Kings vs Avalanche

Colorado’s core of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Martin Necas and a resurgent Gabriel Landeskog comes into this one riding a seven-game winning streak and a 15-0-2 home mark, while Los Angeles, even after hanging six on Anaheim last night, has still been mired in a 2-4-2 stretch that exposed its defensive looseness and special-teams issues. With Darcy Kuemper on injured reserve for the Kings and Logan O’Connor the only notable Avs skater sidelined, Colorado’s lineup is close to full strength, and that matters against a Kings group leaning heavily on Anze Kopitar, Kevin Fiala and Quinton Byfield for offense. Recent history in this matchup tilts hard toward the Avs: they blanked L.A. 4-0 in Denver last spring and opened this season with a 4-1 road win in which MacKinnon set the franchise points record and Makar piled up helpers, continuing a pattern of Colorado tilting both shot share and high-danger chances when these teams meet. At -250 the price is steep, but with Colorado owning a massive goal differential edge, dominant underlying metrics and Ball Arena’s altitude advantage on the second night of a back-to-back for both clubs, the Avalanche moneyline still grades out as an A- play for combining high win probability with acceptable but not elite return. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 29/12/2025 09:34

With Colorado averaging close to four goals per game behind MacKinnon’s MVP-caliber pace and Makar driving offense from the back end, and the Kings finally snapping their scoring funk with a six-goal outburst keyed by Alex Laferriere, this sets up as a spot where talent and recent form both lean toward at least six goals despite the modest 5.5 total. The Avs have repeatedly pushed Kings games over this number with 4-0, 5-1 and 4-1 scorelines in Denver over the last two seasons, and their 15-0-2 home record has been built on relentless pace and wave-after-wave transition that punishes road teams’ legs, which is magnified on a back-to-back. Los Angeles can still contribute to the scoreboard with Kopitar’s long-term success against Colorado and shooters like Fiala and Byfield benefiting from a beleaguered goaltending situation absent Kuemper, while Colorado’s machine-like power play and plus-60-plus goal differential mean even solid road defensive efforts can quickly be overwhelmed. The juice at -135 limits the payout and there’s always some risk of a lower-event Kings road script, so Over 5.5 gets a B grade: solidly positive expectation in this matchup profile but not priced in a way that warrants a top-tier rating. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 29/12/2025 09:34

Given how ruthlessly Colorado has protected home ice, laying the -1.5 with the Avalanche at nearly even money has real appeal: they’re 15-0-2 in Denver with a +63 overall goal differential, and they’ve beaten the Kings by three or more in each of their last two home meetings while also controlling this year’s opener in L.A. by a 4-1 margin. MacKinnon’s line has consistently driven multi-goal separation in wins, Makar has already notched multi-point efforts against the Kings this season, and Necas has repeatedly burned them with his finishing from the circles, all of which compounds the challenge for a Kings team that just emerged from a 1-4-2 skid and still leans heavily on veteran minutes from Kopitar and Drew Doughty on tired legs at altitude. With Kuemper on IR and Los Angeles likely turning again to Anton Forsberg or another backup option, plus a penalty kill that has wobbled badly in recent weeks, Colorado’s offensive ceiling at home makes the one-goal Avs win scenario less common than the market implies, though back-to-back fatigue and the potential for a lower-tempo Kings road effort keep this off the A tier. At -110 the combination of frequent multi-goal Avs wins and matchup edges earns the Colorado -1.5 puckline a B grade. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 29/12/2025 09:34