Lightning vs Avalanche Odds, Predictions and Best NHL Pick for Thursday (Feb 10)

• The Colorado Avalanche host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, February 10th, 2022
• The Avs are listed as home favorites in the Thursday NHL odds
• Read below for Lightning vs Avalanche odds, predictions, and best NHL pick

Two of the top teams in the NHL face off on a busy Thursday night on the ice. The Colorado Avalanche host the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 10th at 9:00 PM EST. Colorado are listed as -122 home favorites in the Lightning vs Avalanche Thursday NHL odds. Colorado recently had an impressive 18-game home winning streak snapped by Arizona.

Let’s take a look at the Lightning vs Avalanche odds and offer you our NHL best bet prediction.

Lightning vs Avalanche Odds

Odds as of Feb. 9th at Barstool Sportsbook

The total is set at 6, while the Avalanche is available on the puckline at +195 odds. Both Colorado and Tampa Bay are top-five favorites in the 2022 Stanley Cup odds.

Avs Favored at Home in Thursday NHL Odds

The Avalanche are once again favored on home ice in the Thursday NHL odds. Colorado won 18 straight games at Ball Arena before having their home winning streak snapped by Arizona on February 1st. The Avs still haven’t lost in regulation at home since Oct. 26.

Colorado’s 20-2-2 home record is just one of the reasons they are favored over a very strong Tampa Bay squad on Thursday. The Avs have the highest-scoring offense in the NHL led by Cale Makar, Nazem Kadri, and Mikko Rantanen. Colorado averages 4.09 goals per game.

The smiles alone deserve to be All-Stars.#NHLAllStar #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/nrBRNlxNEo

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) February 5, 2022

There is a key injury that has been factored into the NHL betting line. Superstar Nathan Mackinnon is out with a facial fracture and won’t play vs the Lightning on Thursday. Colorado recalled Dylan Sikura ahead of the big game to add some forward depth.

Defensively, the Avalanche remain a work in progress. Colorado is allowing 2.91 goals per game, which ranks 19th in the NHL. Darcy Kuemper is 21-5-2 with a .915 save percentage and 2.55 GAA. He’s Thursday’s projected starting NHL goalie against Tampa Bay.

Do Lightning Offer Betting Value as Road Underdogs?

Tampa Bay will be a betting underdog for just the sixth time this season when they face the Avalanche on Thursday. Jon Cooper’s squad is 3-2 as the underdog this season, including a win over Toronto 3-2 the last time they were listed at plus-money in December.

Tampa Bay has one of the best road records in the NHL, going 14-6-2 away from Amalie Arena. The Bolts destroyed San Jose 7-1 in their last road game on January 22nd. Jon Cooper’s squad has the seventh-best offense in the NHL, averaging 3.37 goals per game.

Westward bound. 🛫 pic.twitter.com/eTv2kTnc8F

— x – Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) February 9, 2022

Defensively, the Lightning rank 11th in the NHL in GAA (2.74). Their biggest asset is goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is 25-7-4 with a .922 save percentage and 2.23 GAA. Vasilevskiy opened as the 2022 Vezina Trophy favorite but has been overtaken by Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin.

The Lightning have one major absence which affects their NHL betting value against Colorado. Superstar Nikita Kucherov has completed the COVID-19 protocol and has been cleared to return. He skated at practice Wednesday and should be available against Colorado.

Lightning vs Avalanche Pick & Prediction

This is the second meeting of the season between the Avalanche and Lightning. Colorado won the first matchup 4-3 in a shootout at Amalie Arena on Oct. 23. MacKinnon had three points in that game but is sidelined for the rematch. Colorado online sports betting markets favor the Avalanche to repeat that same performance.

Recent Head-to-Head Results

These are two very evenly matched teams, but the Lightning hold a nice defensive edge. It’s hard to ignore Colorado’s dominance at home, but lowly Arizona just proved that winning at Ball Arena isn’t an impossible feat. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Avs as -120 favorites and +200 on the puckline.

There are some key betting trends that point to the Tampa Bay side in this NHL matchup. The Bolts have won the last five meetings with the Avs in Colorado and have taken six of the past eight meetings overall.

The Lightning vs Avalanche Thursday NHL odds presents a rare opportunity to back the Lightning as betting underdogs against a team missing one of its best players. Vasilevskiy is a superior goalie to Kuemper and should be the difference in a battle between two conference titans.

Pick: Lightning ML (+102) at Barstool Sportsbook