Avalanche vs. Devils Prediction, NHL Odds & Best Bets (10/20)

Fact checked at 8:05 AM ET, Oct 20, 2026

Odds as of Oct 20, 7:08 AM ET

Colorado gets to Newark on the second night of a back-to-back, a day after a 3-2 loss in Philadelphia that coach Jared Bednar called "sluggish and sloppy." Tired or not, the Avalanche (5-3-1) score 4.22 goals a game, second in the NHL, and Nathan MacKinnon is the engine: six goals, 10 assists and a team-high 16 points through nine games. New Jersey is 4-4-0, lost 4-2 in Washington on Saturday and opens a three-game homestand. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET at Prudential Center.

What makes this a good spot for Colorado's attack is the Devils' net. New Jersey's team save percentage is .865 (Jake Allen .876, Nico Daws .857), it gives up 3.38 goals a game, 22nd in the league, and its penalty kill sits at 69.6%, 26th. The Devils can score too. They put 35.0 shots a game on net, more than anyone, and Colorado's likely starter is Scott Wedgewood after Mackenzie Blackwood made 21 saves on Monday. So we're backing MacKinnon's shot volume and the Over. A quiet MacKinnon night would hurt both, and the total also needs New Jersey's share of the goals.

Avalanche vs. Devils Predictions

• Pick #1: Nathan MacKinnon Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (-125)
• Pick #2: Over 6.5 (+102)

PICK #1: Nathan MacKinnon Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (-125)

MacKinnon shoots. Last season he put 350 shots on goal in 80 games and hit four or more in 52 of them, which is 65%. This season it's 39 shots in nine games, with four or more in five. He averages 21:17 of ice time and was on the first power-play unit in Monday's lines. At -125 you're paying for a 55.6% chance, and his last full season cleared that comfortably.

The back-to-back doesn't worry me much here. On the second night of back-to-backs last season, he got to four shots in nine of 11 games.

New Jersey is the harder part. The Devils allow 25.0 shots a game, sixth-fewest in the league, while putting 35.0 on net themselves. MacKinnon also managed just one shot in 24:20 in Philadelphia.

PICK #2: Over 6.5 (+102)

Even money, near enough: +102 implies 49.5%. Colorado's games have reached seven goals in five of nine, and the Avalanche can carry a lot of that number on their own. New Jersey supplies the rest. The Devils scored seven against the Rangers on Oct. 15 and five in Detroit on Oct. 13, they lead the league in shots, and tonight that volume goes at a road team on the second half of a back-to-back with its backup expected in goal. Their own goalies have stopped just 86.5% of shots.

Both teams have also had quiet nights. Colorado went under in three of its last five, Monday's 3-2 loss among them, and only three of New Jersey's eight games got to seven goals. Overtime goals count toward the total, and a shootout adds one goal for the winning side.

21+ (18+ where permitted). Odds subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.