Avalanche vs Wild Odds
| Avalanche Odds | -134 |
| Wild Odds | +112 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -120o / +102u |
After a day of rest to enjoy Thanksgiving — and get out of the way of NFL football — the National Hockey League resumes on Friday with a 15-game slate.
In the evening, the Colorado Avalanche will take on the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center, the first meeting of the year between the Central Division rivals.
So how do these sides stack up? Let's look at the NHL odds and make a Avalanche vs. Wild prediction.
Colorado Avalanche
With the exception of 16 bad seconds that cost them two points in Nashville last Monday, the Avalanche have been on a heater ever since their 8-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 11. They've gone 4-1 while outscoring their opponents 27-12 in the process. Cale Makar has led the way with 13 points over those five games, all multi-point outings.
The Avalanche are two points behind the Dallas Stars in the Central Division. Colorado is third in the league in scoring, averaging 3.83 goals per game, and limiting opponents to just 27.9 shots per game — tied for fourth-fewest in the league. The penalty kill has also been excellent, going 16-for-17 over the past five games. At 5-on-5, the Avalanche are tied for the third-best expected goals share (55.70%).
The Avalanche are also going into their first back-to-back set of the year as they're set to return home and face the Calgary Flames on Saturday. As a result, it's possible that we'll see backup Ivan Prosvetov against the Wild. The 24-year-0ld has made four appearances this season and boasts a 1-1-0 record with a .899 save percentage and 2.1 goals saved above expected.
Minnesota Wild
Friday's game will be the Wild's first since playing in Stockholm, where Minnesota picked up two points as part of the NHL Global Series.
That was actually an improvement in Minnesota's fortunes after it had dropped three straight in regulation prior to the trip. But with Minnesota now mired in 28th place in the standings and already sitting seven points out of a wild-card spot, GM Bill Guerin has expressed his displeasure and is looking for everyone to do more to help get the team back on track.
The Wild are scoring a respectable 3.12 goals per game, but are having trouble keeping the puck out of their own net. Even though they have an expected goals rate of 49.22% at 5-on-5, they're giving up four goals per game and their penalty kill is the worst in the league.
Last year, Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury spelled each other off in net, depending on who had the hot hand. This season, both goaltenders have struggled.
Avalanche vs. Wild
Betting Pick & Prediction
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This is the first meeting of the season between the Avalanche and Wild. Last season, the road team prevailed in all three matchups.
And trends point to that continuing Friday as the Avalanche are rolling and the Wild are struggling.
Considering that these teams are separated by 10 points in the standings, it's a little surprising that the moneyline doesn't favor Colorado by more. At -125, that's an implied win percentage of just over 55% — not a huge margin.
To boost your potential payout, look for a regulation win at plus money.
Pick: Avalanche in Regulation (+115 on Bet365) | Play to +100
