Avalanche vs. Blackhawks NHL Odds, Prediction and Picks: Avs Bring Red-Hot Offence to Chicago
The Colorado Avalanche look for a third straight road win in Chicago versus the Blackhawks on Monday night.
After a slow start to the season, the Avalanche have picked up wins in three of their past four games, putting them at 8-5-1 and third in the Central Division. The Blackhawks have just one win in their past six games, sitting in last place in the same division at 4-9-1.
The NHL Odds have the Avalanche as the -240 favourites on the road, with the OVER/UNDER set at an even 6 goals. Puck drop is set for 8:00 pm EST at United Center.
Avalanche vs. Blackhawks NHL Betting Odds
This is the first of four meetings this season between the Hawks and Avs. Colorado went 3-0 in the season series last year, holding the Hawks to just a pair of goals in the set. This matchup has hit the UNDER in six straight games and in those six each team has covered three times.
All of the Avs’ past five games have hit the OVER, putting them at 10-4 on the O/U line this season. They are scoring a league-leading 4.21 goals per game and put up five in each of their past two games. They are 8-6 against the spread after covering in back-to-back games.
After a stretch of five straight games of scoring two or fewer goals, the Blackhawks offence came together to score four on Saturday night. They hit the OVER in that game, breaking up five straight to the UNDER. They are 7-7 on the OVER/UNDER, matching their record against the spread.
Colorado Avalanche
Back-to-back wins at home might have put the Avalanche back on track as they are playing their best hockey of the season. On Saturday, Colorado took a 4-0 lead at the midway point of the game and rolled to a 5-2 win in the end. Artturi Lehkonen had a pair of goals, while Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Brock Nelson all found the back of the net as well. Cale Makar had himself a night, putting up four assists.
Lehkonen has been a beast for the Avalanche this season. He leads the team in goals with 12 and has 17 points through 14 games. He has a nine-game point streak on the go, with nine goals and 13 points in the stretch.
Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood has won three games in a row, moving his record to 7-3 on the campaign. His stats are underwhelming, rocking an .897 save percentage and a 2.73 goals-against average, but he has been more reliable than Scott Wedgewood early in the season.
Chicago Blackhawks
Despite losing 5-4 in Boston on Saturday, the Blackhawks put on a great performance against a solid Bruins team. Anton Frondell scored his first of two goals to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. He gave Chicago their second lead of the game in the second period with his third of the year. Ryan Greene (second) and Connor Bedard (fourth) scored in the third period, giving the Hawks a 4-2 lead going into the final seven minutes of the game. They could not hold the lead though, as the Bruins would tie the game with just 12 seconds left in regulation, on the way to a 5-4 overtime win for the Bs.
Bedard has points in five straight games, with three goals and three assists. He has scored in back-to-back games and leads the team with nine points. Rookie Roman Kantserov also has a four-game point streak with two goals and two assists.
Chicago is hopeful that a good performance on Saturday can get them going after what was a tough stretch of games, winning just one of their past six.
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