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Pittsburgh (33-18-15) at Colorado (44-12-9)
- When: Mar 16 2026, 9:30 PM
- Where: Ball Arena, Denver, CO, USA
- TV: ESPN
Pittsburgh vs Colorado NHL Preview & Pick
Moneyline: Colorado -220
Spread: Colorado -1.5 (+107)
Total: 6.5
Welcome back to LVSB where we analyze hockey games so you don’t have to blindly throw your rent money at the sportsbook like it’s a slot machine. Tonight’s episode features the Pittsburgh Penguins visiting the Colorado Avalanche, a matchup where one team is chasing a division crown and the other is chasing its captain’s knee.
Colorado Avalanche: Trying Not to Trip Before Wednesday
Colorado is locked in a heated Central Division race with Dallas, which means every point right now is about as valuable as a free buffet in Vegas. The Avalanche have spent most of the season sitting near the top of the standings, but Dallas has recently gone on a ridiculous heater and is breathing down their necks.
The good news for Colorado is they still have Nathan MacKinnon, who apparently decided scoring points was his full time hobby this season. MacKinnon sits at 109 points with 44 goals and 65 assists, which is basically unfair for opposing defenses.
Then there is Martin Necas, quietly having the kind of stretch that sportsbooks love. He has 80 points with 31 goals, including goals in six of his last seven games.
And of course Cale Makar continues to casually dominate from the blue line with 19 goals and 48 assists, which is what happens when your defenseman plays like a forward with a jetpack.
Colorado is dealing with injuries though, as Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen remain out. Still, when your offense looks like this, you can survive a missing piece or two.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Playing Without the Boss
Meanwhile the Penguins arrive in Denver without Sidney Crosby, which is roughly the hockey equivalent of showing up to a gunfight with a butter knife. Crosby has 59 points with 27 goals and 32 assists, and Pittsburgh has been trying to patch things together since his Olympic knee injury.
To their credit the Penguins have been scrappy, going 4-3-3 without Crosby and picking up a gritty comeback win in Utah over the weekend.
But the problem remains the same. When your best player is watching games from the couch with an ice pack, life gets complicated quickly.
They are still hanging onto a playoff spot in the East, but the margin is thinner than a sportsbook margin on Super Bowl Sunday.
LVSB Prediction
Colorado at home with MacKinnon playing like a video game character is not exactly a friendly betting situation for Pittsburgh.
The Penguins will compete, but the Avalanche offense should eventually overwhelm them.
Score Prediction: Avalanche 4, Penguins 2
Pick: Colorado -1.5 (+107)
Total: Under 6.5 (+100)
And remember folks, betting against MacKinnon at home right now is basically volunteering to donate to your sportsbook.
- NHL Odds source: Bovada Sportsbook
