Avalanche vs Minnesota Wild Odds: Av’s Looking to Make Statement
Avalanche, Our Top Team in The West While Wild Fade
The Colorado Avalanche (47-22-6, 100) have seven NHL games left in the regular season as they try to keep pace with the Dallas Stars (103 points) for the top spot in the Central Division. The Avalanche are 12-3-1 in their last 16 games but just 1-2-1 in their last four.
The Minnesota Wild (36-28-10, 82 points) have been one of the bigger disappointments this NHL season. The Wild are six points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the last wild card spot with eight games left. Colorado, our top Western Conference team, opened as a -142 road favorite with a total of 6.5 (under 120).
The puck is scheduled to drop at 8:10 p.m. ET / 5:10 p.m. PT and can be seen on the Altitude Network and Bally Sports Wisconsin. Let’s get to our NHL pick with our Avalanche vs Wild odds preview.
Avalanche vs Wild 
Day/Time:
Location: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN
Streaming: Altitude Network/Bally Sports Wisconsin
Avalanche Coming Off Massive Loss
If betting were easy it wouldn’t exist. The Colorado Avalanche were a -328 road favorite at the Columbus Blue Jackets and put up an absurd number of shots, but in the end, the Jackets skated away with a 4-1 victory behind a 46-save effort from Daniil Tarasov.
The loss delivered a blow to Colorado’s chances to overcome the Dallas Stars for first in the Central Division, creating a reasonable expectation that the Avalanche will not be a happy bunch heading to the Twin Cities. For an NHL team that is supposed to be peaking, the Avs have been outscored 13-11 in their last four.
Some in the Colorado organization have questioned whether the Avalanche are deep enough in goal to make a run at the Stanley Cup. We’re not ready to declare ourselves concerned but Alexander Georgiev (37-15-4, 2.85, .901) has allowed 10 goals in his last three starts and was pulled against the Nashville Predators (7-4 win) after allowing four goals on the first 13 shots faced.
Back-up Justus Annunen (6-4-1, 2.26, .927) has been good enough to start the talk of whether Annumen may be the starting goaltender to start the playoffs.
We think that’s silly but rumors and water cooler talk can sometimes be a match waiting to be lit. For bettors, the Avalanche is still a team where the public needs to pick and choose when backing with a wager.
Chances are Colorado will cash your ticket after putting up an impressive 47-28 record (.627) but that has been just enough to produce a small 0.21 profit.
It’s the second straight year where bettors have had to tiptoe around an Avalanche wager even though the Avs are 101-63 (.616), but that’s only been good enough for +0.60 units. Colorado’s betting history makes us pause before backing the 3-Team Stanley Cup winners.
Wild Depth Scoring Too Little, Too Late
When Vinni Lettieri scored late in the third, his fourth, to give the Wild a much-needed win against the Ottawa Senators, leaving fans to wonder where that production had been all season for the Senators’ bottom six.
With Marcus Foligno out for the season with a lower-body NHL injury and Ryan Hartman suspended, the Wild need depth scoring or they won’t make the postseason.
The reality is, with the Wild having to leap over the St. Louis Blues in the NHL standings and catch the Los Angeles Kings for a wild card spot, Minnesota won’t make the postseason because the bottom six heading into tonight’s game have delivered a total of 11 goals this season and three combined over their last 10.
The Wild are 6.91 units in the red this season and are now -13.49 units over the last two years. In that span, the Wild are 21-46 as an underdog.
Oddsmakers Making Public Pay
The oddsmakers were happy to post a six but if you want to bet over you’re going to lay -120 ad more in some spots. The Avs are 40-31-4 to the over this season but have failed to add to that total consistently because bookmakers have put up a total of no less than 6.5 in 12 games straight Av’s games.
The Avalanche are 5-4-1 to the over in that span. The Wild would rather play a defensive style but if they get down early, we’re cashing an easy winner because they’ll be forced to open up their game to tie the score or get back into the game.
Colorado should be plenty ready to put a hurt on Minnesota after getting a game stolen from them against the Blue Jackets after outplaying Columbus for most of the game. Take the over 6 and the even money. That does it for our Avalanche vs Wild odds preview, all the best with your Thursday NHL picks and parlays.
For betting news, hockey odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
