New York Rangers @ Colorado Avalanche - January 14, 2025

Alright, let’s get ready for some hockey! I’m sitting here in my lucky jersey, fired up for the showdown between our Colorado Avalanche and the New York Rangers at Ball Arena on Tuesday. You know that feeling when you just KNOW your team is going to take it all? Yeah, that’s what we’re feeling in the Mile High City!

Let’s start with the numbers. The Avalanche are currently holding a solid record of 26-17-1, but they’ve had their struggles lately, dropping their last game to the Jets with a score of 3-0. Ouch! That was tough to watch, especially as -125 underdogs. They’ve been hit or miss at home, and while they do boast a decent offensive output averaging over three goals per game (3.318 to be precise), their recent performances suggest they’ve hit a rough patch.

On the other hand, those Rangers come into this game riding high after edging out the Golden Knights 2-1 on the road. They’ve had some ups and downs too—20 wins against 20 losses—so I expect them to bring that underdog spirit and give us quite a battle tonight.

Now, let’s talk about stats. The Avs have been firing off nearly 30 shots per game (29.455), which is pretty solid considering their shooting percentage sits at an average of around 11.5%. But here’s where it gets interesting; while Colorado’s power play has been decent (21.64%), they’re only converting about 0.659 power play goals per game—meaning chances aren’t always leading to results.

The Rangers’ offensive stats aren’t lighting up the scoreboard either; they’re scoring around 2.905 goals per game with a slightly lower shooting percentage at 9.473%. However, they’ve shown resilience by covering spreads well lately—they’re 5-1 against the spread in their last six games! And even though they’ve struggled earlier this season on special teams (19.82% power play success), they can still hold down the fort defensively with an impressive save percentage of 90.1%.

In terms of defense, both teams are putting in some solid work; Colorado is saving about 88% of shots faced while maintaining a penalty kill rate below 80%. Meanwhile, New York has an edge there too—they’re boasting an outstanding penalty kill percentage of over 82%, which makes them tough on special teams.

Given how tight this matchup looks statistically and how well the Rangers have performed as underdogs lately—I’m calling it: I believe New York walks away victorious tonight! Not only do I see them pulling off an upset victory against my beloved Avs, but also covering that spread while keeping total scores low tonight—under seems like where it’s heading based on recent form from both squads.

Get your jerseys on and grab your snacks because we’re in for a thrilling ride! Let’s go Blueshirts!