Colorado Avalanche vs Minnesota Wild Prediction, 1/31/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Colorado Avalanche vs Minnesota Wild

Date: Sunday, January 31, 2021

Location: Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN

TV: NHL Network

Odds/Point Spread: Avalanche (-143) Wild (+123)

Philipp Grubauer and the Colorado Avalanche (5-3-0) go to Xcel Energy Center on Sunday where they'll take on the Minnesota Wild (5-3-0). The Wild open this game at +123 while the Avalanche are coming in at -143. The total has been set at 5.5.

The Avalanche were on the right side of the scoreboard with a 3 - 0 win against the Sharks their last time out. The Avalanche offense didn't overly impress in this win. For the matchup, they converted 3 of the 38 shots they put on net. Additionally, they had 4 power play attempts and scored 1 goal out of those chances. Colorado racked up a total of 8 penalty minutes in their game. The Corsi for the Avalanche was 53 and the Corsi against was 48 telling us they have a Corsi percentage of 52.5%. Their Fenwick sat at 39 while the Fenwick against was 33, which tells us they had a Fenwick percentage of 54.2%. They earned 21 face-off wins at even strength and were beaten on 18 tries to control the puck. The offensive zone starts for them came in at 42.4% and they had a PDO of 108.7 for this game. When it comes to their opponent, the San Jose Sharks racked up a total of 21 shots. They finished with 8 penalty mins and they tallied 4 power play opportunities.

When it comes to their scoring capabilities, the Colorado Avalanche have tallied 28 goals (6th in pro hockey) on the year and have allowed 18. For the current season, they have tallied 10 points and their points percentage is sitting at .625. Colorado is sitting with 38 power play chances and they have notched 12 goals during those advantages, garnering them a rate of 31.58%. When at even strength, the Avalanche have given up 15 goals while notching 15 of their own. Colorado has taken 260 shots and is the owner of a shot percentage of 10.8%. The Avalanche have had 209 shots taken against them and have earned a save percentage of .914. Colorado Avalanche opponents have tallied 31 power play opportunities (8th in pro hockey) and have notched 3 goals in those chances.

Patrolling the crease for the game will be Philipp Grubauer. Over the course of his pro career, Grubauer has recorded 90 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .581. His save percentage sits at .920 for his 9,770 minutes on the ice. Grubauer has had 4,933 shot attempts against him and he has 4,540 saves. Opponents have been able to score 393 goals versus Grubauer in his professional hockey career and his goals against average per contest is 2.41. He has an overall mark of 84-54-20 and he started in 155 games. Grubauer has taken the ice for 181 games throughout his NHL career.

The Wild played the Kings in a game where the Wild ended up with the win by a final of 5 - 3. Minnesota had a 42.3% Corsi rating. That percentage was had by earning a Corsi of 33 and they conceded a Corsi of 45. Their Fenwick percentage was 47.5% by way of having a Fenwick of 28 and the Kings having earned a 31 Fenwick. This Corsi percentage speaks to the kind of game that Minnesota had and it was an excellent showing for this outing. Their PDO was 119.6 and their oZS percentage was 29.7%. The Wild converted 5 goals of the 28 shots on goal they pursued. They had 4 power play opportunities in this outing but didn't put one in the back of the net. As for their opponent, the Kings had 7 power play chances and took advantage of the situation by scoring 2 goals. Minnesota allowed 35 shots on goal and the Kings racked up a total of 15 penalty mins.

On the season, the Minnesota Wild have earned a total of 24 goals, 10 points, as well as a points percentage of .625. They have allowed 20 goals to be scored by of a combination of 16 goals at even strength and 4 goals while they had less men on the ice. The Wild have accumulated 21 goals at even strength and 2 goals (27th in the NHL) while having a power play advantage. They have a total of 34 power play opportunities and they have accumulated a power play rate of 5.88%. Minnesota has put up 256 shots (8th in professional hockey) and has accumulated a shooting percentage of 9.38%, while allowing the opposition 239 shots. They have earned a penalty kill rate of 86.67% on their opponents 30 power play opportunities, and their save percentage currently sits at 9.4%.

Across the rink you will find Cam Talbot defending the goal. Talbot has compiled a career mark of 152-123-25 and has played in 318 games. Talbot's quality start percentage comes in at 52.0% and he has qualified for 158 quality starting assignments in his hockey career. He has recorded 8,497 stops out of the 9,282 shots taken, giving him a save % of .915. Opponents are averaging 2.60 goals per game and he has surrendered 785 goals altogether. He has started in 304 games and has played for a total of 18,099 minutes.

Who will win tonight's NHL game ATS?

Josh's Pick: Take Minnesota (+123)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here