Colorado Avalanche vs Utah Hockey Club Betting Pick & Prediction 12/27/24
Betting on today’s Avalanche and Hockey Club game? Catch the action at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT, as the Hockey Club hosts this showdown at 9:30 ET on ESPN2. The Avalanche are the -1.5 goal favorites in this Central division matchup against the Hockey Club. The over/under for the game is set at 6.5 goals.
COLORADO AVALANCHE VS UTAH HOCKEY CLUB BETTING PICK
The Pick: Utah Hockey Club +1.5
This game will be played at Delta Center at 9:30 ET on Friday, December 27th.
WHY BET THE UTAH HOCKEY CLUB:
- Even though they are considered 1.5-goal underdogs, our projection points to a 3-2 win for the Hockey Club.
- We like the Hockey Club on the moneyline (+133)
- The Hockey Club are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
Is a Win at Salt Lake City Possible for the Avalanche?
With a 5-2 loss to the Predators, the Avalanche’s record now stands at 21-15-0. Colorado took the lead in the second period, but Nashville responded with five straight goals. The total for the game was set at 6.5 goals, and the combined 7 goals surpassed that mark.
Going into the game as underdogs on the puck line, the Avalanche failed to cover. Both of their goals came from different players: Cale Makar scored first, followed by Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche’s defense allowed two empty-net goals in the third period.
The Avalanche took 30 shots on goal in their 5-2 loss to the Predators, but only found the net twice. Cale Makar opened the scoring with his 5th goal of the season, a power-play goal in the second period. Nathan MacKinnon added his 6th goal, scoring at the 2:17 mark of the third period.
Colorado had 23 offensive giveaways and managed 11 takeaways. Makar also picked up his 16th assist on MacKinnon’s goal, while MacKinnon earned his 14th assist on Makar’s power-play goal. Devon Toews contributed his 2nd assist of the season.
Defensively, the Avalanche will look to bounce back after giving up five goals to the Predators. Justus Annunen made 21 saves with a save percentage of 87.5%. Colorado’s defense also recorded 11 takeaways and 26 hits. The Avalanche took a 1-0 lead in the second period, but they gave up five of the next six goals, including two empty-netters late in the third.
Can Utah Lock in a Home Win?
Utah fell to 16-13-6 with a 4-3 loss to the Golden Knights. The game’s total of 7 goals surpassed the pre-game line of 6.5, and Utah, as underdogs on the puck line, failed to cover.
Utah led 2-0 before Vegas tied it with just one second left in the second period. The Golden Knights then scored the game-winner at 2:15 in overtime.
Utah Hockey Club took 19 shots on goal in their 4-3 loss to Vegas, scoring three times. Ian Cole netted his first goal of the season, while Logan Cooley added his second and Alexander Kerfoot scored his second goal as well.
Nick Bjugstad contributed two assists, bringing his season total to two. Jack McBain, now with three assists this season, and Clayton Keller, with six, also added assists. Maveric Lamoureux picked up his first assist of the year.
Utah’s defense will look to bounce back after giving up four goals to Vegas, including the game-winner in overtime. After going up 2-0 in the second period, the team allowed four of the next five goals, with the first coming at 4:54 in the second. Connor Ingram finished with 31 saves and a save percentage of 88.6%.