The Carolina Hurricanes will head out west to face off against the league leader in points, the Colorado Avalanche. The last time these teams played each other was a little over a month ago in Carolina where the Hurricanes got the 2-0 shutout win. Since then, the Avalanche have gone 13-1-1 and continue to steamroll into the playoffs. Can the Hurricanes get it done on the road tonight? It’s time to continue our NHL odds series with a Hurricanes-Avalanche prediction and pick.

Here are the Hurricanes-Avalanche NHL Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel

NHL Odds: Hurricanes-Avalanche Odds

Carolina Hurricanes: +1.5 (-215) (+122 ML)

Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (+176) (-146 ML)

Over: 6 (-114)

Under: 6 (-106)

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Why The Hurricanes Can Cover The Spread/Win

The Carolina Hurricanes are slowly starting to dip after leading the Metropolitan Division for the majority of the season. They are now only two points ahead of the Rangers for the number one spot. They've gone 5-4-1 over their last 10 games, which isn't bad, but ever since clinching a playoff spot, the Canes have started taking their foot off the gas a little bit. They're heading into this game after an embarrassing 3-0 shutout loss on home ice to the Red Wings on Thursday. Maybe it was just an off night, but the Canes have been inconsistent offensively.

Defensively, however, the Canes have been outstanding all year long, mainly due to their goaltending through Freddie Andersen. He'll get the start between the pipes tonight as he is sporting a .926 save percentage while allowing just 2.07 goals against per game. He's a very underrated goaltender that nobody gives enough credit towards, but he'll have his hands full tonight against a pesky Avalanche offense.

Why The Avalanche Can Cover The Spread/Win

The Colorado Avalanche are simply the best team in hockey right now. They lead the league in points (114) and have gone 9-0-1 in their last 10 matchups. They're even at home tonight, where they set a new franchise record in their last game against the Devils for the most home wins in a single season; and there are still four more home games left in the season. Not to mention, the Avs are playing through injuries from star players in Gabriel Landeskog and Nazem Kadri, who will both likely be back for the playoffs. Goaltending has never been an issue for the Avs this year as starter Darcy Kuemper has been fantastic, allowing 2.38 goals against per game with a .926 save percentage. He'll look to shut down an inconsistent Canes team who is looking to bounce back in a big way.

Final Hurricanes-Avalanche Prediction & Pick

This is truly a tough pick tonight, but it's almost as if the answer is obvious: do not, I repeat DO NOT bet against the Avalanche on home ice. With that, I'm going to pick the Avs Moneyline. The odds aren't great at -146, but that's much lower than what they're typically listed at, so I'll take what I can get. I expect a hard-fought and low-scoring game tonight, but ultimately I think the Avs are going to prevail, as they have been all season. Only the Stars have beaten the Avs twice this season, and I don't expect the Canes to be the second team to do it tonight.

Final Hurricanes-Avalanche Prediction and Pick: Avalanche Moneyline (-146)