NHL odds, preview, prediction: Avalanche vs. Rangers for Monday, Feb. 5

Avalanche vs. Rangers Odds

Monday, Feb. 5.7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NHL odds here.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche went into the All-Star Break on a high note, riding a three-game winning streak and sitting first in the ultra-competitive Central Division. In addition, MacKinnon was named the NHL's First Star for the second straight month. In January, he logged 12 goals and 26 points in 12 games, including five game-winning goals. MacKinnon is already up to 84 points for the year, and at this point, the scoring title is a two-horse race between him and Nikita Kucherov, who's at 85.

Colorado is now the highest-scoring team in the league, averaging 3.84 goals per game. Beyond that, most of its team stats are solid but not outstanding. That includes goaltending, where Alexandar Georgiev is leading the league in wins for the second straight year and has 3.4 goals saved above expected despite an .898 save percentage. The former Ranger also just picked up a tidy $100,000 for making the most saves of any goalie during the All-Star Skills competition in Toronto on Saturday.

The Avalanche put backup Ivan Prosvetov on waivers during the All-Star Break, so bettors should expect to see Georgiev continuing to play big minutes with Justus Annunen in support. Colorado will also play Tuesday in New Jersey, and while a starter hasn't been confirmed yet for either game, it seems likely that Georgiev will get the tougher assignment at Madison Square Garden, especially with bragging rights on the line against his former squad.

Colorado will also debut a new-look second line Monday, with veteran Zach Parise set to join Ryan Johansen and Artturi Lehkonen. The Avalanche's only absence of note is Valeri Nichushkin, who entered the Player Assistance Program in mid-January.

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New York Rangers

The Rangers went into their break after a dominant 7-2 win over the Ottawa Senators, following a 3-6-2 stretch. They also had their No. 1 goaltender at All-Star Weekend despite some uncharacteristically average numbers for Igor Shesterkin. He's now at an .899 save percentage and a mere 0.7 goals saved above expected after going 3-4-1 in his last eight games.

New York still has a comfortable plus-19 goal differential for the year and is getting good production from its key forwards. Special teams are also strong, but the team's 5-on-5 play is mediocre, controlling 50.3% of expected goals at 5-on-5.

After missing one game with an upper-body injury, defenseman Ryan Lindgren practiced Sunday and is expected to be in the lineup against Colorado. But Jacob Trouba remains sidelined, serving the second game of his two-game elbowing suspension.

Avalanche vs. Rangers

Betting Pick & Prediction

After more than a week away from their teams, players should be refreshed and hopefully have some relief from the aches and pains that build up over the course of the season. But which team will be more mentally prepared to bring its 'A' game Monday?

Fans at MSG will be hoping the Rangers can get back to the form they showed earlier in the season, when they were virtually unbeatable. But Trouba's absence creates a hole on the blue line, and their spotty play might leave them vulnerable against a surging squad like the Avalanche — especially while the always intense MacKinnon is playing the best hockey of his career.

The oddsmakers have the Rangers opening at -115 on the moneyline, making them slight favorites with implied odds of winning of 53.5%. In that case, as long as they're underdogs, the value lies with the visitors. But the payoff might not be juicy enough to justify a wager if the line moves to make them the favorite.

Pick: Avalanche moneyline (Play down to -110)