Vancouver Canucks vs. Colorado Avalanche Prediction, NHL Odds
Sitting five points back of the final wild card spot in the Western Conference and riding a three-game losing streak, the Vancouver Canucks are all but out of the playoff picture. Things won’t get easier on Wednesday when the Canucks travel to Denver to face the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche. The Avs have a five-point lead for first place in the NHL and have won their last four games.
Colorado is a -261 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with a total of 6.0.
Canucks vs. Avalanche NHL Betting Odds
The Avalanche won both previous meetings between the teams this season, blowing out Vancouver 7-1 at home on Nov. 11, before a 4-2 victory in Vancouver on Nov. 17. Sports Interaction bettors are heavy on the Avs for this one, with 86 per cent of action taking Colorado and the Over.
The Canucks are faltering at the wrong time and come into Wednesday with just one win over their last six games. They’re 36-28 against the spread for the season, including 19-13 ATS on the road. The total has gone Over in Vancouver’s last six road games and 12 of their last 15 overall.
Colorado is on top of the NHL standings in large part because of their dominating 25-3-3 record at home this season. They’re 31-32 ATS overall, including 16-15 ATS at home. Despite being the second-highest scoring team in the league, the total has gone Under in four of the Avalanche’s last five games.
Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver’s disappointing 2-3-2 homestand came to a close on Sunday with a 3-2 overtime loss against Buffalo. J.T. Miller and Bo Horvat scored for the Canucks, while Thatcher Demko stopped 26 of 29 shots faced. Vancouver’s offence has let them down this season. They average 2.81 goals per game, 22nd in the NHL, and only eight skaters have scored at least eight goals. Miller leads the team in both goals (25) and points (75). The Canucks have only managed to score four total goals over their last three games.
The team made a slight adjustment on the defensive side of things at the trade deadline, swapping one “Travis” for another. Vancouver shipped defenceman Travis Hamonic to Ottawa, before acquiring Travis Dermott from Toronto. Dermott is expected to make his Canucks debut on Wednesday. It should be Demko in net for that game. Vancouver’s No. 1 goalie has posted a 27-19-4 record this season, with a 2.68 goals-against average and .918 save percentage. Demko’s 50 starts this season is the third-most in the NHL, behind only Nashville’s Juuse Saros and Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck.
Colorado Avalanche
Colorado’s win streak prevailed at home over a hot Edmonton Oilers team on Monday as the Avs won their fourth in a row, 3-2 in overtime. Mikko Rantanen scored a pair of power-play goals in regulation and Nathan MacKinnon ended the game 52 seconds into overtime. Cale Makar finished with two assists, including a helper on the game-winning goal. Darcy Kuemper stopped 23 of 25 shots. Rantanen drew into a tie with Nazem Kadri for the team scoring lead with 75 points. Rantanen also passed Gabriel Landeskog for the team lead in goals, with 31. Landeskog is expected to be out of the lineup until the end of the regular season after undergoing knee surgery last week. Makar is second in the NHL in scoring among defencemen with 71 points (22G, 49A). He is a -357 favourite to win the Norris Trophy.
The Avalanche bolstered their forward depth at the trade deadline, picking up Artturi Lehkonen from Montreal and Andrew Cogliano from San Jose. Both players are expected to make their Colorado debut on Wednesday. Kuemper will likely get the nod in net. In his first season with the Avalanche, Kuemper is 30-8-2 with a 2.40 GAA and .923 SV.
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