Tip: Still injured, New Jersey Devils take on Colorado Avalanche!

Threaded through with fine marksmanship by Alexis Lafreniere. Overall, however, it was Colorado that had the upper hand, but Jonathan Quick continues to excel for the Rangers.

Old-new again in the NHL, welcome back Zach Parise!

Veteran forward Zach Parise is once again an NHL player. The now 39-year-old forward has signed with the Colorado Avalanche and made his debut against the Rangers yesterday. There, he only played just over 11 minutes, but despite this, he contributes a solid dose of experience and expertise. In his career, he has managed to score 429 goals and 450 assists. Now, he may have passed his prime, but I still like the recruitment. His renowned hard-working and gritty playing style is likely to fit in well with the Colorado Avalanche.

The season is shaping up well for Colorado, who really looks like a given Stanley Cup contender again. Nathan MacKinnon is hotter than ever and currently tops the NHL points table along with Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning), and with the fine company in the form of Mikko Rantanen, the Avalanche are very hard to stop when they advance offensively. As I pointed out in last week's betting tips with Colorado, there's no other team that has managed to score as many goals, unsurprisingly. Tonight's game against the Rangers means the visitors are back-to-back and will likely put Justus Annunen in goal. Not optimal for the Avalanche but not a disaster either, he has gotten a bit warmed up after the game against Ottawa Senators.

Devils continue with injury problems

The positive for the Devils is that they seem to be getting Jack Hughes back in the game before the week is over. However, it doesn't look like he's ready to make a comeback tonight against the Colorado Avalanche since he practiced in a “non-contact jersey” yesterday. Jonas Siegenthaler will also be missing as he continues to be placed on IR (injury reserve) with a broken foot. McLeod will also be absent as part of the noted indictment against several players from Canada's World Junior team from 2018. Hamilton is also not close to coming back.

The injuries in the Devils have left their mark. The team is still outside the playoff spot, and although the offense works reasonably well, it leaks worryingly much backwards. The goaltending remains a concern, and the defense without Hamilton and Siegenthaler continues to have major problems. Before the break, they lost 5 of the last 7 games, and even if it shouldn't weigh too much into the decision, it indicates that the Devils are struggling to get to grips with the problems. Colorado may be back to back, but the offensive power the team possesses will certainly pose a big problem for the Devils' shaky defense.

Betting tips and conclusion

The Colorado Avalanche have looked very good, and the addition of Parise can hardly affect them negatively. They do have a game in their legs from yesterday, but many players come with a long rest before that due to the All Star break. We will likely see a goalie rotation in the visiting Avalanche, but the Devils' injury problems combined with the unstable defense lead me to want to bet on the visitors. The over game would have been conceivable, but the odds feel a bit too pressed. I put my trust in MacKinnon & Co. getting the job done!

Colorado Avalanche ML @ -110 at bet365!