On Friday, the Minnesota Wild will travel to the Rocky Mountains to face the Colorado Avalanche in a battle at Ball Arena. It will be a Central Division showdown as we continue our NHL odds series and make a Wild-Avalanche prediction and pick. The Avalanche lead the head-to-head series 79-77 with three ties, showcasing how tight this battle has been. Furthermore, they are 8-2 over their past 10 games, including 4-1 over the past five games at Ball Arena. The Avalanche pummeled the Wild 6-1 on January 9, 2025, at the Xcel Energy Center, while the Wild returned the favor 3-1, on January 20, 2025, at Ball Arena. Here are the Wild-Avalanche NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel. NHL Odds: Wild-Avalanche Odds Minnesota Wild: +1.5 (-134) Moneyline: +190 Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (+110) Moneyline: -235 Over: 5.5 (-124) Under: 5.5 (+102) How To Watch Wild vs Avalanche Time: 9 PM ET/6 PM PT TV: ESPN, ALT, FanDuel Sports North *Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)* Why the Wild Could Cover the Spread/Win The Wild’s injuries continue, as they lost Joel Eriksson Ek to a brutal injury. Sadly, this is a major blow for the Wild. After being without Kirill Kaprizov for several months, the Wild will have to make do without one of their better contributors. It will get a lot tougher against the Avalanche. But they beat them last time. Things started well for the Wild when Jake Middleton put one in the back of the net to give the Wild the 1-0 lead. Then, they allowed Nathan MacKinnon to score to even things up. But the Wild bounced back in the third period when Yakov Trenin added a goal two minutes into the third period. Later, Brock Faber scored to give the Wild their 3-1 lead, which would be the final score. The Wild fired just 26 shots on the net in that game. Additionally, they won 51 percent of the faceoffs. But they went 0 for 4 on the powerplay, highlighting a need for improvement in that area. Marc-Andre Fleury turned back the clock in that contest, stopping 26 shots and allowing just one goal. Ultimately, the Wild likely will turn to their starting goalie, Filip Gustavsson, in this game, and he is 22-12-3 with a 2.64 goals-against average and a save percentage of .914. Gustavsson hopes he can make the plays and the saves while also getting 17 blocked shots from his defense, similar to what they did in front of Fleury. The Wild will cover the spread if they can control the flow of the game early and get some pucks on the net. Then, they must defend the crease and not allow MacKinnon to hurt them. Why the Avalanche Could Cover the Spread/Win Martin Necas has been on fire since the Avalanche acquired him in a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. Amazingly, he has benefitted from playing with MacKinnon and has even begun slotting on the left side of the crease during the powerplay. This allows him the chance to hit his one-timer to get pucks into the net. Now, he will attempt to do more after contributing again during a win over the New Jersey Devils. The Avalanche finally returned home after a long road trip, and they did not let up. After some hiccups, the Avalanche finished with five goals and had Ball Arena rocking. The momentum could carry into this game as the Avalanche are just two points behind the Wild and could get themselves into a tie for third. Significantly, getting this win in regulation could provide huge dividends, especially if the Avalanche wish to avoid a first-round battle with the Vegas Golden Knights. MacKinnon leads the Avalanche, coming in with 23 goals and 67 assists. Meanwhile, Cale Makar has continued to play well and now has 22 goals and 44 assists. But the Avs are also getting good production from Arttuti Lehkonen, who scored again on Wednesday. MacKenzie Blackwood remains the goalie in the net and made 22 saves in 23 shots against a good New Jersey team. Therefore, expect him to be dialed in as he attempts to shut down the Wild. The Avalanche will cover the spread if they can dominate the possession of the puck, as they did against the Devils. Then, they must defend the net, and not give the Wild any extra chances. Final Wild-Avalanche Prediction & Pick The Wild are 29-29 against the spread, while the Avalanche are 23-36 against the spread. Moreover, the Wild are 21-10 against the spread on the road, while the Avs are 10-18 against the spread at home. The Wild are 25-31-2 against the over/under, while the Avalanche are 29-29-1 against the over/under. The Wild have been amazing against the spread on the road, even with their plethora of injuries. Therefore, I can see them covering the spread again, even without another pivotal player. Final Wild-Avalanche Prediction & Pick: Wild +1.5 (-134)