Canucks vs Avalanche Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Demko Shuts the Door in Denver

The Vancouver Canucks are one of the league's premier teams but are pegged as underdogs against the Colorado Avalanche. With that said, our NHL picks believe the Canucks have enough pieces to pull off the road upset.

Eric Rosales - Betting Analyst at Covers.com
Eric Rosales • Betting Analyst
Nov 22, 2023 • 09:35 ET • 4 min read
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This article contains predictions for an old game!

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Thatcher Demko Vancouver Canucks NHL
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Those who looked ahead on the schedule when this season started would be shocked to see the Vancouver Canucks enter this game in better standing than the Colorado Avalanche, but here we are! Vancouver's No. 1 offense paired with the rise of Thatcher Demko has this team clicking.

However, despite the records, Colorado is a -175 home favorite in the NHL odds.... but should it be? Find out the answer and more in my free NHL picks for the Canucks vs. Avalanche below!

Canucks vs Avalanche odds

Canucks vs Avalanche predictions

This should be one of the more entertaining matchups in the NHL this year, with tonight's affair the first of three head-to-heads between the Vancouver Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche.

The Canucks are the league’s top-scoring team — putting up 4.11 goals per game — and their 78 total goals are 11 better than the next closest team. Colorado isn’t that far back: it's tallied 64 goals on the year (3.76 gpg)

However, recent matchups have not been shootout-style affairs for either side. In their last five meetings, these two teams have hit the Over just once, going Under twice and pushing two other times.

So I'm going to stay away from the total and focus on the moneyline. The Canucks, who have the third-most points in the NHL behind just Boston and Vegas, have been given plus odds. Vancouver is plenty stout away from Rogers Arena, with six wins in 10 games — tied for the third-most road wins in the NHL.

The ‘Nucks have also won three of the last four head-to-head matchups and had plus odds in all three of those wins. One thing that's making me lean toward Vancouver is the battle between the pipes.

Matchups between these teams don't tend to be high-scoring affairs, and in that case, I have to look at the creases to see which netminder I trust the most. Spoiler, Alexander Georgiev is not getting my trust over Thatcher Demko. Especially not this season.

The Avs' goalie has put up mediocre stats to start the year, sitting with a 3.08 GAA and .888 SV%. Not very close to Demko's 2.12 GAA and .929 SV%. Give me the team at plus money with a much better goaltender between the pipes.

My best bet: Canucks moneyline (+145 at SIA)

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Canucks vs Avalanche same-game parlay

Canucks moneyline

Under 6.5

Quinn Hughes anytime goalscorer

This game won't turn into a shootout like some of Vancouver's prior games, so Under is the play for me. With that said, one Canuck is likely to light the lamp.

Quinn Hughes was a standout last game against San Jose, leading the team with a goal and assist in the win. The 24-year-old leads the NHL in scoring with 30 points in 19 games and has had points in eight straight. Consistency has pushed him to the top of the charts: Hughes has gone scoreless in only four games this season

He has one point more than teammate JT Miller, while Elias Pettersson is just two points back, giving Vancouver three of the Top 5 scorers in the NHL.

With Hughes on such a hot streak going against a shaky goaltender like Georgiev, bank on the Vancouver prodigy to find the back of the net.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

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Canucks vs Avalanche moneyline and Over/Under analysis

The high-water mark for Vancouver on the moneyline is +160, though other books have it as low as +125. Colorado, meanwhile, has been pegged as short as -200, with the best odds available if you’re picking the Avs straight up at around -166.  

With such potent offenses on the ice, the total has stayed above six goals the whole time. While the head-to-head figures trend towards the Under, these teams have consistently gone Over this season. The Over has gone 12-5-0 in Canucks games this season, while Over is 10-6-0 in Colorado’s games this year.

Canucks vs Avalanche betting trend to know

The road team is 4-1 in the last five meetings, and Vancouver is 7-3 in its last 10 visits to Ball Arena in the Mile High City. Find more NHL betting trends for Canucks vs. Avalanche.

Canucks vs Avalanche game info

Location: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Date: Wednesday, November 22, 2023
Puck drop: 10:00 p.m. ET
TV: Sportsnet Pacific, Altitude

Canucks vs Avalanche latest injuries

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Eric Rosales - Covers
Betting Analyst

Eric has been involved in sports media in many different capacities since graduating from journalism school in 1999, back when getting your own column in a newspaper was still considered a thing. He doubled down and graduated from broadcast journalism school five years later, which led to a move to Toronto and a career with The Sports Network (TSN). From behind-the-scenes production work, he moved into the digital realm, where he had his own hoops column (At the Buzzer), while regularly live streaming and chatting with fans during broadcasts as the character known as LeBlog James. He was also a key contributor to TSN and CTV’s Olympic programming during the 2012 London Games.

Eric eventually found his way into the sports betting field in 2016 and has been a mainstay ever since. He was tagged on Twitter as a Top 10 NBA sharp during the 2021 season and has been interviewed about basketball and his handicapping process on shows from Vancouver to India. Eric is now a jack-of-all-sports at Covers, where his predictions span the alphabet soup: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, F1, WNBA, Euro, and Copa.

When making picks, he focuses on finding value first and foremost, and ensuring readers have all the information they need to make an informed choice.

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