The New York Rangers have been nothing but hot lately, winning 7 straight games coming into Wednesday’s contest, and it will be interesting to see if the much-hyped Avalanche will be able to keep up. There is not a ton of injury news coming into this one, but it will be important to look out for the status of both Nazem Kadri and Cale Makar, who are both likely to play, but that is not guaranteed.
Colorado Avalanche Betting Preview:
Should the Avalanche have all of their weapons, they will be a force to be reckoned with this year, and although they have shown some inconsistency, I believe they will get back on track. Their last game against Philadelphia was a 7-5 win and while scoring 7 goals is great, giving up 5 goals to the Flyers has to have some fans worried about the goaltending and defensive combos. For this one, they will need to be better on that side of the ice, as the Rangers have been highly efficient with their opportunities here in 2021.
When we look back over the last few games the Avalanche have played, we can see that the game against the Flyers was not a one-off in terms of the defense. They have given up 6 goals to the Ottawa Senators and 8 goals to the Toronto Maple Leafs, all within their last 4 games. Of course, with all that said, the Aves still have a solid record at 13-7-2, and that is only because this team has been so elite on offense.
Nazem Kadri is really a guy who has taken his game to a new level and has clearly benefited from his time on the first power-play line with 10 goals and 21 assists in just 21 games. He will obviously play a big role in this game, but the main guy on offense to look out for on the Aves is Nathan Mackinnon, as you just feel like an offensive explosion is around the corner for him having just 1 goal this season.
New York Rangers Betting Preview:
The New York Rangers have been awesome this season, and you really could see this group starting to mesh at the end of last year even though the wins were not coming their way. Last year’s advanced stats were excellent, and they were clearly a better team than their 2020-2021 record would suggest, so it is no surprise to see them have a hot start this year. The main thing the Rangers have going for them is health, as they come into this game about as healthy as they could be, which they certainly could not say last year.
They also have one of the elite goalies in the NHL at the moment in Igor Shesterkin, who now holds a 2.05 goals-against average and an outstanding .937% save percentage. In some ways, you feel like this team will only go as far as he will take them as they are talented, but not stacked like some other teams in the league. We do not have starting goalie information at this time, but if you are looking to go with the Rangers in this one, I would wait to make sure Shesterkin will be between the sticks.
In terms of the offense, the main 3 guys to look out for are Chris Kreider, who seems to be scoring at will lately, Artemi Panarin, who looks to put behind a rough 2020-2021 season; and Adam Fox, who has amassed 27 points in just 24 games as a defender.
Free Betting Pick
This bet is a bit speculative, as we do not have the goalies yet, but there are some early reports that Georgiev will be in net for the Rangers, and if that is the case, I love the over 6 here. The Aves bring with them an elite offense who should have a field day against Georgiev, and the Rangers are more than talented enough to contribute on the scoreboard.
BetUSASports Free Pick:
Colorado Avalanche vs. New York Rangers NHL Betting Verdict: Over 6 goals
Colorado Avalanche vs. New York Rangers NHL Exact Score Prediction: 5-3 Colorado
