NHL Best Bet: Avalanche vs Hurricanes Odds Preview
Both Struggling After All-Star Break
The Colorado Avalanche (32-14-3, 67 points) continue their road trip with a stop in Raliegh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes (28-15-5, 61 points). With both teams in the top five of our recent NHL power rankings, this could easily be two teams that will be on each other’s NHL playoff schedule come the Stanley Cup finals.
Since their return from the break, Colorado has dropped both road games to the New York Rangers (2-1 OT) and New Jersey (5-3). The Avs lead the Dallas Stars by one point for the lead in the Central Division.
Carolina trails the Rangers by two points in the Metropolitan Division after dropping a 3-2 decision to the Vancouver Canucks to open the second half.
NHL Oddsmakers have opened Carolina as a -131 home favorite with a total of 6.5 (under -118). The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:07 p.m. ET / 4:07 p.m. PT. Let’s begin our Avalanche vs Hurricanes odds preview starting with a deeper look at Colorado.
Avalanche vs Hurricanes 
Day/Time:
Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Bettors Need Avalanche Opponents To Do Their Part
We’ve thought of the Colorado Avalanche as an over team for quite some time. Up until their recent run of six under in their last nine games, they were fulfilling that perception in 2024. The problem is opponents have not been able to do their part to push games over the total.
In examining those nine NHL games, Colorado has averaged 3.11 goals per game while giving up just 2.78 per game. The Avalanche are in the middle of a four-game under streak because opponents have been limited to just two goals per game which leads us to the question, will the Hurricanes, who are 10th in goals scored per game (3.35 GPG) be able to crack the Colorado defensive code to push this game over?
We’ll address that when we make our picks, but we can at least count on the pace being one that would suggest plenty of scoring chances. Colorado landed 36 shots on New Jersey Goaltender Vitek Vanacek who made 35 saves in the win and after a 33-shot effort in the loss to the Rangers to start the second half.
What makes under wagers dangerous when Colorado is involved they’re third in the NHL with 1638 total shots this season (32.12 per game) along with an 11.7% shot success rate (4th). The Avs have played in low-scoring games of late but the numbers inside the game indicate it’s a matter of time before there’s an offensive explosion.
Hurricanes With Plenty To Prove
One thing is certain, the Carolina Hurricanes have been under the radar good, but with a win over Colorado, the NHL betting community may want to start waking up to the fact that Carolina is a legit Stanley Cup contender once again.
We’re not sure they should have ever stopped being thought of as contenders but the ‘Canes started the season 3-4 and then lost four straight in early December to fall to a real record of 14-13. The Rangers started the season 18-5 and Carolina was forgotten. We’re here to declare that the Hurricanes will catch New York in the Metro and then set their sites on the Boston Bruins for Eastern Conference supremacy.
The ‘Canes are on a 4-game under streak but should have plenty of jump after losing to the Vancouver Canucks (3-2) after out playing the Canucks for much of the night. We conclude our Avalanche vs Hurricanes odds preview with our official selection.
This Clash Will Break Recent Form
The NHL season has seen some incredible games but the set of games coming out of the break has been noteworthy because many of them feature NHL teams that will play games deep into the NHL postseason.
We think the over 6.5 is the play here. But wait to get involved because the public will likely be on the under when the big money starts rolling in, giving bettors a chance to get a better number.
The public should remember how the Hurricanes locked down the Canucks in the final 40 minutes while taking Colorado’s recent under streak into account. If you can get plus money, get that now. If your book offers ‘even’ as the best number, give yourself some time to see if plus money will appear.
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