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Avalanche vs Utah Prediction & Odds for Friday Night Hockey (Dec. 27)

Brady Trettenero

By Brady Trettenero in NHL Hockey

Published:


Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar during the first period against the Utah Hockey Club
Dec 12, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) during the first period against the Utah Hockey Club at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
  • The Colorado Avalanche visit the Utah Hockey Club in a Central Division showdown on Friday night
  • We’ve made our Avalanche vs Utah prediction for Friday, December 27, 2024
  • Check out our Avalanche vs Utah prediction and odds for tonight’s ESPN2 matchup

The Colorado Avalanche (21-15-0) head to Salt Lake City to battle the Utah Hockey Club (16-12-6) in a Central Division clash on Friday, December 27, 2024. Puck drop is slated for 9:30 PM Eastern Time at Delta Center, with television coverage available on ESPN2.

The Avalanche enter as road favorites at -140, while the over/under is listed at 6.5 goals. Can the surging Avs continue their strong play and earn a key divisional win? Let’s take a closer look.

Here is our Avalanche vs Utah prediction for Friday night.

Avalanche vs Utah Prediction

I’m backing the Avalanche to get it done on the road. Colorado has won three straight overall and appears to be hitting their stride. The Avs’ depth and experience gives them the edge in this matchup.

Nathan MacKinnon paces the Avalanche attack with 57 points (14 goals, 43 assists), while Mikko Rantanen has potted a team-high 19 goals. Valeri Nichushkin has also contributed with eight goals in his last 10 games.

Colorado’s offense, ranking 6th in the NHL at 3.3 goals per game, draws a favorable matchup against a struggling Utah defense allowing 2.85 goals against on average. The Hockey Club has particularly scuffled at home, going just 5-6-4 at Delta Center.

Between the pipes, the Avalanche hold the advantage. The tandem of Mackenzie Blackwood (9-10-3, 2.83 GAA, .914 SV%) and Scott Wedgewood has rounded into form lately. Blackwood is 3-1-0 with a 2.03 GAA and .931 SV% since being acquired.

Meanwhile, the Hockey Club faces question marks in net with Karel Vejmelka (8-8-2, 2.33 GAA, .917 SV%) shouldering a heavy workload. Backup Connor Ingram has struggled to a 3.61 GAA and .871 SV%.

On the backend, the Avalanche’s top pair of Cale Makar (45 points) and Devon Toews matches up well against Utah’s top scorers like Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther. As a team, Colorado ranks 11th in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60).

While the Hockey Club has some dangerous offensive weapons in Keller (36 points), Guenther (32 points) and Logan Cooley (30 points), the Avalanche are the pick here. Colorado is deeper, has better goaltending, and has dominated the head-to-head series lately (6-3 in last 9). Take the Avs on the moneyline.

Friday NHL Pick:

  • Avalanche Moneyline (-140)
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Avalanche vs Utah Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
COL Avalanche -1.5 (+175) -140 Over 6.5 (-110)
UTA Hockey Club +1.5 (-210) +118 Under 6.5 (-110)

The Avalanche are solid -140 moneyline road favorites, meaning a $140 bet would profit $100 if they win. The Hockey Club are +118 home underdogs – a $100 wager would return $118 if they pull the upset.

Colorado is +175 to cover -1.5 goals, while Utah is favored to stay within that margin at -210. Based on the juice, oddsmakers predict a close game that the Avalanche win by 1-2 goals.

The total is set at 6.5 goals, with even -110 odds on both sides. With two top-10 offenses and some question marks in net for Utah, bookmakers envision a higher-scoring affair. The over has hit in four of the last five meetings in Salt Lake City/ Arizona.

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Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook as of December 27, 2024. Compare the latest NHL betting odds for Avalanche vs Utah.

COL-UTA H2H History

The Avalanche have had the upper hand in the all-time series against Uta/Arizona, going 6-3-0. Colorado has won six of the last nine meetings overall, but Utah did prevail 4-1 in the most recent matchup on December 12.

Recent Results

Date Home Team Result Moneyline Over/Under
Dec 12, ’24 UTA UTA 4 – 1 UTA U 6.5
Oct 24, ’24 COL COL 5 – 1 COL O 5.5

The Avalanche are playing some of their best hockey of the season right now, winners of three straight. The offense has come alive lately, too, scoring 4+ goals in each of those victories. Don’t expect their previous 4-1 loss to Utah to faze a surging Colorado squad though.

Utah has competed admirably lately, going 6-2-2 over their last 10 games. They’ve overachieved a bit based on underlying metrics, however, as the Hockey Club ranks bottom-10 in expected goals for (xGF), high-danger chances for (HDCF), and scoring chances for (SCF) at 5v5. Without a full complement of proven NHL goalies, those flaws could get exposed.

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Brady Trettenero
Brady Trettenero

Lead NHL & NCAAF Editor

Brady is the lead NHL and College Football editor at Sports Betting Dime, where he specializes in betting odds and data-driven analysis. Brady has over 10 years experience working in sports media, with work published by outlets such as ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and Fox Sports.

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