It is a Central Division battle as the Colorado Avalanche face the Chicago Blackhawks. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with an Avalanche-Blackhawks prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Avalanche come into the game sitting at 36-19-5 on the year, which is third in the Central Division. They have won three of their last five games, and last time out they faced the Dallas Stars. The Stars scored just one minute into the game, but the Avalanche would score just 1:08 later to tie the game, and then Mikko Rantanen would score to make it 2-1. In the second, the Avalanche would add three more goals to make it 5-1. Alexander Georgiev would stop 33 of 34 shots, as the Stars would not score again, giving the Avalanche a 5-1 win.

The Blackhawks come into the game sitting at 15-39-5 on the year, which is last in the Central Division. They have won just one of their last 13 games. Last time out, the Blackhawks faced the Detroit Red Wings. Daniel Sprong scored the first goal of the game, giving the Red Wins the 1-0 lead after the first period. In the second, MacKenzie Entwistle and Nick Foligno both scored to make it 2-1 for the Blackhawks. The Wings would get a goal in the third to tie it up, and the former Blackhawks Patrick Kane would score to win the game in overtime.

Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Avalanche-Blackhawks Odds

Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (-111)

Moneyline: -295

Chicago Blackhawks: +1.5 (-108)

Moneyline: +235

Over: 5.5 (-140)

Under: 5.5 (+112)

How to Watch Avalanche vs. Blackhawks

Time: 9:00 PM ET/ 6:00 PM PT

TV: ESPN

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Avalanche Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Avalanche are second in the NHL this year in goals per game, sitting with 3.65 goals per game this year. Nathan MacKinnon leads the team this year. MacKinnon has the most goals, assists, and points on the Avalanche. He comes into the game with 35 goals and 63 assists, good for 98 total points. Further, he has been amazing in the power play, with seven goals and 28 assists when on the man-advantage. Second on the team in goals and points is Mikko Rantanen. He comes into the game with 29 goals on the year, plus 45 assists, giving him a total of 76 points. Further, he has also been great on the power play, with 11 goals and 21 assists on the power lay this year.

The power play is also somewhere Valeri Nichushkin has thrived. He has 22 total goals and 20 assists, with 13 of the goals and three of the assists when on the power play. Further, the Avalanche get a lot of help on offense from the blue line. Cale Makar is third on the team in points, coming in with 13 goals and 49 assists, good for 62 total points. He has five goals and 23 assists on the power play this year. Devon Toews comes in with ten goals and 23 assists, good for 33 points from the blue line as well.

The Avalanche's power play ranks seventh in the NHL this year, with a 23.47 percent success rate and 51 total power-play goals on the season. The penalty kill is tenth in the NHL with an 81.8 percent success rate, but seventh in the NHL with seven shorthanded goals.

The Avalanche are expected to send Alexander Georgiev to be in the net for this one. He is 31-14-3 on the year with a 2.88 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. He is coming off a stellar performance, allowing just one goal on 34 shots in a win. It is the second time in three games he has allowed just one goal.

Why The Blackhawks Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Blackhawks are the worst-scoring teams in the NHL this year. They come into the game scoring just 2.07 goals per game, which is last in the NHL. The leading point scorer for the team is Connor Bedard, with 40 total points. Bedard is tied for the team lead in both goals and assists this year. He comes in with 17 goals and 23 assists on the year. Tied with Bedard in goals is Jason Dickinson. He comes in with 17 goals and 11 assists on the year, good for a third-ranked 28 points.

Tied with Bedard in assits is Phillip Kurashev. Kurashev has nine goals and 23 assists this year, good for a second-ranked 32 points. The major power play production this year has come from Nick Foligno and Tyler Johnson. Five of Foligno's 14 goals and four of his 13 assists have come on the power play. Meanwhile, five of Johnson's 12 goals and three of his six assists are on the power play as well.

The Blackhawks are tone the worst team in the NHL this year on the power play. They have converted just 13.3 percent of their chances and have just 23 power-play goals, sitting 31st in the NHL. Further, they have also struggled on the penalty kill, with a 77.5 percent success rate, which is 22nd in the NHL.

Petr Mrazek is expected to be in goal for this one. He comes into the game with a 13-22-4 record with a 2.99 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. This month he has just one win in five starts, going 1-3-3 on the month. He has a 3.31 goals against average and a .905 save percentage this month.

Final Avalanche-Blackhawks Prediction & Pick

The Blackhawks have been one of the worst-scoring teams in the NHL. Adding to that, they have not been getting good goaltending this year either. While the Avalanche goaltending can be hit-and-miss, the scoring is normally working well. Colorado is going to score plenty in this game against a weak Chicago defense. With how much Colorado can score, the best play in this game is on the over.

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Final Avalanche-Blackhawks Prediction & Pick: Over 5.5 (-140)