Colorado Avalanche vs Nashville Predators

Nathan MacKinnon and the league-leading Avalanche roll into Nashville on a two-game win streak and a 21-2-6 heater overall, while the Predators are back on a mini skid after a 6-3 loss to Carolina ended their brief two-game surge. With Colorado still banking points in virtually every outing and Nashville sitting at 10-14-4 and last in the Central, the recent form gap is stark before you even factor in health: the Avs are largely intact beyond Scott Wedgewood’s recent upper-body issue in goal, whereas Nashville has spent most of the year without captain Roman Josi and just lost depth winger Ozzy Wiesblatt for 8–10 weeks, further thinning an already vulnerable lineup. In this matchup specifically, MacKenzie Blackwood’s 35-save shutout in a 3-0 win at Bridgestone on November 22 plus his perfect career line vs Nashville contrasts with Juuse Saros’ merely solid 2.53 career GAA against Colorado, and MacKinnon’s 20 goals and 38 points in his last 25 games vs the Predators give the Avs a clear top-end edge over even a dangerous Filip Forsberg, who has historically punished Colorado but has far less support this season. Laying -225 on the road is never cheap, but with Colorado driving play at five-on-five, owning the special-teams edge, and already proving they can smother this opponent in this building, Avalanche moneyline is the straightforward side; I’d grade it an A- for likelihood with modest but still acceptable value for parlay anchors or larger straight bets. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 09/12/2025 09:48am

Colorado’s current form points toward offense: they’ve scored at least three goals in four straight and come in off consecutive 3-2 wins after a rare 6-3 loss to the Islanders snapped a 17-game point streak, while Nashville has quietly found some punch with back-to-back five- and two-goal wins before that 6-3 defeat in Carolina, leaving them on a one-game losing streak but with 10 goals in their last three. On the injury front, the Avs’ main concern is in net with Wedgewood recently banged up, which likely keeps Mackenzie Blackwood — excellent overall but coming off a heavy early-December workload — in the rotation, and any slight dip from his elite numbers would tilt this toward a more open game; Nashville, meanwhile, still doesn’t know exactly what they’re getting from Josi after his extended upper-body absence and now has Wiesblatt sidelined, forcing more minutes onto an already stretched bottom six and blue line. Historically this matchup can bottle up (Colorado’s 3-0 shutout here on November 22, plus Saros’ solid career numbers vs the Avs) but MacKinnon’s and Forsberg’s long-run production against these opponents, combined with a Colorado power play that has been among the league’s most dangerous and a Predators team that just gave up six to Carolina, makes a 4-2 or 5-2 type script very live, with empty-net equity pushing late scoring. At a flat total of 6 with the Over at -115, I lean Over 6 and grade it a B- — there’s upside if this turns into a special-teams and fatigue-driven track meet, but Saros and Blackwood are good enough that a 3-2 grinder and a push are very much in play. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 09/12/2025 09:48am

From a risk-reward standpoint, the puckline is where Colorado backers actually get paid for the current trajectories: the Avalanche are on a two-game win streak and have covered multi-goal margins routinely during a stretch that’s left them first in the Central at 21-2-6, while Nashville’s 10-14-4 mark and one-game losing skid underline how rarely they are driving play, especially at five-on-five, despite that brief mini-run of wins. Injury-wise, a Predators defense that has leaned heavily on replacement pieces during Josi’s prolonged absence is again facing an Avs top six that just rolled them 3-0 in this building, with Blackwood posting a 35-save shutout and now owning a 1-0-0, 0.00 GAA split vs Nashville; even if Saros’ strong 7-3-2 career record and 2.53 GAA against Colorado keep things close early, the depth gap shows up quickly when you compare Colorado’s forward core and transition game to a Predators lineup now missing Wiesblatt and still relying heavily on veterans like Forsberg, O’Reilly and Stamkos to carry the mail. Add in MacKinnon’s 38 points in his last 25 vs Nashville and Colorado’s ability to tilt the ice late — plus empty-net pressure on the trailing side — and the Avs winning by two or more is a realistic extension of the moneyline edge, making Colorado -1.5 at -115 my preferred high-upside angle; I’ll grade it a B, with more variance than the straight win but materially better payout for a matchup that has already produced a multi-goal Avalanche road win this season. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 09/12/2025 09:48am