It took the Colorado Avalanche six wins in a row before they finally lost their first game of the season last month. The team is now in the middle of another six-game win streak, but this time they hope to extend it even further when they play the Nashville Predators on Wednesday night. Colorado has been on a masterful pace to start the season and has only one loss during their first 13 games of the year. Rookie head coach Patrick Roy brought a sense of urgency and energy to the bench and has the team playing every game at a ferocious pace.

Nashville has been a middle-of-the-pack team to start the year and has not done anything to distinguish itself as a playoff contender through the first 13 games of the season. The Predators will win a game then lose a game; win two in a row, then lose two in a row. The team is in the unenviable position of being just an average hockey squad, and in today’s sports landscape, the no-man’s land of .500-hockey is the last place a team wants to be. The Predators will have a chance to finally build a winning streak when they visit Colorado on Wednesday after coming off of an impressive victory over the Los Angeles Kings during their last outing. Let’s take a closer look at the Predators versus Avalanche matchup and figure out which side of the wager has the most value to bet on.

Predators at Avalanche Betting Story Lines

The next two weeks will be a real test for Nashville as they are currently in the middle of playing nine of their next 10 games on the road. The team recently had a solid win over the Kings on Saturday, but if they don’t improve over their next seven road games they will probably get left behind in a ridiculously competitive Western Conference.  David Legwand scored two goals for the Predators against Los Angeles and helped lead Nashville to a victory late in the third period when the game was tied, 3-3.

The Predators gave up a horrendous 38 shots in the game and spent much of the matchup on the defensive end protecting their own net. Luckily for the team, they were efficient and deadly with their own shot selection and managed to score four goals with only 17 attempts. It’s difficult to pinpoint Nashville’s problems, because on days when they play solid offense the team looks like a playoff contender. However, there are also days when team plays like a squad going through the motions of the season with no real passion or energy for the nightly grind of an NHL schedule. Nashville currently ranks 24th in goals scored per game with 2.2, 15th in goals allowed with 2.7 and 12th in power play percentage with 20.9.

The Avalanche have only allowed an opponent to score more than two goals once this season—during a 4-2 loss against the Detroit Red Wings nearly three weeks ago. The team gives up quite a few shots per game—their opponents actually outshoot them, 32.2-30.2 attempts per game—but their goalkeepers Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Semyon Varlamov simply do not allow many goals to get past them. Giguere currently has a .977 save percentage in four games worth of work, while Varlamov has an equally impressive .944 save percentage through nine games of action.

Colorado is hands down playing the best hockey in the NHL at the moment. The team has also been good to bettors early in the year and has made $100 puckline bettors a whopping $1,238 on the season. The Predators, on the other hand, have lost puckline bettors $939 so far this year.

Predators at Avalanche NHL Betting Odds and Key Trends

The Avalanche opened as a -186 moneyline favorite over the +169 moneyline underdog Predators, according to BetOnline. The total was set at 5.5 goals, with the “under” being favored at -131. Nashville is currently 2-7 during their last nine games after a win and 2-8 against teams with a home winning percentage greater than .600. The Predators have gone “over” three times in their last four overall games and have also done so in five of their last six when playing on three days or more of rest. Colorado has been an under team this season and has stood below their posted total during the team’s last four games against Western Conference teams. In head-to-head meetings, the home team is 4-0 during the last four matchups, while the Predators are 10-3 during the last 13 games.

Free NHL Picks: Predators at Avalanche Betting Predictions

Colorado is probably due for a loss very soon—particularly because they are in the middle of a four-game homestand and could easily become complacent after such a hot start. However, Coach Roy’s passion and intensity from the bench has kept the team energized and ready to play. This matchup will probably be decided by Colorado’s goaltenders, because the team has managed to score over three goals in five of their last six games and will probably do so again. Both of the Avalanche’s goalies are well-rested, and Varlamov has not played since Friday. Expect Colorado to win this game. Take the team on the moneyline, or puckline if you’re feeling adventurous.

Record: 15-7; Profit: $1000

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Read more articles by George Monroy