The Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings square off to open their 2023-24 seasons at Crypto.com Arena Wednesday. Puck drop is set for 10 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s'lines around the Avalanche vs. Kings odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Avs were bounced in the 1st round of the playoffs by the Seattle Kraken in 7 games last year. The key for them will be health as they have 3 of the best 15 players in the sport in C Nathan MacKinnon, D Cale Makar and C Mikko Rantanen. Colorado has already lost LW Gabriel Landeskog for the season and backup G Pavel Francouz is out indefinitely with a groin injury.
The Kings lost to the Edmonton Oilers in 6 games in the 1st round of the playoffs last season. They’re led by C Adrian Kempe, who had 41 goals last year. The Kings are a tough, defensive-minded team, and they won 2 of 3 games in this matchup last season — both in Colorado.
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