The Carolina Hurricanes (9-4-1) and Colorado Avalanche (7-4-1) meet at Ball Arena in Denver Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Hurricanes vs. Avalanche odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Hurricanes are coming off an impressive 7-2 rout of the visiting Edmonton Oilers Thursday at PNC Arena, as LW Andrei Svechnikov recorded a hat trick with his 98th, 99th and 100th NHL goals.
The Avalanche racked up a 5-3 win over the visiting Nashville Predators Thursday, and they have now won 3 in a row while scoring 4 or more goals in each of the previous 4 outings.
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Hurricanes at Avalanche odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:49 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Hurricanes +105 (bet $100 to win $105) | Avalanche -130 (bet $130 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Hurricanes +1.5 (-240) | Avalanche -1.5 (+190)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Hurricanes at Avalanche projected goalies
Antti Raanta (3-1-1, 2.36 GAA, .915 SV%) vs. Alexandar Georgiev (7-1-1, 2.66 GAA, .924 SV%)
Raanta stood on his head at the Florida Panthers Wednesday in a 3-0 loss, and it would have been worse if not for his exploits. He stopped all but 2 of the 36 shots he faced, but obviously, he received zero offensive support. He has allowed 3 or fewer goals in all 5 of his starts to date, including 4 outings on the road.
Third-stringer G Pyotr Kochetkov was sensational against the Oilers Thursday, with G Frederik Andersen nursing a neck injury. Andersen is unlikely to be ready to play in Denver, a place he suffered what ended up being a season-ending lower-body injury last April.
Georgiev has won 3 straight starts in November, allowing 3 or fewer goals in each contest. He is 3-0-0 with a 2.34 GAA and .923 SV% in 2 starts against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Tampere, Finland, and the most recent showing against the Preds at Ball Arena.
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Hurricanes at Avalanche picks and predictions
Prediction
Avalanche 3, Hurricanes 1
Moneyline
The AVALANCHE (-130) have revved up the offense lately after a slow start, averaging 5.0 goals per game (GPG) across the past 4 outings. However, they’ll get a much better test from the Hurricanes, a team they’ll meet twice in the next 7 days.
Puck line/Against the spread
The AVALANCHE -1.5 (+190) are worth a play at this price, although it might take a late empty-net goal to get over the hump.
It’s been feast or famine for the Hurricanes lately, as Carolina was blanked in Florida, then came home on the second end of a back-to-back to drop 7 on the Oilers. It has 4 or more goals in 7 of its 14 games this season, but Carolina will likely have some trouble solving Georgiev here.
Over/Under
UNDER 6.5 (-115) is worth a roll of the dice here.
It’s a little scary to consider, given that Carolina lit the lamp 7 times last time out, while Colorado has 20 goals scored across its past 4 outings. However, while the offenses have been flying high, the goaltenders and defenses for each side have been on fire lately, too. In this marquee matchup, expect to see a much cleaner game in the back end.
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