finals. The Avs wrapped up their second-round series last Wednesday, knocking off the Minnesota Wild, 4-1. The next night, the Golden Knights dispatched the Anaheim Ducks, 4-2, to advance. Now, well-rested, the teams will face off with a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals on the line.
The puck is scheduled to drop at 8 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN. If you are looking for a live TV streaming service to watch the game, but don’t want to get roped into a month-long contract, we recommend streaming it with a one-day pass to Sling TV. You can also stream it on ESPN Unlimited.
How to watch Colorado Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights
- When: Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
- Stream: Watch with a subscriptionto Sling TV or on ESPN Unlimited.
- From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.
Everything you need to know to stream Avalanche vs. Golden Knights:
What is the Avalanche vs. Golden Knights schedule?
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | Matchup | Outlet(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, May 20 | Game 1 | 8 p.m. | Golden Knights at Avalanche | ESPN, ESPN Unlimited |
| Friday, May 22 | Game 2 | 8 p.m. | Golden Knights at Avalanche | ESPN, ESPN Unlimited |
| Sunday, May 24 | Game 3 | 8 p.m. | Avalanche at Golden Knights | ESPN, ESPN Unlimited |
| Tuesday, May 26 | Game 4 | 9 p.m. | Avalanche at Golden Knights | ESPN, ESPN Unlimited |
| Thursday, May 28 | Game 5^ | 8 p.m. | Golden Knights at Avalanche | ESPN, ESPN Unlimited |
| Saturday, May 30 | Game 6^ | 8 p.m. | Avalanche at Golden Knights | ABC, ESPN Unlimited |
| Monday, June 1 | Game 7^ | 8 p.m. | Golden Knights at Avalanche | ESPN, ESPN Unlimited |
^=if necessary
Why we recommend Sling TV to watch Avalanche vs. Golden Knights
Sling TV has long been one of our top choices for watching the NHL, thanks to its everyday low price, ever-growing subscription options, and judicious mix of channels — especially in larger markets. At just $46 per month, you can sign up for either the Sling Orange or Blue base plans, depending on which channel lineup makes the most sense for your viewing needs. In this case, Sling Orange would be your best bet to watch the Avalanche vs. Golden Knights game. Of course, you could always get Sling Orange and Sling Blue for just $61 monthly and have access to all of the streamer’s base package channels.
However, customers who don’t need a full month of Sling service can sign up to watch via Sling’s new Passes. Sling’s Day Pass will allow you to sign up for its Orange plan for one day for just $5. That means you can pay just $5 to watch the Avalanche vs. Golden Knights game with Sling TV, which is far less than you’ll be asked to pay at other streaming services. That lower price and heightened flexibility are why we recommend Sling TV for watching all of the biggest games on the ESPN family of networks.
If you are looking for a streamer to get you every game of both Stanley Cup Playoffs, keep in mind that TNT is in Sling’s Blue Package, so it is not available for the one, three, or seven-day passes. However, you still can get all of the games on ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, and TNT for $61 per month, far cheaper than Sling’s competitors.
Sling TV
Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord-cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. The $45.99/month Sling Orange plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $45.99/month Sling Blue plan offers about 40 channels, including ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.
You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $60.99 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.
Can you watch Avalanche vs. Golden Knights for free?
If you are just looking for a streaming service to watch this specific game and nothing else, there are options available for you. DIRECTV, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV all offer free trials, but they vary in length, so be wary. DIRECTV’s industry-leading trial runs for five days, while Hulu + Live TV’s is a solid three days.
The YouTube TV trial is a bit more difficult to nail down. The world’s largest live streamer is currently advertising a 21-day free trial, but our investigation indicates that it is not available to all users, and that some consumers only get an offer of two free days. So it is difficult to ascertain what you are actually getting before you go through the signup process. But for three free weeks of service, it is probably worth jumping through a few hoops.
So, if you are looking to watch the game and as much of the men’s and women’s tournaments for free as possible, I would recommend giving YouTube a shot and see if you can capitalize on its three-week free trial offer.
| DIRECTV | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Save with Sling | Free Trial | |||||
| $20.99 | $9.99 | $28.99 | $25 | $19.99 | $29.99 | $45.99 | $45.99 | $64.99 | ||
| ESPN | + $24 | + $59 | + $61 | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
Watch a preview of the Avalanche vs. Golden Knights
What are all of the streamers you can use to watch the Avalanche vs. Golden Knights game?
Fortunately for sports fans, numerous different streaming services will stream the game, so you have options to choose from if you don’t already subscribe to any of them. We discussed Sling TV and the free trial options above, but there is one more, and it offers a different type of streaming arrangement.
In addition to the live TV streaming options, since the game is being broadcast on a channel that is part of the ESPN family of networks, there is one more choice. ESPN Unlimited can be used to stream all Stanley Cup Playoff games appearing on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 for $30 per month.
ESPN Unlimited
ESPN launched its highly anticipated direct-to-consumer streaming service on August 21, 2025. For the first time, this service gives sports fans access to its full lineup of linear channels without a traditional cable or satellite subscription.
How to watch Avalanche vs. Golden Knights from anywhere
If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the game as you normally would, you can still catch all of the action, no matter where you are in the world, with a VPN. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and make you appear to be back home — even when you’re not — making sure you feel at home no matter where you are. A VPN is a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite sports, movies, and shows on the go. Keep in mind that you will still need to be subscribed to a live TV streaming like Sling TV in order to stream the game with a VPN.
ExpressVPN is one of the best providers around, at one of the best prices. Currently, you can get a month of service for as little as $5. ExpressVPN is the most-trusted VPN on the market and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. ExpressVPN has servers in 105 countries, best-in-class encryption, 24-hour live support, and the best speeds available.
While ExpressVPN is our recommendation for the best VPN to use while you are traveling, there are a number of other high-quality options available depending on what you are looking for.
- Most Secure: NordVPN | Starting at $3.09 per month
- Best Budget Option: Surfshark | Starting at $2.50 per month
- Best Free Option: Proton VPN | Free plan available