The second of a two-game slate in the NHL scheduled for Friday, January 20, will be played in Vancouver, and here you can get the best Avalanche vs. Canucks betting pick and odds.

Colorado is searching for the fourth consecutive victory when they visit Vancouver at Rogers Arena. The Avalanche are -192 moneyline favorites on Bovada Sportsbook, while the total is set at 6.5 goals. These conference rivals will meet for the third time this year; the series is currently tied at 1-1.

Avalanche beat Calgary for the third straight W

The Colorado Avalanche (23-17-1-2, 20-23 ATS) were in a bad sequence of the season during which they suffered seven losses in eight games. However, the Avs responded with three straight wins against the Senators, Red Wings, and Flames, scoring 17 and allowing four goals in the process. The most recent 4-1 victory over Calgary came on the road, and it was the first of a three-game road trip for the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

Colorado scored three goals in the opening period and the Flames couldn’t come back from that deficit. Artturi Lehkonen and Mikko Rantanen scored two goals apiece and the latter led all the players with three points. Goalie Alexandar Georgiyev stopped 34 of 35 shots in another strong display. Up to this point in the campaign, Rantanen leads the Avalanche in points and is the 8th best in the NHL with 56 (G 31, A 25). Nathan MacKinnon has 49 (G 13, A 36) and Cale Makar registered 43 points (G 13, A 30).

Alexandar Georgiyev is slated to start against Vancouver on Friday. The 26-year-old is surrendering 2.69 goals per game this season with a .917 SV% and two shutouts.

LW Gabriel Landeskog (upper body), LW Darren Helm (lower body), and D Bowen Byram (lower body) are out indefinitely. D Cale Makar (undisclosed) is questionable to feature on Friday against Vancouver.

Canucks couldn’t do much against the Lightning

The Vancouver Canucks (18-23-2-1, 22-22 ATS) have lost their seventh game in the last nine and opened a four-game home stand with a 5-2 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was another poor display from one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL, and it seems that at the moment, the playoffs are far away from the Canucks.

Vancouver conceded four goals in the opening period and failed to recover in time despite a pair of quick goals in the final period. Andrei Kuzmenko and Quinn Hughes scored power-play goals for the Canucks, but that wasn’t enough to avoid another defeat. This year, Elias Pettersson leads the team with 52 points (G 18, A 34), followed by Bo Horvat with 49 (G 30, A 19), J.T. Miller with 40 (G 17, A 23), and Quinn Hughes with 40 points (G 4, A 36).

Spencer Martin (11-11-1) is a probable goalie against the Avalanche on Friday. The 27-year-old is conceding 3.89 goals per contest this year with a .877 SV% and no shutouts.

G Thatcher Demko (lower body), D Tucker Poolman (upper body), and LW Tanner Pearson (hand) are out indefinitely. D Travis Dermott (undisclosed) is questionable to face the Avalanche on Friday.

Trends:

Colorado:

  • 4-1 in the last five games playing on one day of rest
  • 21-10 in the last 31 road games
  • 21-8 in the last 29 Friday games

Vancouver:

  • 1-5 in the last six overall
  • 1-5 in the last six vs. Central Division opponents
  • 1-6 in the last seven games playing on one day of rest

Colorado Avalanche vs. Vancouver Canucks Pick

Vancouver managed to beat Colorado a couple of weeks ago but it was when the Avs were going through the toughest period of the season. The situation is somewhat better for the reigning champions as they have their best player MacKinnon back from an injury, and I am backing the visitors to punish the Canucks’ leaky defense and secure an easy victory. Colorado’s offense is not as hot as last year, but MacKinnon, Rantanen, Lehkonen, and co. should do well against the D that allows 3.96 goals per game and is the second-worst in the NHL.

Pick: Take the Avalanche at -1.5 Puck Line (+137)

The Total

The Avs scored 17 goals in their previous three games, while Vancouver kept the opponents to below three goals just once in their last ten games. I am backing the visitors to score 4+ without problems here, considering that Spencer Martin surrendered 5.64 goals per contest in January. Over is 4-1-2 in the last seven H2H meetings; Over is 5-0-2 in the previous seven H2H duels in Vancouver, while Over is 33-16-7 in the Canucks’ last 56 overall.

Pick: Go Over 6.5 goals (-110)