To cap off NHL Opening Night, the Colorado Avalanche take on the Los Angeles Kings in a Western Conference battle. Puck drop is set for 10:30 p.m. EDT at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
The Avalanche are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 5.5 (-118o / -104u). The Avalanche are a -110 favorite to win outright, while the Kings are -110 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Avalanche vs. Kings predictions and NHL picks.
Avalanche vs. Kings Odds, Pick
| Avalanche Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +230 | 5.5 -125o / +105u | -110 |
| Kings Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -280 | 5.5 -125o / +105u | -110 |
- Avalanche vs. Kings Spread: Avalanche -1.5 (+230), Kings +1.5 (-280)
- Avalanche vs. Kings Over/Under: 5.5 (-125 / +105u)
- Avalanche vs. Kings Moneyline: Avalanche -110, Kings -110
Avalanche vs. Kings Preview
Opening night of hockey? What a time to be alive.
As the Los Angeles Kings come into this season, there are not just expectations, but hopes that a deep playoff run is in the works.
Captain and longtime King, Anze Kopitar, announced that this season will be his final one, so what better way to send him off with a successful season?
Unfortunately for the Kings, the Colorado Avalanche are in the way and there’s no way they’re happy with how last season came about.
In no way did the Avs expect when they traded Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes last season, that they would see him in the first round of the playoffs. Because Rantanen was subsequently traded to the Dallas Stars, and made his former team pay.
Both teams had a mild offseason, to say the least. While Los Angeles brought in Ken Holland as their GM and President of Hockey Operations, no major changes were implemented. It did bring in defensemen Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin, while also signing 41-year-old Corey Perry.
Colorado was able to re-sign last season’s trade acquisition, Brock Nelson, to a three-year extension. Also, it brought in veteran defenseman Brent Burns to help bolster its blue line.
In the grand scheme of things, both of these teams are similar to what they were last season.
Mackenzie Blackwood is still the goalie for the Avs, and Darcy Kuemper is back with the Kings, both of whom were really solid last season.
Blackwood started last season in San Jose before getting traded to the Mile High City, but ended up being one of the NHL’s most productive netminders, posting a .913 SV% and a 13.3 GSAx.
Kuemper, on the other hand, is on his second stint in L.A. after spending a couple of seasons in Washington and the move back to the West Coast was possibly the best thing for him.
He’s fresh off a season where he posted .921 SV% and a sixth-best 22.5 GSAx.
The Kings, though, have had a tough time dealing with the Avs as of late. In the past seven meetups, Colorado has overtaken them five of those times and outscored the Kings 27-17 in that span.
Avalanche vs. Kings Prediction
I have a feeling we'll see a low-scoring game.
With a Rantanen-less Avalanche and the Kings, who can be hit or miss when it comes to scoring, it makes me think that the goaltenders are going to take over.
Now that Blackwood is in a stable situation like Colorado, I truly think he’s going to take another step in becoming one of the top goalies in the league.
It wasn’t his fault that the Avs blew it in the playoffs; it was the overall makeup of the team, and Rantanen was playing his former team like they owed him rent.
I also think Kuemper is going to continue his positive trend. He’s teetering on the wrong side of 30 years old, but the talent is still there if the defense holds up – which I believe it will.
Take the under here.
Best Bet: Under 5.5 (-104, bet365)
