The Colorado Avalanche (6-7-0) take on the Winnipeg Jets (12-1-0) Thursday. Puck drop from Canada Life Centre is set for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Avalanche vs. Jets odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: First meeting; Jets won all 3 regular-season matchups in 2023-24
The Avs stopped a 3-Game skid with a 6-3 victory against the Seattle Kraken Tuesday. C Mikko Rantanen scored 2 goals to give him 6 on the season. C Nathan McKinnon dished out 5 assists to give him 19 total. The Avs’ problem is goal suppression. They are last with 4.15 goals allowed per Game yet second-best at only 25.2 shots on goal allowed per Game.
The Jets have 99 problems, but a goalie isn’t one of them. They’re second in the league with 2.31 goals allowed per game and first in the league with 4.77 goals scored per game. They took down Utah 3-0 Tuesday to grab their fourth straight win. RW Nino Niederreiter scored his 6th and 7th goals in the game as he looks to challenge his career high of 24 goals.
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Avalanche at Jets odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NHL odds. Lines last updated at 1:16 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Avalanche +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Jets -140 (bet $140 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Avalanche +1.5 (-200) | Jets -1.5 (+165)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Avalanche at Jets projected goalies
Alexandar Georgiev (1-4-0, 4.62 GAA, .822 SV%) vs. Connor Hellebuyck (9-1-0, 2.10 GAA, .923 SV%, 2 SO)
Georgiev has taken a bit of a backseat after an awful start to the season. His last start came Oct. 28, a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, in which he stopped 21 of 24. He has allowed 3+ goals in all 6 starts. He faced the Jets twice in the regular season last year, stopping 24 of 27 in a 4-2 loss and allowing 4 goals in a 7-0 loss he was pulled 15 minutes into.
Hellebuyck shut out Utah in his last outing Tuesday, stopping all 21 shots. He had a couple of clunkers recently, allowing 4 goals Sunday and 5 goals to the Toronto Maple Leafs last Monday, but those were the only 2 real blemishes thus far. He went 3-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA and .958 SV% against the Avs during the regular season last year.
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Avalanche at Jets picks and predictions
Prediction
Jets 5, Avalanche 2
Moneyline
Winnipeg took it to the Avs during the regular season last year with 7-2, 7-0 and 7-6 finals before Colorado flipped the tables on them in the playoffs.
These teams couldn’t be further apart on the spectrum from each other. Georgiev is the worst goalie in hockey in terms of saves above expected with a -10.2. The next closest is at -6.7.
The Jets are the right side here, but I’m on board with the puck line.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Jets are 8-5-0 on the puck line thus far. So they have 12 wins and are hitting the puck line about 75% of the time. They beat Colorado by 2+ twice last year, and their last 5 wins overall were by 2+.
Take the JETS -1.5 (+165).
Over/Under
Winnipeg scored 6+ goals in all 3 regular season matchups last season. Colorado’s offense is starting to get healthy and come together. The Avs are 9-3-1 O/U, and Winnipeg is 8-4-1.
Take the OVER 6.5 (-115).
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