[gambcom-standard rankid=”4141″ ]
The Colorado Avalanche (1-4-0) take on the San Jose Sharks (0-3-2) Sunday. Puck drop from the SAP Center at San Jose is set for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Avalanche vs. Sharks odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: First meeting; The Avs won 3-0 last season
The Avs secured their 1st win of the season with a thrilling 4-3 OT home win against the Anaheim Ducks Friday. The Avs entered as -270 favorites looking like a shoo-in to finally get their 1st win and dominated in the 1st period. They outshot the Ducks 18-8, yet found themselves down 2-0. They battled back with 3 straight goals before ultimately folding with 13 seconds left in regulation. C Nathan MacKinnon ended it with just 41 seconds to go in OT.
The Sharks remained winless after the Winnipeg Jets paid homage to the late Dikembe Mutumbo and finger-wagged “No, no, not today!” The Jets pummeled the visiting Sharks 8-3 Friday, covering as heavy -399 favorites. San Jose RW Tyler Toffoli scored his team-leading 4th goal of the season in the loss.
Stream the NHL all season on ESPN+, with your team’s out-of-market games, exclusive games, originals and more. Get ESPN+ now!
Avalanche at Sharks odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NHL odds. Lines last updated at 13:14 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Avalanche -300 (bet $300 to win $100) | Sharks +240 (bet $100 to win $240)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Avalanche -1.5 (-110) | Sharks +1.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
[gambcom-standard rankid=”4132″ ]
Avalanche at Sharks projected goalies
Justus Annunen (0-1-0, 4.69 GAA, .765 SV%) vs. Vitek Vanecek (0-2-0, 2.63 GAA, .892 SV%)
G Alexandar Georgiev (1-3-0, 4.99 GAA, . 811 SV%) could get the start here, but he has started all 5 games. Annunen has seen spot duty in 2 games, stopping 11 of 13 shots in 1 game and 2 of 4 in another.
Vanecek started Thursday’s 4-2 loss at the Chicago Blackhawks and stopped 23 of 27 shots. He was pressed into duty Friday after G MacKenzie Blackwood (0-1-2, 4.88 GAA, .875 SV%) allowed 5 goals to Winnipeg in the first 22 minutes. Vanecek stopped 15 of 18 shots in relief. Vanecek was 1-1-0 with a 4.05 GAA and .884 SV% against Colorado last season.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Avalanche at Sharks picks and predictions
Prediction
Avalanche 6, Sharks 3
Moneyline
It’s story time. I watched Friday’s Avs-Ducks game waiting for Anaheim to get a lead to drop Colorado’s ML from an unplayable level at -270. When the Ducks got ahead 1-0, I bet Colorado at -115. The Avs went down 2-0 and made me sweat a little bit, but they eventually prevailed.
That’s the only way you can play this one as well. The Avs (-300) should beat the Sharks, but you can’t risk 3 times your return for it.
Instead, I’m going with CASEY MITTELSTADT OVER 2.5 SHOTS (+120). He has goals in 4 of 5 games and at least 3 shots in 4 of 5, too.
Puck line/Against the spread
I’m not touching an Avs puck line (-1.5, -110) at minus odds right now. The Sharks are without No. 1 pick C Macklin Celebrini (lower body), but they are hungry and on home ice.
PASS.
Over/Under
Both of these teams are battling significant goalie issues. Colorado is 4-0-1 O/U, and San Jose is 2-2-1. The Over is 5-4-1 in the last 10 head-to-head meetings, and we’ve seen 7+ goals in 3 of 4 in San Jose.
TAKE OVER 6.5 (-110).
[gambcom-standard rankid=”6305″ ]
Ready to make your bet and want to cash in on bonus bets and other welcome offers? Check out our list of the top sportsbook promo codes and have access to thousands of dollars in promotions.
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Ryan Dodson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]
