Colorado Avalanche at Minnesota Wild Betting Preview
15 February 2023
Third place in the Central Division is up for grabs on Wednesday night when the Minnesota Wild host the Colorado Avalanche. Both teams have the ability to go on a deep postseason run, but getting into the playoffs is the first step.
Colorado comes into this game having lost three of their last four, and they just can’t seem to figure it out to go on a big run. The Avalanche are the defending Stanley Cup champions, but they have some work to do if they are planning to repeat.
Minnesota has been in a complete tailspin in February, as they have just one win in their last five games. The Wild were once a team heading towards the top of the Central Division, but they have to find a way to bounce back in a hurry.
The Minnesota Wild are moneyline betting favorites at -133 over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.
Colorado Can’t Consistently Score
The Colorado Avalanche were a dominant offensive team a season ago, but they just haven’t been able to have the same success this season. Colorado is scoring right around three goals per game, but they have just 13 total goals during their last five games.
Mikko Rantanen is leading the team with 34 goals and 63 points, and Nathan MacKinnon has tallied 43 assists. The Avalanche just haven’t found success from all four lines, and that’s going to be a key in this one.
The Avalanche are getting great play in the blue paint, as they are holding opponents to just 2.77 goals per game. It’s going to take a complete effort for the Avalanche to take control of this one.
Wild Must Win on Special Teams
The Minnesota Wild have scored on the power play 23.5 percent of the time this season, and that’s going to be a big key in this game. Minnesota has also killed off 81 percent of their penalties, and they must take control of the game on special teams.
Kirill Kaprizov is leading the way with 30 goals and 33 assists for the Wild, but he is sometimes a one-man show on the offensive end. Minnesota will need to get a full team effort on offense if they are going to keep up with the Avalanche.
It’s been an up-and-down season for Marc-Andre Fleury this season, but he is still 16-12-3 in the blue paint. Fleury is a proven winner in the league, and he can take over this game.
Wild Win Wednesday Night Showdown
Both of these teams have struggled to be consistent on offense this season, and that should lead to a pretty tight battle in this game. Colorado won the first meeting of the year in Minnesota, and the Wild will be looking for revenge.
The special teams numbers for the Wild are better than they are for the Avalanche, and that is going to play a key role in this game. One big special teams goal can be the difference, and you should expect the Wild to come through and get that done in this one.
Bet the Colorado Avalanche -133 as they find just enough offense to get past the Colorado Avalanche and win an important game.
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All Media on this page by Associated Press.
