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The Avalanche and the Wild meet in Minnesota! These two teams have had great seasons, but the Avalanche are playing much better now, entering Minnesota. We continue our NHL odds series with an Avalanche-Wild prediction and pick.
The Avalanche have picked up where they left off last season and are once again one of the best teams in the NHL. They are 38-24-2 and enter this matchup on a five-game winning streak. Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are the best duo for the Avalanche, and they should carry this team to this matchup against the Wild. This would be great for momentum.
The Wild were inconsistent last season but have turned it around to have a solid season, with a 36-24-4 record. Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Marco Rossi are the best trio for the Wild, and they need to show up in a giant game against the Avalanche. This is a big game, and the Wild can make a statement by beating the Avalanche and breaking their five-game winning streak in Minnesota.
Here are the Avalanche-Wild NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Avalanche-Wild Odds
Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (+138)
Moneyline: -184
Minnesota Wild: +1.5 (-170)
Moneyline: +152
Over: 5.5 (-120)
Under: 5.5 (-102)
How To Watch Avalanche vs Wild
Time: 8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT
TV: ESPN+/Altitude Sports/FanDuel Sports Network North
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Avalanche Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Avalanche's offense has been consistent and is one of the best in the NHL. They score 3.36 goals per game, have a 24.2% power play percentage, and an 11.3% shooting percentage.
MacKinnon has been significant for the Avalanche this year, and has carried the team when needed on offense. He leads the team in total points at 100, in goals at 27, and assists at 73. Mikko Rantanen was traded away to the Dallas Stars, making way for Makar to play an even more significant role in this offense on top of how well he plays on defense. Makar is second in assists, with 51, and has 75 points, which is also second.
The Avalanche and their offense have one of the best players in the NHL in MacKinnon, but there's a gap to fill since Rantanen is no longer on the roster. Still, this offense has been outstanding and they should score on the Wild in this game against Minnesota.
The Avalanche have been in the middle of the NHL this season on defense. They allow 2.95 goals per game and have an 89.8% save percentage.
The defense has used six different goalies this season. Mackenzie Blackwood is the best goalie on the roster with 18 wins, seven losses, and two overtime losses through 27 games. He also allows 2.22 goals per game and has a 91.7% save percentage. With Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen traded away, Scott Wedgewood is next behind Blackwood. He has six wins and four losses, allowing 2.23 goals per game with a 91.6% save percentage.
The Avalanche have not had to be great on defense because of their offense. Still, this defense gets a solid matchup against a Minnesota offense that has been unimpressive, especially compared to their offense.
Why the Wild Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Wild's offense has struggled this season, and consistency has been a real issue for Minnesota. They score 2.77 goals per game, have a 20.1% power play percentage, and have a 10% shooting percentage.
The offense has struggled to impress, but Minnesota's trio of Kaprizov, Boldy, and Rossi has been great this season. Boldy leads the team in points at 54 and in assists with 33. Boldy and Rossi are tied for second in goals scored at 21, while Kaprizov is the goal-scoring leader with 23 on the season.
This offense has a solid matchup against the Avalanche because Colorado has a good defense and has reworked their goaltending, but they are still not all that impressive, so the Wild should find some success on this side of the ice.
The Wild's defense has been great this year. They allow 2.86 goals per game and have a 90.9% save percentage. The key for them on defense is their goalie tandem of Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury. Gustavsson has 24 wins, 14 losses, and three overtime losses while allowing 2.60 goals per game and having a 91.4% save percentage. Fleury has 12 wins, eight losses, and one overtime loss, while allowing 2.73 goals per game and having a 90.4% save percentage.
The Wild are in for a long game against this Avalanche offense. Colorado has been red-hot on this side of the ice and they should score and find success despite a strong Minnesota defense.
Final Avalanche-Wild Prediction & Pick
The Avalanche are the better team than the Wild. They have the best unit and player in this game with their offense and MacKinnon. They should do enough on offense to find the win, but the Wild keep this close and cover at home.
Final Avalanche-Wild Prediction & Pick: Minnesota Wild +1.5 (-170)
