Subscribe
Follow Us
The Colorado Avalanche will face the New York Rangers on Sunday in Manhattan. It will be a classic at Madison Square Garden as we share our NHL odds series and make an Avalanche-Rangers prediction and pick.
The Avalanche have gone 12-10 in the past 22 games against the Rangers. Recently, the Avs defeated the Rangers 3-2 in overtime on January 14, 2025 at Ball Arena. The Avalanche are 6-4 in the past 10 games against the Rangers. However, the Rangers are 3-2 in the past five games at Madison Square Garden against the Avalanche.
Here are the Avalanche-Rangers NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Avalanche-Rangers Odds
Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (+198)
Moneyline: -126
New York Rangers: +1.5 (-250)
Moneyline: +105
Over: 5.5 (-132)
Under: 5.5 (+108)
How To Watch Avalanche vs Rangers
Time: 1 PM ET/10 AM PT
TV: ESPN, MSG and ALT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Avalanche Could Cover the Spread/Win
On Friday night, the Avalanche shipped Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in a shocking blockbuster trade. Amazingly, this deal enabled them to acquire Martin Necas and Jack Drury. While Necas did not play for the Avalanche on Saturday due to travel issues, there is a chance he can make his Avalanche debut in this game in New York. Time will tell whether this is a good trade for the Avalanche. Regardless, his will be the first real test as the Avalanche play their second game without Rantanen.
When the Avalanche last met the Rangers, they scored first. Then, they were resilient after falling behind 2-1. The Avalanche never let up, tying the game with 1:13 left in the third period thanks to a goal by Artturi Lehkonen. Devon Toews finished it off with an overtime winner to seal the comeback win for the Avalanche.
Nathan MacKinnon was instrumental with two assists, including an apple on the game-winner. Likewise, Cale Makar added an assist. The Avalanche won that game with 26 shots on goals. Additionally, they won the game despite only winning 37 percent of the faceoffs. The Avalanche also won despite struggling on the powerplay, whiffing on all three opportunities.
One thing the Avalanche have improved upon all season is their defense and goaltending. While they struggled in October and November to prevent goals, they have done a significantly better job of stopping teams. Mackenzie Blackwood was elemental in this game with 27 saves while allowing just goals. Also, he played behind a defense that also went 3 for 3 on the penalty kill, leveled 17 hits, and blocked 10 shots.
The Avalanche will cover the spread if Mackinnon can find some skating room and either fire pucks at the net or set up others for success. Then, they must defend the net and not allow the Rangers to take open shots.
Why the Rangers Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Rangers are suddenly the hottest team in the NHL, firing off two straight wins and going 7-0-3 in their past 10 games to pull themselves up from the depths of the bottom of the standings. While they lost to the Avalanche a few weeks ago, it was not because of bad play but instead some unlucky bounces.
The Rangers battled back after trailing. Unfortunately, they could not hold onto a 2-1 lead as they allowed a goal with just over a minute left in the game. Sam Carrick was one of the better players as he netted an empty-net goal. Also, Adam Edtsrom added a goal on an assist from Carrick.
The Rangers got nothing from Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Vincent Trocheck, Alexis Lafreniere, or Mika Zibanejad. They fired shots at the net but could not do much else. The Rangers finished with 29 shots at the net. Furthermore, despite winning 63 percent of the faceoffs, they could not do much. The Rangers also went 0 for 3 on the powerplay.
Igor Shesterkin is on fire lately and has had two shutouts in his last three starts. Ultimately, he did well in the last battle with the Avs, making 23 saves and allowing three goals. The Rangers were efficient on the penalty kill, killing all three. Likewise, the defense had 12 hits and blocked 22 shots.
The Rangers will cover the spread if their better players can find ways to get shots at the net and score some goals. Then, the defense cannot collapse and allow Mackinnon to get loose.
Final Avalanche-Rangers Prediction & Pick
The Avalanche are 18-31 against the spread, while the Rangers are 20-28 against the spread. Moreover, the Avs are 10-13 against the spread on the road, while the Rangers are 8-15 against the spread at home. The Avalanche are 25-23-1 against the over/under, while the Rangers are 22-25-1 against the over/under.
The Avalanche are trying to spark something. This game will go down to the wire because the Rangers are playing at a high level, and the Avalanche are fighting for their lives. I expect a close game.
Final Avalanche-Rangers Prediction & Pick: New York Rangers +1.5 (-250)
