Vegas Golden Knights at Colorado Avalanche Game 2 odds, picks and prediction

The Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche play Game 2 of their Stanley Cup Playoffs second-round series Wednesday. Puck drop is set for 10 p.m. ET at Ball Arena. Below, we analyze the Golden Knights-Avalanche odds and lines, with NHL picks and predictions.

Colorado spanked Vegas 7-1 in Sunday's opener. C Nathan MacKinnon and LW Gabriel Landeskog each finished with 2 goals and 1 assist as the host Avs dominated from the get-go. Knights G Robin Lehner started and yielded 7 goals on 37 shots.

There were 74 penalty minutes in Game 1, including five 10-minute misconduct calls in the third period. Golden Knights RW Ryan Reaves received a match penalty and was later suspended two games for his actions, which included ripping out hair from Avalanche D Ryan Graves.

Regular-season series: Tied 4-4

Golden Knights at Avalanche: Odds, spread and lines

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports' betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:10 a.m. ET.

• Money line : Golden Knights +165 (bet $100 to win $165) | Avalanche -200 (bet $200 to win $100)
• Against the spread/ATS : Golden Knights +1.5 (-160) | Avalanche -1.5 (+135)
• Over/Under : 5.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)

Golden Knights at Avalanche: Projected starting goalies

Marc-Andre Fleury (26-10-0, 1.98 GAA, .928 SV%, 6 SO) vs. Philipp Grubauer (30-9-1, 1.95 GAA, .922 SV%, 7 SO). Stats from regular season.

Fleury did not play Sunday after tending net in the Knights' Game 7 victory over the Minnesota Wild two days earlier. He played every game of Vegas' first-round series and went 4-3 with a 1.71 GAA, .931 SV% and 1 shutout. He was 4-3 with a 2.14 GAA, .932 SV% and 2 shutouts against the Avs in the regular season.

Grubauer played Sunday and stopped 24 of 25 shots. Including a four-game, first-round sweep of the St. Louis Blues in which he allowed 7 goals on 110 shots, he is 5-0 with a 1.60 GAA and .941 SV% this postseason. He was 4-2-1 with a 1.86 GAA and .935 SV% vs. Vegas in the regular season.

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Golden Knights vs. Avalanche: Odds, lines, predictions and picks

Prediction

Avalanche 3, Golden Knights 2

Money line (ML)

COLORADO ( -200) is the STRONGEST PLAY, which is usually 1½ times your typical wager. In this case, because of the high price, don't bet more than 1.5 UNITS.

Grubauer was a stud at home in the regular season, going 19-4-1 with a 1.60 GAA, .935 SV% and 6 shutouts. Plus, he beat the Blues twice in Denver in the last series.

The Golden Knights should be super focused after getting smoked (embarrassed) in the opener. However, they won't have Reaves and likely won't have C Mattias Janmark, who was injured in Game 1. Janmark scored a hat trick in Game 7 against the Wild.

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Against the spread (ATS)

PASS. I wouldn't blame anyone for taking a shot with COLORADO -1.5 ( +135). It probably would need an empty-netter to cash, but be warned as 5 of the 8 head-to-head regular-season meetings were decided by 1 goal.

ATS records (including playoffs): Golden Knights 29-35 | Avalanche 30-31

Over/Under (O/U)

PASS. With Fleury rested and Grubauer dominant at home, the lean would be to the Under 5.5 (-105). The Under was 6-3 in their eight regular-season meetings and the one playoff game. I'm still going to AVOID as I don't want to get beat by an empty-netter.

O/U records (including playoffs): Golden Knights 32-30-2 | Avalanche 31-29-1

Bonus play

The way these Stanley Cup Playoffs have been going, bet a HALF UNIT on YES ( +320): Will the game go into overtime?

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