The Colorado Avalanche are back in action on Sunday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ball Arena. The Avs have one of the best home-ice advantages in the league and are huge favorites on the NHL odds board.
Colorado is looking for its ninth straight win this afternoon while Pittsburgh has lost two games in a row. The Penguins are just 2-6-1 in their last nine games and 3-9-1 in their last 13.
Can the Avalanche take care of business at home? Read on for our Penguins vs. Avalanche NHL picks and predictions on Sunday, March 24.
Penguins vs Avalanche odds
Penguins vs Avalanche predictions
The Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins are teams headed in different directions. The Avs are loading up for another playoff run while the Pens are waiting for the offseason to figure out how to move forward.
Colorado didn’t play its best hockey on Friday night against Columbus. The Blue Jackets scored first and only trailed by two after the second period. However, the Avalanche poured it on with three goals in the third period and ended up with a 51-24 shot advantage in their 6-1 win.
Nathan MacKinnon recorded a goal and an assist on Friday night — both in the third period — to keep his home point streak intact. The Avalanche superstar has yet to be held off the scoresheet in a home game this season.
The Penguins have their own superstar leading the way with Sidney Crosby putting up 69 points in as many games this season. However, Pittsburgh has disappointed this season which resulted in selling at the trade deadline and a downtrodden team since then.
Since March 7, the Penguins are 2-6-1 while being outscored 39-22. All six of their losses have been by at least two goals. That includes losses in New Jersey (5-2) and Dallas (4-2) in the first two games of this road trip.
Pittsburgh is now just 12-17-5 on the road this season and the Pens don’t exactly have a lot of motivation the rest of the way. On the flip side, the Avalanche are an incredible 27-6 at home thanks to their mile-high altitude in Colorado.
The Avalanche are too steep on the moneyline to lay over -225 but the puck line provides us a play at +112. I would play it all the way down to even money against this putrid Penguins team.
My best bet: Avalanche -1.5 (+112 at FanDuel)
Penguins vs Avalanche same-game parlay
Avalanche -1.5
Mikko Rantanen anytime goalscorer
Nathan MacKinnon is stealing the spotlight but the Avalanche also have another top-tier forward in Mikko Rantanen. He has 96 points (39 goals) in 70 games this season and is red-hot right now.
Rantanen has scored in four of his last five games with eight total goals over that span — yes, eight goals. He's coming off a two-goal game against Columbus which followed a hat trick in St. Louis.
The Avalanche should take it to the Penguins at home and Rantanen is a good bet to be in on the action.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Penguins vs Avalanche moneyline and Over/Under analysis
The Avalanche odds opened around -218 but they’ve gone up across the board. You can still get them as long as -225 (FanDuel) while they’re as short as -250 at BetMGM.
Neither team has confirmed a goalie for Sunday but there isn’t a huge difference between the starter and backup for either side. Avalanche backup Justus Annunen has been just fine when called upon.
Penguins vs Avalanche betting trend to know
The Avalanche have covered the puck line in 24 of their last 42 games at home (+13.85 units / 29% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Penguins vs. Avalanche.
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Penguins vs Avalanche game info
| Location: | Ball Arena, Denver, CO |
| Date: | Sunday, March 24, 2024 |
| Puck drop: | 2:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TNT |
Penguins vs Avalanche latest injuries
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