The Colorado Avalanche will battle the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night at the Xcel Energy Center. It’s a Central Division showdown as we share our NHL odds series and make an Avalanche-Wild prediction and pick.
The Wild have gone 45-43 over the past 88 games against the Avalanche. This will be the first meeting between the Avalanche and the Wild this season. Significantly, the Avs swept the Wild last season. The Avalanche are 7-2-1 over the past 10 games against the Wild, including 4-1 in the past five games against them at the Xcel Energy Center.
Here are the Avalanche-Wild NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Avalanche-Wild Odds
Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (+172)
Moneyline: -150
Minnesota Wild: +1.5 (-215)
Moneyline: +125
Over: 5.5 (-124)
Under: 5.5 (+102)
How To Watch Avalanche vs Wild
Time: 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
TV: ESPN+, ALT, FDSN, and FDSW
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Why the Avalanche Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Avalanche are slowly making their way up the standings and looking every bit like the great team we expected them to be when the season commenced. Of course, it helps that they are slowly getting healthier and yielding better results. Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Jonathan Drouin have powered the first line, with MacKinnon and Rantanen averaging well over a point per game. Meanwhile, Artturi Lehkonen, Casey Mittelstadt, and Ross Colton have thrived on the second line. Cale Makar continues to be one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL.
The Avalanche rank fifth in goals and fourth in assists. Additionally, the Avs are seventh in shooting percentage. The powerplay is improving, as the Avs rank 12th on the powerplay.
The Avalanche have seemingly solved their goaltending issues and recently inked Mackenzie Blackwood to a contract extension that will keep him in Colorado for the foreseeable future. Blackwood is 8-7-1 with a 1.69 goals-against average and a save percentage of .938. After struggling to start the season, the defense has found its footing and is playing significantly better recently. Furthermore, they demonstrated this in a 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets and a 3-1 victory over the Florida Panthers.
The Avalanche will cover the spread if they can continue the offensive assault and MacKinnon and Rantanen find ways to get the puck to the net. Then, they must continue their strong defense recently, and Blackwood must continue to lock in.
Why the Wild Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Wild got off to a hot start and continued to play well, even amid an injury to their best player. Yes, Kirill Kaprizov is injured and will not play in this game. Despite his injury, the Wild have won four games in a row and are 5-1 since Kaprizov sustained the injury. Somehow, they have survived without their best player and remain second in the Central Division.
Marco Rossi has been one of the main reasons for their ability to stay relevant, as he currently has 15 goals and 22 assists, including four conversions on the powerplay. Likewise, Matt Boldy has done well with 15 goals and 20 assists, including four tallies on the powerplay. Mats Zuccarello is an ageless wonder and comes in with 10 goals and 17 assists, including two markers on the powerplay.
These guys power an offense that is 14th in goals and 18th in assists. Also, they are 13th in shooting percentage. The Wild have struggled on the powerplay, ranking 21st on the extra-man attack. Therefore, that is something to keep an eye on as they attempt to overcome the Avs.
Filip Gustavsson will likely be in the net and comes in with a mark of 18-6-3 with a 2.31 goals-against average and a save percentage of .922. Ultimately, he will play behind a tight defense that is seventh in goals against yet 29th on the penalty kill.
The Wild will cover the spread if the offense can find some room to shoot and get pucks on the net. Then, they must avoid taking penalties and giving the Avalanche too many chances.
Final Avalanche-Wild Prediction & Pick
The Avalanche are 16-25 against the spread, while the Wild are 21-20 against the odds. Moreover, the Avs are 9-11 against the spread on the road, while the Wild are 6-14 against the odds at home. The Avalanche are 22-18-1 against the over/under, while the Wild are 18-21-2 against the over/under. The Avalanche are 2-3 against the spread and 3-2 overall when playing on the second end of a back-to-back.
Without Kaprizov, the Wild will rely on their defense to slow this game down. Yet, I believe the Avalanche have a lot of firepower. The only thing that is working against them is the back-to-back. Because of this, I expect this game to lack the offense we expect. The under will hit.
Final Avalanche-Wild Prediction & Pick: Under 5.5 (+102)
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