Edmonton will skate in high altitude for the second consecutive night after beating Utah in overtime on Friday
LAS VEGAS -- The dreaded altitude two-step is never easy to navigate in the NBA, when teams have to play the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets on back-to-back nights. This year, NHL teams will have to face this at times.
Tonight, the Edmonton Oilers will hit the ice against fellow Western Conference powerhouse Colorado, to face an angry Avalanche team one night after Connor McDavid and the boys played in Salt Lake City.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the game-winner in overtime to lift the Oilers past the scrappy Utah Hockey Club, and now they get an Avalanche team that will be none too happy after a loss at Central Division-rival Dallas.
Let's do a deep dive into this one:
WHY OILERS: I can't just say Connor McDavid, and leave you with only his name. But let's face it, he'll always be a reason to play the Oilers. He gives them a chance in any barn across the league. But if we need to dig deeper, the Oilers have been playing better since their 6-7-1 start, having won six of nine, including their last two. This is a huge road trip considering it gets tougher each step, with tonight in Denver and Tuesday in Vegas, so energy levels should be on high.
WHY AVALANCHE: Anger and frustration has to be a culprit to consider with Colorado tonight. They lost 5-3 in Dallas last night, after a scrappy battle saw the Avs pull within one before the Stars scored an empty netter to provide the final margin. Despite the loss, the Avs have won seven of their last 10 games. They've also won five of their last six in Denver.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
THE PICK: AVALANCHE -130 -- The Oilers can bring all the energy they'd like, but they're going to need to catch their breath at some point, after last night's marathon in Salt Lake City. And that's the problem in Denver, you don't catch your breath without allowing Nathan MacKinnon to blow by you and make you pay. The Avs have won seven of the last 10 meetings and 11 of the last 14, including the playoffs. They're also on a 5-0-1 run when they meet in Denver. The smart money moved this line from -110 to -130 for a reason. Let's follow the sharps.
(Season Record: 5-9-0, Net: -445$, based on 100$ units)