Avalanche Favored Over Golden Knights in Heavyweight Clash

What: Vegas Golden Knights vs Colorado Avalanche
When: Wednesday, January 10th
Where: Ball Arena

All eyes will be on a heavyweight clash on Wednesday night in Denver between the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche. The puck is scheduled to drop at 10 PM EST at Ball Arena. Vegas is rolling along as per usual, sitting in second place in the Pacific Division. They just beat the New York Islanders 5-2 on Saturday. Colorado meanwhile took down a very good Boston Bruins team in a shootout on Monday evening. This should be a very entertaining matchup between a pair of contenders. Below, find the Golden Knights vs Avalanche picks.

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

Golden Knights vs Avalanche Odds

Team
Vegas Golden Knights	+123	+122	+125
Colorado Avalanche	-138	-142	-140

The Avs are a home favorite here with -138 moneyline odds for an implied win probability of 57.98%. The Golden Knights come back at +123 and have a 44.84% chance of taking this one on the road. The total in goals is set at 6.5. Vegas absolutely hammered Colorado in their last meeting though, winning 7-0 back in November. In fact, the Golden Knights have won two of the last three against Colorado.

Golden Knights Looking Good

Another season of promise for Vegas. After winning their first-ever Stanley Cup in 2022-23, Bruce Cassidy's squad looks like a legitimate threat to be in the Finals again. The Golden Knights own a 23-12-5 record, putting them four points behind the surprising Vancouver Canucks, who sit in first place. Vegas essentially has the same roster as their Stanley Cup run and all the big boys are producing.

Jack Eichel is leading the way with 42 points, including 18 goals and 24 assists. Veteran Mark Stone also has 12 goals and 27 assists, while Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson are both hovering right around the 30-point mark as well. There are 13 players on this roster with a minimum of 15 points, which just shows the balance the Golden Knights have. It's no wonder they're one of the top clubs in the NHL.

However, Vegas isn't in great shape at the moment, compiling a 3-7-0 record in their previous 10 games. The win over the Isles was much needed, with everyone putting in a shift on both ends of the ice. Eichel scored twice on his own while Nicolas Roy also scored a pair of goals. That was about the only offense the Knights needed. In net, Logan Thompson made 28 saves on 30 shots. The victory ended a two-game skid for Vegas. They will need to keep it rolling against a strong Avs squad. The Golden Knights are only 9-8-3 on the road, though.

Avs Are a Force

Yes, Colorado flamed out of the playoffs much earlier than anticipated last year, but this is a resilient group who have bounced back with authority in 2023-24. The Avalanche are only one point behind the NHL's best Winnipeg Jets with 55 points. Their 26-12-3 record is terrific and Colorado is also 7-2-1 in the last 10 outings. While defensively the Avs aren't fantastic (18th in goals allowed) they make up for it with their potent offense.

Jared Bednar's team is second in goals scored with 3.66 per game and 10th in shots on goal. Hart Trophy candidate Nathan MacKinnon is the leading catalyst with 22 goals and 44 assists for a total of 66 points. He is undoubtedly the main man in Denver. But, there are also others doing their part. Mikko Rantanen has tallied 51 points, while Cale Makar has 49. Valeri Nichushkin has hit the 40-point mark, too. Remember the Avs don't even have Gabriel Landeskog right now, either. Yet, this squad is still phenomenal. He's a big piece.

Colorado was tested on Monday against Boston and they delivered. Logan O'Connor, Sam Malinski, and Rantanen all got on the scoresheet. The Avalanche took a 3-2 lead into the third before the Bruins equalized. Overtime didn't solve a thing, which resulted in a shootout. Nichushkin scored the lone goal to win it. Colorado is evidently a problem at Ball Arena, posting a 17-5-0 record. That's likely part of the reason they're a favorite versus the Golden Knights on Wednesday.