Wild vs. Avalanche NHL Playoffs Game 2 Picks

Wild vs. Avalanche NHL Playoffs Game 2 Picks 

The Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche will play Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series in the Stanley Cup playoffs on Tuesday night in Colorado. It follows an absolutely absurd opening contest, won by the Avalanche 9-6 on Sunday. A ridiculous 14 different players found the back of the net (only Colorado defenseman Cale Makar did so twice). The Avs will now try to take a commanding 2-0 lead before the best-of-seven set heads to Minnesota.

With puck drop set for 8:00 pm ET on ESPN, it’s time to break down the odds and discuss the best bets to make.

Wild vs Avalanche Game 2 Predictions 

Pick #1: Colorado Avalanche 3-way ML over Minnesota Wild (-125) 

Pick #2: Over 6.5 (-105) 

Pick #3: Gabriel Landeskog Over 0.5 points (-135) 

PICK #1: Avalanche 3-way ML over Wild (-125)

Giving up six goals in a single game certainly isn’t ideal...but it’s perfectly fine when you score nine, yourself. Colorado lit the lamp three times in the first 14 minutes of Game 1, although it did briefly fall behind 5-4 before tying things up a minute and nine seconds later. Eight guys on the Avalanche roster found the back of the net, and a hard-to-believe 13 team members recorded at least one point. Needless to say, all four lines are in fine form for the home team right now.

It’s not like Sunday was some kind of fluke, either. The Avs scored nine goals in the last two games of their first-round sweep of the Kings after leading the entire NHL in scoring (302 goals) during the regular season. As for the Wild, they have not really caught their breath following a somewhat difficult six-game series against Dallas that featured two overtime affairs (one that went to double-OT). Now the visitors get just one day off to lick their wounds from Game 1. Jesper Wallstedt has occupied the net in all seven playoff games for Minnesota up to this point, so both mental and physical fatigue could be a factor. 

PICK #2: Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche Over 6.5 (-105)

A total of 6.5 is nothing out of the ordinary for these two teams (all four regular-season matchups offered the same number prior to pick drop). You might have thought that oddsmakers would hike it up to 7.0 following Sunday’s onslaught or at least increase the price on a 6.5 number – but neither event has taken place. With these two offenses, snagging Over at 6.5 at -105 represents outstanding value after what we witnessed in Game 1. It should be noted that Sunday’s 15-goal barrage featured just one empty-net tally and – surprisingly – just one powerplay success. In other words, both of these teams generated a ton of 5-on-5 offense, which bodes well for a heavy dose of goals throughout this series. 

PICK #3: Gabriel Landeskog Over 0.5 points (-135)

Seemingly everyone on Colorado’s roster is a good bet to tally a point based on what transpired in the series opener, but Landeskog finding the box score feels like an especially likely outcome. The 33-year-old Swede has contributed at least one point in four consecutive contests, including two assists in the Game 4 clincher against Los Angeles. Landeskog has been wildly successful against Minnesota this season. He has produced at least one point in all four meetings (three during the regular season), including a pair of assists on one occasion. With the way the Avs’ offense is cooking and Minnesota’s defense is leaking oil, there is no reason to think anything will change on Tuesday.