Colorado Avalanche vs Carolina Hurricanes Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/05/2024

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Thursday, December 5, 2024

Venue:  Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Avalanche +124, Hurricanes -148; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Avalanche +125, Hurricanes -150; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Avalanche +125, Hurricanes -150; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Colorado Avalanche:  14-12-0 (4th place, Central Division)

Carolina Hurricanes:  16-8-1 (3rd place, Metropolitan Division)

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Colorado Avalanche:  6-4-0 last 10

Carolina Hurricanes:  5-4-1 last 10

The Avalanche are entering this game with 28 points, a 14-12-0 record overall, and they are 7-5-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Buffalo Sabres in their last game, winning that one on the road 5-4. Nathan MacKinnon led the team in goals scored with 2 while Logan O'Connor, Joel Kiviranta, and Artturi Lehkonen each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Calvin de Haan led the team in assists with 2 while Nathan MacKinnon led the team in shots on net in that game with 9. Alexandar Georgiev was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 8 shots with 4 saves and a .500 save percentage before getting replaced by Scott Wedgewood who saved all 22 shots he faced. Their offense has scored 86 goals this season averaging 3.3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 97 goals against them allowing 3.7 goals per game.

The Hurricanes are entering this game with 33 points, a 16-8-1 record overall, and they are 9-3-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Seattle Kraken in their last game, losing that one at home 4-2. Martin Nečas and Eric Robinson each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Martin Nečas, Sebastian Aho, and Shayne Gostisbehere each led the team in assists with 1 while Eric Robinson led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Pyotr Kochetkov was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 28 shots with 24 saves and a .857 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 93 goals this season averaging 3.7 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 74 goals against them allowing 3 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Avalanche listed as an underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Avalanche haven't looked great in their games this season with their 14-12-0 record overall, but that record has them in the top half of their division in the West. They got off to a terrible start this season and were one of the worst teams in the NHL after the first 2 weeks, but they have looked a lot better lately and are climbing back up the standings in the West. They are coming off a win against the Sabres in their last one and they are going to have a ton of momentum from that win as they beat the Sabres 5-4 after going down 4-0. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have looked good in their games this season with their 16-8-1 record overall which has them near the top of their division in the East. They have been one of the stronger teams in the NHL over the last few years and they got off to a hot start this season, but now they have been cooling off and really haven't looked as good lately. They are coming off a 4-2 loss on home ice against the Kraken in their last one and their defense hasn't looked good lately at all. The Avalanche have struggled on defense all season, but they also have a very strong offense that has been scoring more goals lately and they have a ton of momentum on their side coming into this one. The Avalanche can take advantage of the defensive troubles that the Hurricanes have had lately, and the Avalanche have been the slightly better team lately too. The best way to place a bet here is on the Avalanche to win this game. 

Avalanche Hurricanes Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Thursday, December 5, 2024 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Avalanche 5 Hurricanes 2.

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Colorado Avalanche: 124-83 (-4.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 40-36 (-13.3 units) on the moneyline in non-conference games. 29-31 (-6.3 units) on the moneyline versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 0.5+ goals/game. 6-2 UNDER against good defensive teams - opponents average 26.5 shots on goal or less.

Carolina Hurricanes: 133-79 (+4.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 73-34 (+9.8 units) on the moneyline in home games. 66-37 (+8.7 units) on the moneyline after playing a home game. 48-28 UNDER in a home game where the total is 6 or more. 21-9 UNDER off a home loss. 72-45 UNDER against terrible defensive teams - allowing 3+ goals/game.

Colorado Avalanche:  J. Manson (D) Out - Upper-body. O. Kylington (D) Out - Upper-body. R. Colton (C) Out - Foot. M. Wood (LW) Out - Upper-body. J. Drouin (LW) Out - Upper Body. G. Landeskog (LW) Out - Knee. T. Poolman (D) Out - Head.

Carolina Hurricanes:  F. Andersen (G) Out - Knee. J. Fast (RW) Out - Neck.

“It’s still recovering from that one. Strange game.” - Jared Bednar after his team’s win against the Sabres in their game on Tuesday.

“Listen, I think the better point is what happened in the first two periods where we didn't get anything going. You start the game and you give up a goal right away. That's kind of unacceptable. We fought back a little bit, but you can't play two periods like that.” - Rod Brind’Amour after his team’s loss against the Kraken in their game on Tuesday.

LW Artturi Lehkonen

C Nathan MacKinnon

RW Mikko Rantanen

LD Devon Toews

RD Cale Makar

G Alexandar Georgiev

LW Andrei Svechnikov

C Sebastian Aho

RW Jack Roslovic

LD Jaccob Slavin

RD Brent Burns

G Pyotr Kochetkov

Points: N. MacKinnon (39)

Goals: M. Rantanen (15)

Assists: N. MacKinnon (30)

GAA: A. Georgiev (3.54)

Points: M. Necas (39)

Goals: M. Necas (13)

Assists: M. Necas (26)

GAA: F. Andersen (1.49)

Coaches:

Colorado Avalanche: Jared Bednar (9th season)

Carolina Hurricanes: Rod Brind'Amour (7th season)