Avalanche a Deserving Favorite Over Islanders Monday

The Nathan MacKinnon-less Colorado Avalanche will play host on Monday evening to Matthew Barzal and the New York Islanders in a non-conference matchup at Ball Arena in Denver. The puck drops at 9 PM ET here. The Avs are coming off an impressive 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators over the weekend at home, taking their record to 16-11-2, which is good for fourth in the Central Division. The Isles meanwhile also won on Saturday, taking down the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2. Keep reading for the Avalanche vs Islanders picks.

Before we get into the odds and predictions for this game make sure to check out our online sportsbook reviews, and the top NHL betting sites.

Avalanche vs Islanders Odds

	Puck Line	Moneyline	Total
Colorado Avalanche	TBD	-155	Ov 5.5 (-118)
NY Islanders	TBD	+140	Un 5.5 ('+107)

The Puck Line isn't available yet, but the Avalanche sits at -155 for this one, with a 61.2% chance of winning. They've gone 13-9 as a moneyline favorite this season. The Islanders come back at +140 odds. New York already beat the defending Stanley Cup champions in late October by a score of 5-4. Their last three meetings have all hit the over.

Colorado vs New York Betting Preview

There are always expectations when you've just won it all. And 29 games in, Colorado have lived up to them to a certain extent. However, they're in a bit of a slump at moment. Before beating the Preds the other night, the Avs lost five of seven, giving up more goals than usual in the process. Hopefully, Saturday's win can get them back on track, but it's not easy right now when injuries are hurting their roster. Gabriel Landeskog, MacKinnon, Kurtis MacDermid, Josh Manson, and Bowen Byram all remain sidelined. Landeskog hasn't played all season after recovering from knee surgery but Colorado could definitely use his presence. On a more positive note, he's making progress in rehab. MacKinnon meanwhile is dealing with an upper-body injury. The Avs star last took the ice on December 5th. He's scored eight times and provided 26 assists. They need their center back ASAP, evident by the 3.03 goals per game, which ranks 19th in the league. Cale Makar and the defense are solid though, allowing only 2.76 goals per outing.

The Isles are in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division with an 18-13-1 record but are just 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. They're relatively well-rounded, scoring 3.25 goals and allowing only 2.81. That both ranks in the top half of the NHL. Keeper Ilya Sorokin is playing very well in between the posts, boasting a 2.49 GAA. Semyon Varmalov played most of the Golden Knights game but suffered an injury, which paved the way for Sorokin to come in. Five different players got on the scoresheet in Sin City, including Zach Parise and Brock Nelson. He's been the leading offensive weapon in 2022, scoring 15 times and tallying 18 assists. Barzal isn't scoring as much as past seasons with just four goals, but the Canadian has been the ultimate provider with 27 assists, which ranks sixth in the league. As for healthy, New York has four players who are listed as day-to-day. Cal Clutterbuck, Varmalov, Kyle Palmieri, and Adam Pelech. This is the second-last game for the Isles on their five-game road trip, finishing up at MSG against their rivals, the Rangers, on Thursday evening.

Avalanche vs Islanders Picks

Colorado had won three straight against NY before the defeat in October. That's exactly why I'm liking them on the moneyline at home here to collect a second victory in a row. Also, the over holds tons of value. There have been 26 goals combined in the past three matchups. Lock in both.

Colorado Avalanche To beat the New York Islanders

-155

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Colorado Avalanche vs New York Islanders To hit the over

Ov 5.5 (-118)

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