Huge Matchup Between Avs and Rangers Approaching Pick’Em Status
The Avalanche vs Rangers Odds Lists Host New York as a Slight Favorite
Star Defensemen Fox and Makar Headline Avalanche-Rangers Matchup
The NHL returns to action after the All-Star break with a matchup of a pair of Stanley Cup contenders at the World’s Most Famous Arena. The Avalanche vs Rangers odds are approaching Pick’em status.
Colorado has won its last two games at Madison Square Garden, while just one of the previous five games between the Avalanche and Rangers went over the total. Keep that in mind when it comes to the NHL scores today.
The NHL betting lines have the Rangers at -115 to win outright compared to -105 odds for the visiting Avalanche.
Regarding the NHL playoff bracket, the Rangers are third in the Eastern Conference with 63 points, while Colorado is second in the Western Conference with 67 points. If the Stanley Cup playoffs started today, both teams would be the No. 2 seed in their respective conferences.
Looking at NHL futures odds, Colorado is tied with the Boston Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers at +800 for the best odds of winning the Stanley Cup, with the Rangers coming in at +1000 in the championship odds.
Keep reading for more about the matchup between the Avalanche and the Rangers.
Avalanche vs Rangers 
Records: Colorado Avalanche 32-14-3 at New York Rangers 30-16-3
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Day/Time: Streaming: Altitude, MSG, ESPN+
MacKinnon On a Roll
Since the start of December, Colorado‘s Nathan MacKinnon has nine more points than anybody else in the NHL.
Over his last 27 games, MacKinnon has 23 goals with six of them being game-winning tallies. He also has 23 assists. That is a pace of 70 goals and 97 assists over an 82-game schedule. Keep that in mind when looking at the Avalanche vs Rangers odds.
Despite those gaudy stats, Colorado has actually lost three points in the standings, even though Winnipeg has played two fewer games.
Fifteen of Colorado’s 24 road games landed over the total.
Goals Come in Bunches At MSG
Seven of the last nine home games for the Rangers have finished over the total.
Dating back to a 7-3 loss at home to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the winning team has scored at least five goals in seven of 11 games.
Mika Zibanejad leads the way with team-leading totals of 11 assists and 15 points. His strong play at home could play a role in the Avalanche vs Rangers odds.
Blake Wheeler, no stranger to the Colorado players during his time with the Jets, had six goals during that stretch, with Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider scoring five times each.
The NHL odds total has gone over in 13 of the last 20 games played by the Rangers.
Last Meeting
Artemi Panarin assisted on the tying goal and had the clinching score in the shootout to lead the New York Rangers to the 2-1 road win on Dec. 9, 2022.
Colorado lost despite outshooting the Rangers 42-29.
It was the first time since 2015 that the Avalanche and Rangers combined for fewer than four goals.
Avalanche vs Rangers Betting Preview
Since the beginning of December, Colorado’s Cale Makar has led all NHL defensemen with 10 power-play points. New York’s Adam Fox is tied for fifth with five points with the man advantage. Makar is second to Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes in the Norris Trophy odds, with Fox having the eighth-best Norris Trophy odds.
Colorado leads the NHL in goals per game. However, Valeri Nichushkin remains sidelined. He is third on the team with 22 goals and fourth with 42 points. Nichushkin scored one of the three Colorado goals in the two games against the Rangers last season.
For the Rangers, defenseman Jacob Trouba will serve the final game of his two-game suspension, but defenseman Ryan Lindgren is expected to play after missing the last game.
Barclay Goodrow led the Rangers with three games against the Avalanche last season. Keep in mind that he has no points over his last nine games this season.
Six of the last nine times that the Rangers played host to the Avalanche, the game went over the total.
The Rangers are 23-15-2 as the favorite this season.
Colorado has covered just nine of its 24 road games this season.
Colorado has won eight of its last 11 games against Eastern Conference teams.
The total has gone over in seven of the last nine games for the Rangers.
The last five road games played by the Avalanche went over the total.
Go with the Rangers to get off to the second half of the season with a tough home win, although it won’t be a surprise if Colorado covers at +1.5-goal underdogs.
For NHL betting odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
