Colorado Avalanche at Minnesota Wild odds, picks and prediction
The Colorado Avalanche (5-3-0) travel to meet the Minnesota Wild (5-3-0) at Xcel Energy Center Saturday for an 8 p.m. ET puck drop. Below, we analyze the Avalanche-Wild NHL odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Avalanche at Wild: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports' betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:36 a.m. ET.
- Money line : Avalanche -165 (bet $165 to win $100) | Wild +140 (bet $100 to win $140)
- Against the spread/ATS : Avalanche -1.5 (+165) | Wild +1.5 (-200)
- Over/Under : 5.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Avalanche at Wild: Projected starting goalies
Philipp Grubauer (5-2-0, 1.86 GAA, .928 SV%, 2 SO) at Kaapo Kahkonen (3-2-0, 2.40 GAA, .917 SV%)
Grubauer's splits are pretty good at home or on the road, although both of his shutouts have come at Ball Arena. He is still a solid 2-1-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .922 SV% in his three assignments away from home. It was a mixed bag last season against the Wild but mostly good as he was 1-1-0 with a 2.56 GAA and .919 SV% in two starts.
The status for regular No. 1 backstop Cam Talbot (lower body) is still not known so Kahkonen is projected to start yet again Saturday. Four of Kahkonen's five appearances have come on home ice, going 2-2-0 with a 2.51 GAA and .917 SV%. This will be his first-career appearance against the high-octane Avs.
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Avalanche at Wild: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Wild 3, Avalanche 2
Money line (ML)
The WILD (+140) are a sharp play on home ice as short underdogs as the Avalanche have managed to come away with wins in just five of their past 17 trips to the Twin Cities. Yes, Minnesota has won just once in their past five on home ice, but trust the head-to-head trends in this battle between teams which know each other really well.
Against the spread (ATS)
The Wild +1.5 (-200) aren't worth the risk at this price point. If you're going to back the home side, just roll with the Wild on the money line. Risking over two times your potential return is a recipe for disaster over the long term. PASS.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 5.5 (-105) is the way to go. The Avalanche are averaging just 2.25 goals per game in four road outings, hitting the Under in three of those games. The Wild had a rare five-goal outburst against the Los Angeles Kings last time out, but the Under is still 4-2 across their past six.
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