Bedard’s Blackhawks have dropped six straight contests, keeping them in last place in the NHL with 35 points. One of those six defeats came last Thursday against Colorado, a 5-0 beatdown at that. 

The Avalanche are right in the middle of a three-horse race for the Central Division but haven’t put their best foot forward in advancing to the top. Colorado’s dropped three of their last five outings and are coming off a 5-1 loss at Nashville Saturday. The Avalanche’s recent stretch has them now in third in the Central with 79 points, four back of the division lead.

Puck drop at Ball Arena goes at 9 p.m. EST with the Avalanche -450 to win the game, and -105 on the rare -2.5 puckline. The total’s at six on the NHL odds.

Blackhawks vs. Avalanche NHL Betting Odds

Surprisingly enough, Monday’s not a chance for the Avs to make it a season sweep over Chicago. But even in Chicago’s 3-2 win over Colorado on December 19 it was all Avalanche, and that’s been the case for their other recent meetings — the Avalanche have won eight of their last 10 against the Blackhawks making that December 19 game a big outlier. The Avs have won five straight at home against Chicago too. All of the last five Blackhawks–Avalanche tilts have finished under the total.

Colorado’s been rolling teams all season at home, winning seven of their last eight home games to add to their stellar 23-6 home record this season. Chicago’s got four road wins all season, their last coming way back on November 9.

Chicago Blackhawks

Over Chicago’s past six games, all of which they’ve lost, they’ve failed to score the first goal. And in their last victory seven games ago, the Blackhawks did score first. So while it’s easier said than done, getting ahead is essential for the Blackhawks. And that message should get amplified as the head into one the toughest arenas to leave two points with. 

With a goal in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Columbus, Philipp Kurashev became the fifth Blackhawks skater to double-digit goals this season. Connor Bedard and Jason Dickinson are tied for the team lead with 17. Bedard assisted on Kurashev’s tally Saturday, giving the former his team-leading 41st point in 47 games this season. Bedard has gone five straight games without scoring.

Colorado Avalanche

If there’s any frustration that carries over from Saturday’s 5-1 defeat at Nashville, the Avalanche have an easy target to take it out on with Chicago rolling into town. Colorado rolled past Chicago 5-0 last Thursday, with backup goalie Justus Annunen making 24 saves for his first career shutout. With Chicago posing little scoring threats, Monday’s definitely a good spot to run it back with Annunen in net but nothing’s been confirmed as of Sunday evening.

Nathan MacKinnon potted Colorado’s lone goal Saturday and has now scored in three straight games. MacKinnon’s goal versus Chicago last week made him the first player in Avalanche history with consecutive 100-point seasons. His 101 points are four back of the NHL lead.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Blackhawks vs. Avalanche?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Blackhawks Team Leaders

CHI

Points	Connor Bedard 61
+ / -	Joey Anderson 5
Shots	Connor Bedard 206
Penalty Mins	Jarred Tinordi 64
Wins	Petr Mrazek 18
GAA	Petr Mrazek 3.05

COL

Points	Nathan MacKinnon 140
+ / -	Nathan MacKinnon 35
Shots	Nathan MacKinnon 405
Penalty Mins	Josh Manson 87
Wins	Alexandar Georgiev 38
GAA	Justus Annunen 2.25

CHI

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

COL

Points	Cale Makar 15
+ / -	Josh Manson 7
Shots	Nathan MacKinnon 46
Penalty Mins	Miles Wood 13
Wins	Alexandar Georgiev 6
GAA	Alexandar Georgiev 2.85

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Avalanche Team Leaders

CHI

Points	Connor Bedard 61
+ / -	Joey Anderson 5
Shots	Connor Bedard 206
Penalty Mins	Jarred Tinordi 64
Wins	Petr Mrazek 18
GAA	Petr Mrazek 3.05

COL

Points	Nathan MacKinnon 140
+ / -	Nathan MacKinnon 35
Shots	Nathan MacKinnon 405
Penalty Mins	Josh Manson 87
Wins	Alexandar Georgiev 38
GAA	Justus Annunen 2.25

CHI

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

COL

Points	Cale Makar 15
+ / -	Josh Manson 7
Shots	Nathan MacKinnon 46
Penalty Mins	Miles Wood 13
Wins	Alexandar Georgiev 6
GAA	Alexandar Georgiev 2.85

Injuries

Chicago

Nick Foligno (LW)

Prob Fri Personal - 09 / 04 / 24

Nikita Zaitsev (D)

Prob Sun Upper Body - 28 / 03 / 24

Colin Blackwell (C)

Prob Sat Upper Body - 20 / 03 / 24

Reese Johnson (C)

Late April Concussion - 14 / 03 / 24

Louis Crevier (D)

Ques Sun Mouth - 21 / 02 / 24

Luke Philp (C)

Mid March Achilles - 18 / 02 / 24

Taylor Raddysh (RW)

Ques Sat Quadricep - 16 / 02 / 24

Jarred Tinordi (D)

Ques Thurs Lower Body - 09 / 02 / 24

Ryan Donato (LW)

Prob Mon Illness - 19 / 01 / 24

Nikita Zaitsev (D)

Mid March Knee - 17 / 01 / 24

Colorado

Yakov Trenin (C)

