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Storming out of the gates to a 5-0 start, the red-hot Colorado Avalanche will head to the East Coast to take on the New York Islanders. Let's check out our NHL odds series where our Avalanche-Islanders prediction and pick will be revealed.
So far, so good. Only two years removed from hoisting Lord Stanley Cup, the Colorado Avalanche look as dangerous as ever. Even though we are only a handful of games into the brand-new season, Colorado already looks like a bonafide threat to the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights out west and appears to not be messing around this season.
On the other side of things, New York trailed 3-0 on the road against Buffalo before finally netting a score to avoid getting shutout in what resulted in their first regulation loss of the regular season. The Islanders come into this Tuesday tilt with a 2-1-1 overall record and are hoping to be energized in front of their home crowd to help them overcome the juggernaut Avalanche.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Avalanche-Islanders Odds
Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (+180)
New York Islanders: +1.5 (-220)
Over: 5.5 (-112)
Under: 5.5 (-108)
How to Watch Avalanche vs. Islanders
Time: 7:10 ET/4:10 PT
TV: ESPN+
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
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Why The Avalanche Will Cover The Spread/Win
If there is one facet of the game that the Avs have absolutely excelled in to begin the season, look no further than their attacking play in the power play department. Off to an elite start in this category, Colorado is converting on 27.8 of their extra-man opportunities which is an uptick from a year ago where they capitalized on 24.7 percent of their power-plays. Bettors and fans alike need to keep their eyes peeled for when the Avalanche are on the power-play, because there is no doubt that the Islanders will have their hands full!
In addition, there is also no denying just how special Colorado's top line is. Stacked with the utmost of star power at every position, the three-man game between Nathan Mackinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Maker are as good as it gets. Combine this with the fact that Alexandar Georgiev is playing like one of the top goaltenders in all of hockey, and one may begin to realize that the chances of Colorado finding a way to cover the spread and come out victorious by multiple goals is quite high.
Why The Islanders Will Cover The Spread/Win
Meanwhile, the Islanders are fresh off of a 42-31-9 season while going down in crushing defeat during the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes. Despite their shortcomings, there are lofty expectations for this squad as making a deep run in the postseason instead of another first-round exit is the team's task at hand.
With the playoffs well off in the horizon and with many regular season games to be played until then, the Islanders must focus on one game at a time especially coming off of a loss. If New York is going to cover the spread against a difficult opponent like Colorado, they will need to make sure that they have all hands on deck. To put their two-game losing streak in the rearview mirror, the Islanders need to keep up their tenacious defensive tenacity. Led by goaltender Semyon Varlamov, the Russian netminder cannot afford to get sloppy versus his former team whatsoever in net against such a high-octane offense in the Avs. So far, the 35-year-old goalie has proven that he has plenty left in the tank with a .930 save percentage and last saved 40 of 43 shots on goal in the team's most recent loss to the Sabres.
All in all, the biggest question mark surrounding this squad will be their offense which has left much to be desired through the first four games of the season. Yet to score more than four goals on the year, will they be able to strike when the iron is hit referring to their power-play opportunities? At the moment, New York is only converting on less than 10% of their extra-man attacks, and this must change dramatically to knock the Avalanche off at home.
Final Avalanche-Islanders Prediction & Pick
Without a doubt, this one will be entertaining to say the very least! However, at the end of the day, the Colorado Avalanche are just too much to overcome at this moment in time until proven otherwise. To play things safe, siding with the Avs to win by more than one goal seems like the pick here.
Final Avalanche-Islanders Prediction & Pick: Avalanche -1.5 (+180)
