The Colorado Avalanche (21-15-0) travel to face off against the Utah Hockey Club (16-13-6) on Friday, December 27th. This game will be played at Delta Center in Salt Lake City and televised on ESPN2. Both the Avalanche and Hockey Club will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 9:30 ET.

Avalanche vs Hockey Club

The Colorado Avalanche Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

With a 5-2 loss to the Predators, the Avalanche now sit at 21-15-0 for the season. Colorado was the underdog on the puck line, and the total of 7 goals surpassed the pre-game line of 6.5 goals.

The Avalanche struck first with a goal from Cale Makar at 17:06 in the second period, but Nashville responded with five unanswered goals. Nathan MacKinnon added a goal for Colorado in the third period, but the Predators sealed the game with two empty-netters.

The Utah Hockey Club Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Utah Hockey Club fell to 16-13-6 after a 4-3 loss to the Golden Knights. Utah led 2-0 before Vegas tied it up with just one second left in the second period. The total line was set at 6.5 goals, and the combined 7 goals pushed the game over.

As underdogs on the puck line, Utah failed to cover. Three different players scored for Utah, with their first goal coming at 11:52 in the first period.

Colorado Offense Breakdown

In their 5-2 loss to Nashville, Colorado took 30 shots on goal but only found the net twice. Cale Makar opened the scoring with his 5th goal of the season, coming on a power play in the second period. Nathan MacKinnon added his 6th goal, which came late in the third period.

MacKinnon also picked up his 14th assist on Makar’s goal, while Makar earned his 16th assist on MacKinnon’s. The Avalanche had 23 giveaways in the game.

Hockey Club Offense Breakdown

Utah Hockey Club found the net three times in their 4-3 loss to Vegas. Ian Cole scored his first goal of the season, while Logan Cooley added his second and Alexander Kerfoot netted his second as well. Cooley also picked up his 8th assist on Cole’s goal.

Nick Bjugstad contributed with two assists, bringing his total to 2 for the season. The team took 19 shots on goal but failed to score on the power play. Utah recorded 13 giveaways in the game.

Colorado Team Defense

Defensively, the Avalanche gave up five goals, with two coming on empty nets. Justus Annunen made 21 saves with a save percentage of 87.5%. The Avalanche’s defense also recorded 11 takeaways and 26 hits. After taking a 1-0 lead against Nashville, the Avalanche gave up the next three goals, including two in the 2nd period and another at the 14:45 mark of the 3rd.

Utah Team Defense

Utah’s defense gave up the first goal at 15:06 in the 2nd period, followed by another with just one second left in the period. After tying the game at 3-3, they allowed the final goal 2:15 into overtime. Goalie Connor Ingram made 31 saves with an 88.6% save percentage.

Avalanche vs Hockey Club Trends

• In their last three road games, Colorado has averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 2. The team’s record in this stretch was 2-1 while going 2-1 vs. the spread.
• Through their last five home contests, the Hockey Club offense has averaged 2 goals per game while allowing an average of 3. Utah posted an overall record of 1-4 while going 2-3 ATS.
• The last ten games that Utah was the underdog, they have an puck line mark of 10-0 while going 5-5 straight up.
• Spanning across their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Avalanche have gone 5-5 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 7-3.

Avalanche vs Hockey Club Prediction

When it comes to a moneyline wager, I’m going with the Hockey Club to defeat the Avalanche while playing at home. Given the current moneyline odds at +133, I’m placing a wager on the Hockey Club to win outright.

If you’re looking to get a bet down on this matchup, we foresee the Hockey Club winning the underdog. However, if you’re not as confident in the Hockey Club straight-up, we’d still recommend placing a bet on them to cover the puck line.

If you’re looking at the the over/under line set at 6.5 goals, our prediction is that this game will stay below that threshold, and we strongly suggest placing a bet on the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.