The Colorado Avalanche (4-2-1) take on the New Jersey Devils (4-3-0) Friday at Prudential Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Avalanche vs. Devils odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Avs have been stuck in 2nd gear, but it has been enough to win 2 in a row against quality teams. They snuck by the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 Saturday and overcame the New York Rangers and G Igor Shesterkin with a 3-2 shootout win Tuesday.
The Devils have come out of the gates at a solid pace and took it to the Detroit Red Wings 6-2 Tuesday. One question mark Friday is whether G Mackenzie Blackwood will be available as the netminder is day to day with an upper-body injury. LW Jesper Bratt has paced the offense with 3 goals and 9 assists in 7 games.
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 Devils odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated 9:10 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Avalanche -135 (bet $135 to win $100) | Devils +110 (bet $100 to win $110)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Avalanche -1.5 (+165) | Devils +1.5 (-210)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -125 | U: +100)
Claim your risk-free bet up to $350. Catch the excitement and start betting with Tipico Sportsbook! New customer offer in CO and NJ. 21+, see Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. Bet now!
Avalanche at Devils projected goalies
Alexandar Georgiev (4-0-1, 2.56 GAA, .921 SV%, 0 SO) vs. Vitek Vanecek (1-1-0, 3.43 GAA, .833 SV%, 0 SO)
Georgiev was awesome against his former team Tuesday, stopping 44 of 46 shots to beat the Rangers last time out. He was great in his only start against the Devils last year, stopping 20 of 21 shots. He has allowed at least 2 goals in each game this year, though.
Vanecek was solid between the pipes, stopping 20 of 22 shots to defeat the Red Wings last time out. He allowed 5 goals to the Wings in his first start of the season and hasn’t seen a lot of action yet. He has yet to face the Avs in his young career.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Avalanche at Devils picks and predictions
Prediction
Avalanche 4, Devils 2
Moneyline
Colorado should be too much for this young Devils team talent-wise. The Avs are fresh, and Jersey is already hurting with its starting netminder in question. The Avalanche are 21-8-1 in the last 30 meetings between the teams.
D Cale Makar has gotten off to a slower-than-usual start with 0 goals and 7 assists. I look for this to be an awakening game for him.
BET THE AVALANCHE (-135).
Puck line/Against the spread
Colorado isn’t playing well enough to take the puck line here, but I do see them getting 4 goals before the final buzzer. Take the AVALANCHE OVER 3.5 TOTAL GOALS IN REGULATION (+102).
Over/Under
Both teams are 4-3 O/U to start the season, and the Over is 3-0-2 in the last 5 between these teams in N.J. However, I’m just not sold on Colorado yet for them to score 5 goals on the road to cash the Over.
Instead, take the pre-built SGP of AVALANCHE & OVER 5.5 (+200) for a much better return without more risk.
Want action on this matchup or any other NHL games? Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, SportsbookWire’s official sportsbook partner in CO and NJ. Bet now!
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW, or try out our USA TODAY Parlay Calculator. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow Ryan Dodson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]