Avalanche vs. Sharks prediction, odds, pick – 12/19/2024
12/19/2024 08:17 AM
It’ll be a special game for Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood as he returns to the SAP Center to take on his former team, the San Jose Sharks. Blackwood was having a resurgent season as the netminder for the Sharks, but the team decided to maximize their assets by trading him to the Avalanche. Colorado was desperate for a goaltender, and they now have the tandem of Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood, which is a massive improvement over their tandem of Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen to start the year. The teams battled once in San Jose this season, with the Avalanche winning 4-1. Colorado has had San Jose’s number over the past few seasons and is currently on a ten-game winning streak dating back to 2021. It’s time to continue our NHL odds series with an Avalanche-Sharks prediction and pick.
Here are the Avalanche-Sharks NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Avalanche-Sharks Odds
Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (-105)
Moneyline: -260
San Jose Sharks: +1.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +210
Over: 6.5 (-110)
Under: 6.5 (-110)
How To Watch Avalanche vs. Sharks
Time: 10:30 PM ET/7:30 PM PT
TV: Altitude, NBC Sports California
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Avalanche Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Avalanche went on a hot streak after acquiring Blackwood and Wedgewood but have now lost two of their past three games. Colorado can’t afford to go on too many losing skids, as they sit fourth in the Central Division with an 18-15-0 record. It hasn’t been the defense or goaltending that has been the problem, but surprisingly, the offense scored just one goal in the recent losses. It isn’t time to panic for the Avalanche, but their place in the standings is concerning. They are just one point up for the last wildcard spot, and they have more games played than almost every other team in their conference.
Why the Sharks Could Cover the Spread/Win
If possible, the Sharks have impressively lost five of their past six games, so things are going perfectly for San Jose’s front office. San Jose traded Blackwood for Georgiev, which was a massive downgrade but a move they had to make if they wanted to secure another top-five pick in this year’s draft. It has led to back-to-back 4-3 losses, where Georgiev and Vitek Vanecek owned a sub-.900 save percentage. It’s a perfect situation for the Sharks, as their young offensive core is scoring many goals, but they are still not winning games to hurt their draft chances.
The Sharks could sneak into a victory in this game if Colorado’s offense fails to show up. Georgiev will be motivated to win this game and prove a point to his old team, but the question is whether he can do that.
Final Avalanche-Sharks Prediction & Pick
When asked whether Georgiev could shut down the Avalanche, we tipped our hands in the previous section. The answer is not likely, so the right move is to back the Avalanche in this game. However, the odds aren’t the greatest, and the Sharks could easily keep this game within one goal and ruin any spread bet.
The better move will likely take over, and to hope that Georgiev has a terrible game against his old team. If Georgiev allows 5-6 goals, we only need the Sharks to contribute a couple on Blackwood to hit this bet. The Sharks offense has been performing well enough to make that a reality.
Final Avalanche-Sharks Prediction & Pick: Over 6.5 (-110)
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