Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche Game 1 Prediction, NHL Odds
The Avalanche made short work of Los Angeles in the first round, outscoring the Kings by a combined 13-5 margin while rolling to a four-game sweep, and now ride a seven-game win streak into their bid to claim their first conference final berth since their Stanley Cup victory in 2022. The Wild overcame a 2-1 series deficit with three straight victories to knock off the favoured Dallas Stars in the first round, and earn their first playoff series win since 2015. Minnesota has a daunting task to get past the Avalanche, who finished atop the overall NHL standings with 55 wins and 121 points, but has enjoyed past postseason success against Colorado, winning two of three previous playoff matches, capped by a memorable seven-game win in 2014.
The Avalanche open the series as -190 favourites on the Game 1 odds, and are also pegged as strong -240 chalk on the NHL series prices. The Wild trail as +155 underdogs in Game 1, and lag as a +195 bet to advance to the Western Conference final for the first time since 2003. The total in Sunday night’s matchup is pegged at 6.0.
Wild vs. Avalanche NHL Playoff Betting Odds
These Central Division rivals split four meetings during the regular season, with each team claiming one home victory, capped by the Avs’ 3-2 win at Ball Arena on March 8. Overall, the Wild have held a slight advantage in recent head-to-head dates, winning four of the past seven including two of four in Colorado. Low scoring has benefited the Wild during that stretch, limiting the Avalanche to just six total goals in their four recent victories, fueling a 5-2 run for the UNDER when these teams meet. However, that recent success is not reflected on the NHL futures. The Wild lead only Anaheim as a +425 bet to win the West and sit in the middle of the pick on the Stanley Cup odds as a +950 bet, while the Avalanche are perched as -120 chalk on the Western Conference futures and slim +220 favourites to claim their fourth Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
Minnesota Wild
After racking up a career-high 42 goals and 85 points during the regular season, Matt Boldy took his game to the next level in the first round with a team-high six goals and nine points. The 25-year-old was held off the scoresheet just once during the opening round while turning in three multi-point performances, and has now recorded multiple points in seven of 12 overall appearances since the beginning of April, and is a short -222 bet on the NHL player props to pick up at least one point on Sunday. Kirill Kaprizov led the club with 45 goals during the regular season, but it was his playmaking that made the difference in the first round, with the crafty Russian setting up seven goals including a pair of power play markers. Quinn Hughes took care of business from the back end with two goals and six assists versus Dallas including the series winning goal in Game 6. Hughes has set up at least one goal in 11 of 16 outings, and recorded helpers in three of five dates with Colorado this season.
Colorado Avalanche
The class of the NHL during the regular season, the Avalanche maintained that momentum with a dominating sweep of the Kings in the fist round. The club limited LA to just five total goals in the series and have surrendered more than one goal in just three of their past 12 games. The stingy play by the goaltending duo of the club’s netminders, led by Scott Wedgewood, has been timely considering the club’s scoring struggles, with their dominant performances in Games 3 and 4 marking the only times over their past 10 contests that the Avs have scored more than three goals. While the club features some of the most dangerous shooters in the game, led by Nathan MacKinnon, they have yet to break out in the postseason. MacKinnon and rearguard Cale Makar are five Avs skaters with a team-high two goals while Martin Necas and Nazem Kadri have yet to score this spring.
