Monday NHL Odds, Predictions and Best Bet – Wild vs Avalanche

• The Minnesota Wild visit the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, January 17th
• The Wild and Avalanche are two of the top 3 highest scoring teams in the NHL
• Read below for Wild vs Avalanche odds, lines, and best NHL bet

It’s an exciting Central Division clash between the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 17th. It’s an afternoon holiday affair with the faceoff scheduled for 3:00 PM EST at Ball Arena. Colorado have the second most wins in the league since the calendar turned to 2022, so the Avalanche are heavy -220 home favorites in the Monday NHL odds against a very good Minnesota Wild team.

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

Wild vs Avalanche Odds

Odds as of January 16th at Barstool Sportsbook.

Wild and Avalanche Two of Best NHL Bets on Over

This is a matchup between two teams who have consistently filled the net this season and who also have relatively healthy squads at this point in the season with all their big guns expected to play.

They’re also both coming off big wins. Minnesota defeated the Anaheim Ducks 7-3 on Friday, while Colorado shutout the Blackhawks 5-0 on Saturday as both Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen had two goals and an assist each.

Mikko-KAY WE SEE YOU SIR#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/AEwrnO9892

— Avs VOTE FOR NAZ (@Avalanche) January 16, 2022

The Avs are one of just two NHL teams averaging more than four goals per game this year and lead the NHL with 4.29 goals per game while the Wild slot in at the 3rd spot in the league with 3.68. Both teams also rank top five in return on investment when betting them on the over this season.

Cale Makar Norris Trophy Favorite in NHL Futures Betting Odds

While the Avalanche have a plethora of talent up front, Cale Makar has been driving play from the back end at an almost unprecedented rate for a defenseman this season. He’s been the favorite in the Norris Trophy odds for the entire season and he is now favored to win at just less than 2-1 odds.

My goodness, Cale Makar 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/bwSotX5NoB

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 12, 2022

He’s got 16 goals already this season and is easily on pace to join Mike Green and become only the second defensemen this century to score more than 30 goals in a season. Green scored 31 goals for the Capitals in 2008-09.

Wild Not Slowing Down After Impressive Start

The Minnesota Wild have got to be one of the pleasant surprises in the NHL this season. Not only are they winning, but they’re doing it in a very exciting way with all the goals they’re scoring. They have a 21-13 record against the over/under this season. Gone are the boring days of Jacques Lemaire’s Wild teams.

Although they are just second to the Avalanche in points percentage in the entire Western Conference, they aren’t getting much love in the Stanley Cup odds as they currently just crack the top 10 contenders with odds of +2000 to win it all. The Avs are currently the betting favorites at +550.

Western Conference Standings – Point Percentage

So, you can basically say that this game pits the top two teams in the Western Conference against each other. They’ve met once already this season, a 4-1 Avalanche win back in October.

Wild vs Avalanche Recent Results

Wild vs Avalanche Betting Trends

The Wild have not been very successful in Colorado’s home barn as they are just 1-4 when visiting the Avalanche in their last five meetings in Denver.

The stats that really stand out to me is the amount of scoring these two have done, not only this season but combined to do against each other in previous meetings.

• The Avalanche are 24-8 when you bet them on the over this season
• The over is 6-0 in Minnesota’s last six games vs Central Division opponents
• The over has hit in five of the last six games between these two teams

Wild vs Avalanche Pick and Prediction

I’d expect Colorado to continue their stellar play in the New Year, and get another victory on Monday afternoon against the Wild, but you’re not getting a good return on your money if you bet the Avalanche on the moneyline in the NHL odds with them being -220 home favorites.

There’s a ton of big scorers in this game that I didn’t include in this preview, including the Avs Nazem Kadri, who sits 5th in the NHL in scoring, and Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov, who should be getting much more recognition in the Hart Trophy odds in my opinion.

Kirill Kaprizov what a ridiculous backhand dish to Zuccarello. 3-1 #mnwild pic.twitter.com/2DvNjM4rt7

— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) January 15, 2022

It’s a high number at 6.5, but the reason it’s that high is because these teams can score goals, with the best of them and I think they’ll do just that in this contest, so take the over in the Wild vs Avalanche odds at Barstool Sportsbook.

Pick: Over 6.5 (-121)