Friday marks the last day of the regular season for most NHL teams, which means one last chance to gear up for the playoffs. This betting guide will break down the final regular-season games for four teams, three of which are headed to the postseason and one that will miss the playoffs for the first time ever.
Colorado Avalanche (-135) vs Minnesota Wild (+110)
COL: 56-18-6, 3.79 GF/GP, 2.81 GA/GP, L10: 6-4-0
MIN: 52-22-7, 3.72 GF/GP, 3.06 GA/GP, L10: 8-1-1
This is a good regular-season finale that will get both teams ready for the grind of the postseason. Minnesota and Colorado have been tight all year, with the Avalanche winning two of the three meetings. The Wild’s win in the season series came in overtime, but that was the most recent game.
Colorado got leading goal scorer Mikko Rantanen back on Thursday against the Nashville Predators, and defenseman Devon Toews came back the game before. The Avs are getting healthy again, but they’re still giving up a ton of goals. The Avs have allowed 24 goals in their last six games, and five of those are losses.
Minnesota has been on a bit of a tear to end the regular season. The Wild have gone 9-1-1 over their last 11 and are one of only four teams with 30 home wins this season. Anytime Colorado has moneyline odds better than -150, it’s worth a look, but this feels like a good spot for the Wild. Minnesota is very good at home and is also very good at frustrating the Avs. There’s value in Minnesota’s moneyline (+110), and with the under (U6.5, -115).
Vegas Golden Knights (+135) vs St. Louis Blues (-160)
VGK: 42-31-8, 3.15 GF/GP, 2.96 GA/GP, L10: 3-4-4
STL: 49-21-11, 3.77 GF/GP, 2.86 GA/GP, L10: 8-1-1
The Golden Knights won’t be playing a postseason game for the first time in their young history, but they’ll get one last shot at a playoff team before turning off the lights on this season. The Blues have been one of the better teams over the last month, sprinting through a 12-0-1 stretch before getting dumped by the Avalanche on Tuesday.
Vegas’ last four games have gone past regulation, and they dropped the last three. Winning one or two of those may have gotten them into the postseason, but instead, they’re looking at their final game of the season. Those last four games had to be a grind, and it’s questionable how much Vegas has left in the tank.
The Blues have won both meetings between the two teams this year, outscoring Vegas 8-3 in the contests. St. Louis is also 6-0-1 in its last seven home games but might be without the services of Brayden Schenn and David Perron. The Blues look like the pick here, even if the moneyline is a bit steep (-160). On the total, the under looks playable (U6, -105), especially if either or both teams are without some of their offensive standouts.
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM
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