Chicago Blackhawks vs. Colorado Avalanche Prediction, NHL Odds
The Avs have capitalized on a long homestand, cruising to their fifth straight victory with a 7-4 win over Toronto on Saturday night. It’s a completely different story for the Blackhawks, who sit dead last in the Western Conference standings following a 3-2 overtime loss in Nashville on Saturday.
Colorado is a heavy -550 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with the total pegged at 6.5.
Blackhawks vs. Avalanche NHL Betting Odds
Despite where these teams sit in the standings, it’s actually been Chicago who has taken the first two games of the season series. The Blackhawks won 5-2 in Denver in late October and 3-1 in Chicago in early January. The season series wraps up April 2 in the Windy City.
It’s been a tough year for the Blackhawks, who have dropped seven of their last eight road games. On the flip side, the Avalanche have won seven straight home dates and they are 6-1 in their last seven home games against Chicago.
The Hawks hold the edge when it comes to covering as they are 36-28 against the spread, while Colorado is 28-36 ATS.
Goals could be in the forecast on Monday. While the Avs have split the Over/Under this season, Chicago has hit the Over in a significant majority of their games. And don’t forget, Colorado is averaging the sixth-most goals per game (3.36) in the NHL this season, while Chicago is giving up the fourth-most goals (3.47).
Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks have played three straight overtime games, but they have struggled to find consistent results all year. The big picture concern right now is 19-year-old Connor Bedard, who leads the team with 52 points (17G, 35A) in 64 games. Bedard doesn’t have a second up-and-coming superstar to play with (think Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane coming up together), so there’s a fear his development is taking a hit.
Switching gears back to the present, Spencer Knight is expected to get the start in net on Monday. Knight, who was traded from Florida on March 1, is expected to be the goalie of the future in Chicago and the early returns look promising. The 23-year-old has won both previous starts with the Blackhawks, stopping 77 of 81 total shots faced (.951 save percentage). In 23 starts split between the Panthers and Blackhawks this season, Knight is 14-8-1 with a 2.36 goals-against average and .913 SV.
Colorado Avalanche
Colorado looks like a completely different team with Valeri Nichushkin in the lineup and he showed why on Saturday, potting three goals and an assist. The Avalanche also look like a much deeper team with the additions of centres Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle at the trade deadline. If you want a prop for Monday, I’m high on Nathan MacKinnon for multiple points. MacKinnon just scored his league-leading 100th point of the season on Saturday and he is one point shy of 1,000 for his career.
This is the first of a back-to-back for the Avs, so Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood should split starts Monday against Chicago and Tuesday against Minnesota. The Minnesota game is more important for playoff implications, so Blackwood likely gets that start, which means Wedgewood should play against Chicago. Wedgewood was great in his last start, turning aside 32 of 33 shots faced in a 4-1 win over Pittsburgh. In 16 games split between Nashville and Colorado this season, Wedgewood is 7-6-1 with a 2.66 GAA and .903 SV.
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