Morning Coffee: Hughes, Wild reset for Game 2 versus Avs as Canucks fans eye NHL Draft Lottery

The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery will be held tonight.

All 16 teams that didn’t qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs hope that luck will be on their side and they can land the best possible selection in the first round.

A year ago, the New York Islanders became the most unlikely lottery winner in NHL history when they landed the first overall pick and the right to draft Matthew Schaefer first overall despite just a 3.5 per cent chance.

The Utah Mammoth won the second lottery draw and moved up the maximum 10 spots from 14th to 4th overall, where they selected Caleb Desnoyers.

This year, the Vancouver Canucks have the best odds to win the draft lottery with an 18.5 per cent chance.

While their fans can be optimistic about their chances to land the first overall pick, they’re also very aware that a few surprises could be in store in tonight’s lottery.

Meanwhile, the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs continues tonight with a former Canucks defenceman in the spotlight once again.

Quinn Hughes leads all NHL defencemen with 11 points through seven games this postseason.

Hughes had a goal and three points for the Minnesota Wild in the opener of their second round series, but Cale Makar countered with two goals and three points as the Colorado Avalanche took Game 1 9-6.

What are the odds that Hughes and the Wild respond with a win tonight to earn the all-important road split?

Let’s dive into the matchup and lock in a FanDuel Best Bet for tonight’s game in this Morning Coffee column for Tuesday May 5th, 2026.

Hughes, Wild Reset For Game 2 Versus Avs As Canucks Fans Eye NHL Draft Lottery

Vancouver traded Hughes to Minnesota in December in exchange for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, and a 2026 first round pick.

While Canucks fans will be focused on the future tonight, there’s no doubt they will have their eye on Game 2 between the Wild and Avalanche.

Hughes has already matched the franchise record for goals in a single Stanley Cup Playoffs with three.

He’s the first Wild defenceman with three multi-point games in a single postseason.

Minnesota is still guaranteed to play at least three more games, but their fans are hoping it’s a lot more than that.

While Hughes has been brilliant, he’s going to need a lot more help if the Wild are going to pull off a series upset.

Makar matched Hughes with three points for Colorado in Game 1.

Devon Toews had four.

The Avalanche have been the Stanley Cup favourite for most of the past year, and the Presidents’ Trophy winners showcased their depth once again in Game 1.

13 skaters registered at least one point for Colorado.

Seven skaters recorded multiple points, with Toews, Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas delivering a combined four goals and 13 points.

The Avalanche are a perfect 5-0 to start the postseason.

The Wild might be the toughest opponent they face in these Stanley Cup Playoffs, and thanks to the league’s playoff format they had to meet in the second round.

Thanks to a third-place finish in the Central Division, Minnesota has the toughest possible path of any contender as the lower seed versus the Dallas Stars and Colorado in the first two rounds.

The Wild are 2-11 all-time when trailing 1-0 in a series.

Coming off a 15-goal track meet in Game 1, it’s fair to wonder whether they have enough left in the tank to force a split tonight.

The Avalanche have the home-ice advantage, the rest advantage, and a healthier roster entering Game 2.

Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin are out again tonight.

At full strength, Colorado has better depth than Minnesota.

Losing their best centre and a top four defenceman might be too much for the Wild to overcome in this series.

The Avalanche have won four straight Game 2s on home ice and seven of their last eight Game 2s on home ice.

On the flip side, Minnesota is 2-13 all-time in Games 2s on the road.

Colorado is up to -194 to win Game 2 and -430 to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

The Wild are +162 to win tonight and +330 to advance.

Meanwhile, the total is sitting at 6.5 with the over -104.

After 15 goals in Game 1, can we expect another high scoring affair in Game 2?

The Avalanche trail only the Carolina Hurricanes with 70.4 shot attempts per game this postseason, including 69 versus Minnesota in Game 1.

Colorado also ranks second in the NHL in shot attempts per game off the rush and slot shot attempts.

The Wild couldn’t slow down the Avalanche in Game 1, and their best counterpunch might still be their ability to generate scoring chances of their own.

A builder Same Game Parlay with Colorado to win and over 4.5 goals in the game can be found at -135.

The Avalanche to win and the over 5.5 is +121.

I’m willing to roll the dice on Colorado and the over 4.5 because I don’t think Minnesota can slow them down.

Seven different Avs skater registered at least three shots on goal in the series opener.

Those seven skaters combined for 30 shots on goal on 41 attempts, led by eight shots on goal on nine attempts by Nazem Kadri.

The Wild were one of the worst teams in the NHL against opposing centres during the regular season.

Without Ek and Faber in the lineup, that issue was glaring in Game 1.

MacKinnon, Kadri, and Brock Nelson combined for 16 shots on goal on 21 attempts, all ranking among the top eight skaters on either team in expected goals.

I cashed both of my FanDuel Best Bets for Game 1, although neither featured a Colorado centre.

That puts me in an interesting position for Game 2.

My first Game 1 bet was an SGP with Matt Boldy 3+ shots on goal and 1+ point.

My second Game 1 bet was an SGP with Martin Necas 2+ shots on goal and Colorado to win.

The Wild scored six goals in Game 1, but their leading goal scorer Boldy was held to one assist.

An identical SGP with Boldy 1+ point and 3+ shots on goal can be found at -123 for Game 2.

I’ll run that bet back again tonight.

As I’ve already highlighted, I like the Avalanche to win with the over 4.5 goals tonight at -135.

I also like Necas 1+ assist at -111.

That’s three bets that I like for Game 2 and we haven’t even got to the mismatch at the centre position.

Kadri led Colorado with eight shots on goal on nine attempts in just 13:51 of ice time in the series opener.

Kadri to record 1+ point tonight is -128.

Kadri to record 3+ shots on goal is +128.

Kadri to record 4+ shots on goal is +320.

Kadri to record 5+ shots on goal is +710.

Only Colorado’s first-round opponent – the Los Angeles Kings – has allowed more shots on goal to the centre position than Minnesota this postseason.

I’ll lock in Kadri 1+ point -128 and 3+ shots on goal +128 as a couple more FanDuel Best Bets for Game 2.

I’ll also throw some coffee money on the Kadri shots on goal ladder with 4+ at +320 and 5+ at +710.

The Avalanche are the most complete team in the NHL.

While the Wild are a legitimate contender, I think they’ll be in tough to slow down Colorado’s attack again tonight.

Hopefully, Game 2 can live up to the hype.

Have a great day, everyone!