The Colorado Avalanche (37-9-9) and Utah Mammoth (30-23-4) meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 9:00 p.m. EST at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 6.5 (+102o / -120u). The Avalanche are a -130 favorite to win outright, while the Mammoth are +110 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Avalanche vs. Mammoth predictions and NHL picks.
Avalanche vs. Mammoth Odds, Pick
| Avalanche Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +180 | 6.5 +102o / -120u | -130 |
| Utah Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -220 | 6.5 +102o / -120u | +110 |
- Avalanche vs. Mammoth Spread: Avalanche -1.5 (+180), Mammoth +1.5 (-220)
- Avalanche vs. Mammoth Over/Under: 6.5 (+102o / -120u)
- Avalanche vs. Mammoth Moneyline: Avalanche -130, Mammoth +110
Avalanche vs. Mammoth Preview
Colorado Avalanche
If there were one NHL team that needed this Olympic break, it would be the Avalanche.
A team that started the season off so deadly, so lethal and so suffocating, finished off the first half of the season mediocre with a 4-5-2 record.
Colorado had several Olympians on this roster—seven to be exact, including gold medalist Brock Nelson.
But Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, who were a part of a silver medal Canada team, will be a pair to watch out for.
Additionally, Colorado made a slight move to its defense prior to the season starting by trading longtime defenseman Sam Girard to the Penguins for Brett Kulak. It’s a solid move given that Girard was trending towards a liability in the defensive zone and it creates some cap flexibility.
If anything, though, this break will be a massive boost to Colorado’s goaltending.
Neither Scott Wedgewood nor MacKenzie Blackwood was necessarily getting overworked, since they shared starts, but they were starting to get hammered. Especially Wedgewood, who was posting a -1.3 GSAx over his last 10 games.
Whoever starts tonight, it’s a crap shoot, but consider this a fresh start for both netminders who carry a high ceiling.
Utah Mammoth
Conversely, if anything, the Olympic break was the worst thing for the Mammoth, as they finished off the first half of the season with a 7-3 record.
I can’t imagine that captain Clayton Keller is upset about it, though, considering he was a part of the USA gold medal squad and is fresh off a two-day celebration.
I truly think this is an incredibly deep roster with a lot of potential to make a solid playoff run.
Utah has three 20-goal scorers, and it could’ve been more if Logan Cooley hadn’t suffered an injury that has kept him out of commission.
And from the looks of it, it seems like Cooley is making his return.
The only thing that I worry about is goaltending. Karel Vejmelka was on Team Czechia, but neglected to see the ice during one game (which I thought was odd); it might’ve been a blessing for him.
Vejmelka’s play has trended more on the side of volatile rather than consistent. And while he capped off the first half of the season, playing to a .913 SV% and a 7.9 GSAx, the rest that he had may end up paying off for the Mammoth.
Avalanche vs. Utah Prediction
If you know MacKinnon well enough as a player, you’ll know that the gold medal loss didn’t sit well with him.
First, he whiffed on the potential game-winning goal, and then, for his efforts, the Olympic committee handed him a stuffed animal.
MacKinnon is one of the more intense fellas in the league, so it would behoove me to at least put some currency on him after such a devastating loss.
Bet365 has him listed at +110 to notch a goal, and I personally love that value.
Coming in, I was expecting him to at least be in the negatives, but if we can get that kind of value, I think we’re sitting pretty.
Let’s just pray that the stuffed animal is ok.
Pick: Nathan MacKinnon Anytime Goal Scorer (+110)
