Colorado Avalanche vs Boston Bruins Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/18/2024

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Thursday, January 18, 2024

Venue:  TD Garden, Boston, MA 

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Avalanche +120, Bruins -142; Over/Under:  6 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Avalanche +120, Bruins -142; Over/Under:  6 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Avalanche +120, Bruins -142; Over/Under:  6 goals

Colorado Avalanche:  29-13-3 (2nd place, Central Division)

Boston Bruins:  26-8-9 (1st place, Atlantic Division)

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Colorado Avalanche:  8-2-0 last 10

Boston Bruins:  6-1-3 last 10

The Avalanche are entering this game with 61 points, a 29-13-3 record overall, and they are 11-8-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Ottawa Senators in their last game, winning that one on the road 7-4. Mikko Rantanen led the team in goals scored with 2 while Sam Malinski, Logan O'Connor, Devon Toews, Miles Wood, and Jason Polin each scored 1 goal for them in that game. Samuel Girard led the team in assists with 3 while Devon Toews led the team in shots on net in that game with 7. Justus Annunen was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 40 shots with 36 saves and a .900 save percentage. Their offense has scored 170 goals this season averaging 3.8 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 141 goals against them allowing 3.1 goals per game.

The Bruins are entering this game with 61 points, a 26-8-9 record overall, and they are 13-3-3 in their home games this regular season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the New Jersey Devils in their last game, winning that one at home 3-0. David Pastrňák, Charlie Coyle, and Trent Frederic each scored 1 goal for them in that game. Brad Marchand led the team in assists with 2 while Charlie Coyle and Danton Heinen each led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Jeremy Swayman was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 0 goals as he recorded the shutout on 31 shots with 31 saves and a 1.000 save percentage. Their offense has scored 144 goals this season averaging 3.3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 114 goals against them allowing 2.7 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Bruins listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Bruins have looked great in their games this season with their 26-8-9 record overall which has them leading their division in the East. The Bruins were the best regular season team in the NHL last season and they have picked up right where they left off. They have also looked great in their home games with their 13-3-3 home record. Meanwhile, the Avalanche have also looked great in their games this season with their 29-13-3 record overall which has them in 2nd place of their division in the West. They have been really hot lately as they are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games, but they haven't looked as good in their road games this season. They have an 11-8-3 road record this season and they struggled in their last road game against the Sens, winning 7-4 but playing from behind for most of that game. The Bruins have been the most consistent team in the NHL during the regular season for the last 2 years, especially on home ice. They also won their last game with a shutout and their defensive play is going to be a big reason why they edge out the Avalanche here on their home ice. The best way to place a bet here is on the Bruins to win this game. 

Avalanche Bruins Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Thursday, January 18, 2024 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Bruins 3 Avalanche 2.

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Colorado Avalanche: 38-27 (-10.1 units) on the moneyline after a blowout win by 3 goals or more. 25-21 (-8.2 units) on the moneyline after a road game where both teams score 3 or more goals. 26-18 OVER in all games. 30-17 OVER after 5 straight games with 30 or more shots on goal. 13-7 OVER after a win by 2 goals or more.

Boston Bruins: 147-73 (+30.6 units) on the moneyline in all games. 95-51 (+12.4 units) on the moneyline off a win or tie in their previous game. 13-7 OVER after 1 or more consecutive unders. 29-16 OVER revenging a same season loss vs opponent. 8-2 OVER after a blowout win by 3 goals or more. 

Colorado Avalanche:  B. Byram (D) Late Jan - Lower Body. A. Lehkonen (LW) Late Jan - Neck. P. Francouz (G) out for season - Groin. G. Landeskog (LW) out for season - Knee.

Boston Bruins:  L. Ullmark (G) Ques Thurs - Lower Body. M. Poitras (C) Ques Thurs - Shoulder. B. Carlo (D) Out indefinitely - Upper Body. D. Forbort (D) Out indefinitely - Lower Body. M. Lucic (LW) Out indefinitely - Ankle.

“On a back-to-back, going against a fresh team, that’s sort of what you need to do, have everyone pulling on the reins, have everyone contributing in different ways.” - Logan O’Connor after their win against the Senators in their game on Tuesday.

“It’s nice to be able to see him have this opportunity. If Linus wasn’t injured, we wouldn’t have seen it. But his makeup is someone that wants the net every night. Linus has that, too. The swagger that he brings, it feels like he never gets tired.” - Jim Montgomery after his team’s win against the Devils in their game on Monday.

LW Drouin, Jonathan

C MacKinnon, Nathan

RW Rantanen, Mikko

LD Toews, Devon

RD Makar, Cale

G Annunen, Justus

LW Marchand, Brad

C Coyle, Charlie

RW Pastrnak, David

LD Grzelcyk, Matt

RD McAvoy, Charlie

G Swayman, Jeremy

Points: N. MacKinnon (72)

Goals: M. Rantanen (24)

Assists: N. MacKinnon (49)

GAA: A. Georgiev (2.92)

Points: D. Pastrnak (61)

Goals: D. Pastrnak (26)

Assists: D. Pastrnak (35)

GAA: J. Swayman (2.38)

Coaches:

Colorado Avalanche: Jared Bednar (8th season)

Boston Bruins: Jim Montgomery (2nd season)