Colorado Avalanche vs Detroit Red Wings Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/31/2026

Game Time: 1:00 pm ET, Saturday, January 31, 2026

Venue:  Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI

Where to Watch:  ABC

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

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

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

Colorado Avalanche:  35-8-9 (1st place, Central Division)

Detroit Red Wings:  32-17-6 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)

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Colorado Avalanche:  4-4-2 last 10

Detroit Red Wings:  6-2-2 last 10

The Avalanche are entering this game with 79 points, a 35-8-9 record overall, and they are 15-6-5 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Montreal Canadiens in their last game, losing that one on the road 7-3. Brock Nelson, Joel Kiviranta, and Ross Colton each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Jack Drury, Josh Manson, Sam Malinski, Samuel Girard, and Valeri Nichushkin each led the team in assists with 1 while Sam Malinski and Artturi Lehkonen each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Scott Wedgewood was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 7 goals on 28 shots with 21 saves and a .750 save percentage. Their offense has scored 203 goals this season averaging 3.9 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 134 goals against them allowing 2.6 goals per game.

The Red Wings are entering this game with 70 points, a 32-17-6 record overall, and they are 18-9-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Washington Capitals in their last game, losing that one at home 4-3 in a shootout. Alex DeBrincat led the team in goals scored with 2 while Ben Chiarot scored 1 goal for them in that one. Alex DeBrincat, Andrew Copp, Dylan Larkin, Moritz Seider, and Patrick Kane each led the team in assists with 1 while Alex DeBrincat led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. John Gibson was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 23 shots with 20 saves and a .870 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 171 goals this season averaging 3.1 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 166 goals against them allowing 3 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Avalanche listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Avalanche have looked great in their games this season with their 35-8-9 record overall which has them right at the top of their division in the West with the best record in the entire NHL. They have been a good road team too with their 15-6-5 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Red Wings have looked great in their games this season with their 32-17-6 record overall which has them right near the top of their division in the East. They have looked great on home ice too with their 18-9-2 home record this season. The Red Wings have looked a lot better on home ice this season and they have looked good lately too as they are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. They are starting to cool off though as they are off a 4-3 home loss to the Capitals in their last one and they have lost 2 games in a row now. The Avalanche are off a 7-3 loss to the Canadiens in their last one and they haven't looked great lately as they are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. They have definitely cooled off from that really hot start to the season, but they are still far above every other team in the league and they will be looking to bounce back from that bad loss. They have been dealing with some injuries lately too, but now they are getting healthy again and this is a good game for them to bounce back with the Red Wings starting to slip up. The best way to place a bet here is on the Avalanche to win this game. 

Avalanche Red Wings Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Saturday, January 31, 2026 (1:00 pm ET start time) is Avalanche 5 Red Wings 3.

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Colorado Avalanche: 38-33 (-9.8 units) on the moneyline as a road favorite of -200 or less. 62-56 (-11.6 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 54-37 (-7 units) on the moneyline in non-conference games. 13-4 OVER after allowing 6 goals or more. 24-16 OVER on the road when the money line is -100 to -150.

Detroit Red Wings: 32-21 (+17.3 units) on the moneyline as a home underdog of +100 to +200. 50-52 (+11.2 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 49-39 (+9.1 units) on the moneyline in non-conference games. 49-34 OVER as an underdog of +100 to +150. 24-12 OVER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%).

Colorado Avalanche:  D. Toews (D) Day To Day - Upper-Body. G. Landeskog (LW) Out - Upper-Body. L. O'Connor (RW) Out - Hip.

Detroit Red Wings:  S. Edvinsson (D) Out - Lower-body.

“When you’re down three, you’ve got to make a push. And you’ve got to create some chances, try to get back in the game. So you’re risking something there, which we did. And we created some looks, didn’t score on them, and then they got their breaks going the other way. That’s the luxury you have when you’re playing with the lead.” - Jared Bednar after his team’s loss against the Canadiens in their game on Thursday.

“It is great to be a part of history, but we didn’t play a great game. I’m not happy to be coming out of here with only one point, but we did get that point.” - Alex DeBrincat after their loss against the Capitals in their game on Thursday.

LW Artturi Lehkonen

C Nathan MacKinnon

RW Martin Necas

LD Sam Malinski

RD Cale Makar

G Scott Wedgewood

LW Marco Kasper

C Dylan Larkin

RW Lucas Raymond

LD Jacob Bernard-Docker

RD Moritz Seider

G John Gibson

Points: Nathan MacKinnon (88)

Goals: Nathan MacKinnon (38)

Assists: Nathan MacKinnon (50)

GAA: Scott Wedgewood (2.30)

Points: Lucas Raymond (58)

Goals: Alex DeBrincat (30)

Assists: Lucas Raymond (40)

GAA: John Gibson (2.61)

Coaches:

Colorado Avalanche: Jared Bednar (10th season)

Detroit Red Wings: Todd McLellan (2nd season)