Out Fri Upper Body - 16 / 05 / 24

Valeri Nichushkin (RW)

out of season Suspension - 14 / 05 / 24

Devon Toews (D)

Prob Wed Illness - 14 / 05 / 24

Joel Kiviranta (LW)

Ques Thurs Lower Body - 28 / 04 / 24

Justus Annunen (G)

Prob Fri Illness - 21 / 04 / 24

Jonathan Drouin (LW)

Out indefinitely Lower Body - 20 / 04 / 24

Samuel Girard (D)

Out indefinitely Concussion - 13 / 04 / 24

Mikko Rantanen (RW)

Prob Sat Concussion - 07 / 04 / 24

Miles Wood (LW)

Ques Sun Lower Body - 07 / 04 / 24

Yakov Trenin (C)

Ques Fri Undisclosed - 04 / 04 / 24

Injuries

Chicago

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Nick Foligno (LW)	Prob Fri	Personal - 09 / 04 / 24	0-5	1-3-1	+ -
Foligno missed the last contest due to a personal matter, but it is forecasted that he will be available for Friday's matchup with the Predators.
Nikita Zaitsev (D)	Prob Sun	Upper Body - 28 / 03 / 24	4-6	1-8-1	+ -
Zaitsev has missed the last three contests with an upper-body injury, but it is likely that he will suit up Sunday against the Wild.
Colin Blackwell (C)	Prob Sat	Upper Body - 20 / 03 / 24	5-9	4-9-1	+ -
Blackwell has been out of action with an upper-body injury, but it is anticipated that he will make his return against the Stars on Saturday.
Reese Johnson (C)	Late April	Concussion - 14 / 03 / 24	6-10	5-10-1	+ -
Johnson is sidelined while through the concussion protocol, and he is expected to remain idle for at least a week.
Louis Crevier (D)	Ques Sun	Mouth - 21 / 02 / 24	10-16	9-16-1	+ -
Crevier has sat out the last two contests with a mouth issue, and it is unclear if he will face the Red Wings on Sunday.
Luke Philp (C)	Mid March	Achilles - 18 / 02 / 24	11-16	9-17-1	+ -
Philp has wound up on the injured reserve list after undergoing surgery to repair his right Achilles tendon, and he will remain sidelined until at least the middle of March.
Taylor Raddysh (RW)	Ques Sat	Quadricep - 16 / 02 / 24	11-18	10-18-1	+ -
Raddysh is dealing with a quad injury, and it is uncertain if he will lace up Saturday versus the Senators.
Jarred Tinordi (D)	Ques Thurs	Lower Body - 09 / 02 / 24	13-18	11-19-1	+ -
Tinordi is dealing with a lower-body injury, and it is up in the air if he will suit up Thursday versus the Penguins.
Ryan Donato (LW)	Prob Mon	Illness - 19 / 01 / 24	15-22	13-23-1	+ -
Donato has been absent from the previous three games due to illness, but it is projected that he will suit up for Monday's battle with the Canucks.
Nikita Zaitsev (D)	Mid March	Knee - 17 / 01 / 24	15-24	13-25-1	+ -
Zaitsev has landed on the injured reserve list with a knee injury, and he is likely to remain sidelined until sometime in March.

Colorado

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Yakov Trenin (C)	Out Fri	Upper Body - 16 / 05 / 24	1-0	1-0	+ -
Trenin is hampered by a lower body injury, and he is not expected to play Friday's game against the Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Valeri Nichushkin (RW)	out of season	Suspension - 14 / 05 / 24	1-2	1-1-1	+ -
Nichushkin has entered into the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, and he will be out of the lineup for the rest of the 2023-24 season.
Devon Toews (D)	Prob Wed	Illness - 14 / 05 / 24	1-2	1-1-1	+ -
Toews is ailing from illness, but he is expected to face the Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Joel Kiviranta (LW)	Ques Thurs	Lower Body - 28 / 04 / 24	5-3	5-2-1	+ -
Kiviranta is dealing with a lower-body issue, and it is undetermined if he will play in Game 2 of the Western Conference second round against the Stars.
Justus Annunen (G)	Prob Fri	Illness - 21 / 04 / 24	8-3	7-3-1	+ -
Annunen is laid up with an illness, but it is anticipated that he will face the Jets in Game 3 of the Western Conference first round.
Jonathan Drouin (LW)	Out indefinitely	Lower Body - 20 / 04 / 24	8-3	7-3-1	+ -
Drouin will miss an undetermined length of time with a lower-body injury.
Samuel Girard (D)	Out indefinitely	Concussion - 13 / 04 / 24	10-4	10-3-1	+ -
Girard is going through the concussion protocol, and he will miss an extended period.
Mikko Rantanen (RW)	Prob Sat	Concussion - 07 / 04 / 24	10-6	12-3-1	+ -
Rantanen has missed the previous two games due to a concussion, but it is predicted that he will suit up against the Jets on Saturday.
Miles Wood (LW)	Ques Sun	Lower Body - 07 / 04 / 24	10-6	12-3-1	+ -
Wood has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury, and it is uncertain if he will take the ice Sunday against the Golden Knights.
Yakov Trenin (C)	Ques Fri	Undisclosed - 04 / 04 / 24	11-7	13-4-1	+ -
Trenin was absent from the last contest with an unknown injury, and it remains to be seen if he will face the Oilers on Friday.