The Colorado Avalanche will head into Western Canada for the tail end of their back-to-back set against the Edmonton Oilers tonight. This will be the second time that these two powerhouse teams will meet up this season, as the Avalanche were victors in their first meeting. The Avalanche have the best record in the league and are favorites to win not only the President's Trophy but also the Stanley Cup. The Oilers have been on fire lately, winning their last six games and going 7-2-1 in their last 10 matchups. Who will come out on top tonight? It’s time to find out as we continue our NHL odds series with an Avalanche-Oilers prediction and pick.
Here are the Avalanche-Oilers NHL Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Avalanche-Oilers Odds
Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (+198) (-120 ML)
Edmonton Oilers: +1.5 (-245) (+100 ML)
Over: 6.5 (-110)
Under: 6.5 (-110)
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Why The Avalanche Can Cover The Spread/Win
The Colorado Avalanche have out-skated, out-scored, and outplayed the entire rest of the league this season as they have the most points out of all of the teams so far. A rough start to the beginning of the season, but quickly picked up the pace, began winning games, and never looked back. They are one of the deepest teams in the league, in terms of depth, and it shows through their 3.79 goals per game. The Avs are dealing with some injuries at the moment through team captain Gabriel Landeskog and defenseman Samuel Girard, but that certainly hasn't stopped them from winning games. What's even scarier is that injured players are projected to make it back into the lineup for playoffs. Until then, they'll try and focus on one game at a time, starting in Edmonton tonight.
Goaltender Darcy Kuemper will get the starting nod tonight as backup Pavel Francouz got the overtime win in Winnipeg last night. Kuemper is putting up some exceptional numbers this year with a .925 save percentage and allowing 2.40 goals against per game. He'll look to shut down Connor McDavid and company tonight.
Why The Oilers Can Cover The Spread/Win
The Edmonton Oilers head into this game on a six-game winning streak and look to improve on it once again tonight. The Oilers have had their ups and downs this season, and right now is certainly one of their ups. They are second in the Pacific Division, just six points behind the Flames but only three points ahead of the Kings. As per usual on the Oilers, the offense has been their biggest strength, averaging 3.47 goals per game. However, defense and goaltending have been a struggle for them this year. They give up 3.17 goals per game, and if they keep slacking defensively, they won't get very far in the playoffs.
Starting in goal for the Oilers is most likely Mike Smith, who has been the definition of inconsistent all year long. He's been dealing with injuries throughout the season, which is a valid excuse, but he's currently posting a .904 save percentage while allowing 3.19 goals against per game. He'll look to improve on his stats and try to shut down an extremely dangerous Avalanche group tonight.
Final Avalanche-Oilers Prediction & Pick
This is honestly a tough pick since both teams are very skilled, and the Oilers seem to have caught fire lately. However, I love the value that the oddsmakers are giving us with the Avalanche Moneyline being so low. It's a rare sight to see their Moneyline anywhere below -150 this late into the season, so I'm going to jump on it while I can. If you'd like, over 6.5 is a very good bet to take as well as both teams are very talented on offense and have zero issues putting pucks in the back of nets. With that said, I'm going to stick to the value pick here and just take the Avalanche Moneyline tonight, just because it's so low.
Final Avalanche-Oilers Prediction and Pick: Avalanche Moneyline -120
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