The Detroit Red Wings (33-22-6) take on the Colorado Avalanche (38-20-5) Wednesday. Puck drop at Ball Arena is set for 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Red Wings vs. Avalanche odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Red Wings had their 6-game winning streak snapped with a 5-3 defeat to the New York Islanders at home Thursday. Detroit was shut out in its following game, losing 4-0 vs. the Florida Panthers at Little Caesars Arena this past Saturday.
One of those W’s during the streak was against Colorado Feb. 22 — a 2-1 OT finish with RW Patrick Kane scoring the game-winning goal.
Entering Wednesday, Detroit and the Tampa Bay Lightning each possess 72 points, good for the 2 Eastern Conference Wild Card spots if the season ended today.
The Avalanche have won 3 of their last 4 games, most recently crushing the Chicago Blackhawks 5-0 at home Monday.
Colorado currently sits in 3rd in the Central Division with 81 points; the Dallas Stars top the division with 85 followed by the Winnipeg Jets (83).
C Nathan MacKinnon — who leads the league alongside Bolts RW Nikita Kucherov in points recorded with 105 — enters Wednesday as the favorite to win the Hart Trophy (+185 at FanDuel Sportsbook).
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Red Wings at Avalanche odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:25 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Red Wings +162 (bet $100 to win $162) | Avalanche -196 (bet $196 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Red Wings +1.5 (-142) | Avalanche -1.5 (+118)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -120 | U: -102)
Red Wings at Avalanche projected goalies
Alex Lyon (18-10-2, 2.79 GAA, .911 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Alexandar Georgiev (31-15-3, .291 GAA, .900 SV%, 2 SO)
Recently, when Lyon loses, he’s been leaky: the 31-year-old has allowed at least 4 goals in each of his last 4 losses. He was outstanding in the Feb. 22 meeting, stopping 30 of 31 shot attempts.
Georgiev has played the most minutes in the NHL among goaltenders (2930) and has surrendered the most goals (142). The 28-year-old has defeated Detroit both times he has faced it in his career, although G Justus Annunen got the start in the Feb. 22 matchup.
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Red Wings at Avalanche picks and predictions
Prediction
Avalanche 4, Red Wings 3
Moneyline
PASS.
Too much juice on the moneyline for a Colorado (-196) team that lost to Detroit nearly 2 weeks ago.
Puck line/Against the spread
BET RED WINGS +1.5 (-142).
Detroit features a balanced scoring attack. The Red Wings had twelve 10-plus goal scorers at the end of February, the most in the NHL. Their recent losses are nothing to scoff at: Florida is the current favorite to win the President’s Trophy and the Islanders have been playing better.
The Avalanche are a Cup contender once again, and under the guidance of GM Steve Yzerman, the Red Wings could be as well next year. Expect Colorado to win at Ball Arena Wednesday night, as it has the most home victories (24) in the NHL, but Detroit will give it a battle until the end.
Over/Under
BET OVER 6.5 (-120).
Colorado averages the most goals in the NHL per game (3.65), with Detroit sporting the 7th-highest goals per game (3.51). The Red Wings are atop the league when it comes to shooting percentage on all shot attempts (5.38%) with Colorado in 5th (4.64%), so there should be plenty of opportunity for scoring chances.
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