Kings vs Avalanche Prediction, Odds & Picks (March 9): Can Colorado End Los Angeles’ Winning Streak?

The NHL has a busy lineup planned for Thursday, March 9, including a Western Conference clash between the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche. Los Angeles has been winning games with ease lately while Colorado has had issues doing so, making it interesting to see who’ll emerge the victor from the latest kings vs Avalanche matchup.

Check mate.#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/CbuA7VDHBd

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 9, 2023

The Kings extended their winning ways to four straight games with Monday’s 4-2 victory over the Washington Capitals. Adrian Kempe reached the 30-goal mark for the second straight season while Viktor Arvidsson added a pair of assists to help push Los Angeles to victory.

Meanwhile, the Avalanche stopped a three-game slide with a 6-0 blowout win against the San Jose Sharks two nights ago. Cale Makar and Valeri Nichushkin each recorded a goal and three assists in what was an absolute drubbing of the Sharks. Only time will tell if the victory was a catalyst to get the Avalanche back on track or not.

Tonight’s Kings vs Avalanche showdown also brings some interesting betting options to the table. Here’s a look at BetOnline Sportsbook’s latest odds for the game, as well as a prediction and the best bet to make, courtesy of Betting News.

Los Angeles Kings vs Colorado Avalanche Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Los Angeles Kings (37-20-8, 17-11-6 Away) vs. Colorado Avalanche (35-21-6, 17-10-5 Home)
• Venue & Location: Ball Arena (Denver, Colorado)
• Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023
• Game Time: 9 p.m. Eastern Time
• Oilers vs Avalanche TV Info: ESPN+

Kings vs Avalanche Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Thursday, March 9 at 10:35 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• Los Angeles Kings +1.5 (-176)
• Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (+146)

Over/Under

• Over 6.5 Goals (+100)
• Under 6.5 Goals (-122)

Moneyline

• Los Angeles Kings +138
• Colorado Avalanche -166

Kings vs Avalanche Betting Trends

• Los Angeles is 5-1 straight up in its last six games.
• Colorado is 5-1 straight up in its last six home games against Los Angeles.
• The total has hit the over in eight of Los Angeles’ last 10 road games.
• The total has hit the under in four of Colorado’s last five home games.
• The total has hit the under in 10 of the last 15 Los Angeles-Colorado matchups.

Are the Avalanche Back?

Fans were getting worried about the Avalanche during their mini skid, but blowing out the Sharks seems to have restored optimism. Although the Kings will put the Avs to the test, recent history shows that the advantage may lie with the home team.

After all, the Avalanche have won nine of their last 10 meetings with the Kings. Although Los Angeles won the last meeting back in December, Colorado won nine straight games before that by a combined score of 39-9. No; that isn’t a typo.

On top of that, the Avalanche are 5-1 straight up in their last six home games against the Kings. Considering how each of those victories came by a multi-goal margin, it’s easy to see just how lopsided those collisions were.

The Kings haven’t seen much consistency on the road lately, either. They’ve dropped five of their last eight away contests while allowing 3.87 goals per game over that stretch.

Daily Faceoff projects that Joonas Korpisalo will be the goaltender tasked with turning that trend around. Though the Kings netminder stopped 24-of-26 saves to win his team debut, he’s still allowed four-plus goals in three of his last eight starts. If the Avalanche get a couple of early ones past him, the floodgates could open.

Joonas Korpisalo was very impressive in his LA debut.#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/StQvtjISd2

— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) March 5, 2023

On the other side, it looks like Alexander Georgiev will be the Avalanche’s starting goalie. He’s only lost once in regulation in his last 10 starts, going 7-1-2 over that stretch with a 2.37 goals-against average, .927 save percentage and two shutouts. Georgiev only needed to make 13 saves in the win over the Sharks, but he’s clearly proven that he can handle whatever the Kings bring to the table.

When it comes to special teams, both sides are fairly even. The Avalanche convert on 22.8% of power-play opportunities (No. 9) while killing 78.8% of penalties (No. 18). Meanwhile, the Kings sit at 24.7% on the man advantage (No. 5), however, their penalty kill only operates at a 76.0% success rate (No. 23).

At the end of the day, this matchup will prove each team’s worth. The Avalanche are the +270 favorites to win the Western Conference during the postseason, per BetOnline Sportsbook, whereas the Kings hold the sixth-best odds (+1000) to do so.

Kings vs Avalanche Prediction and Picks

Kings vs Avalanche Prediction: Avalanche 4, Kings 3

Kings vs Avalanche Picks: Avalanche ML (Best Value: -166 at BetOnline) & Over 6.5 Goals (Best Value: +100 at BetOnline)

After losing to the Kings earlier this season, the Avalanche will get their revenge tonight. Their mojo is back and they’ve already proven that they have Los Angeles’ number at Ball Arena. It’s going to be a back-and-forth contest, but Colorado has the tools to emerge as the victor.

I’m also sticking with the total going over 6.5 goals tonight. The last two Kings vs Avalanche tilts have gone over nine combined goals, after all. With Los Angeles scoring an average of four goals in its last four games while Colorado averaging 4.25 over that span, I won’t be surprised if there’s a fair bit of offense this evening.

Other Los Angeles vs Colorado Betting Resources

• Kings vs Avalanche Consensus Picks, Score Projections & Betting Stats

Other NHL Stories on Betting News (March 9)

• Oilers vs Bruins Prediction, Odds & Picks (March 9): Boston Aims for 11th Straight Victory