{"id":458185,"date":"2024-12-10T08:30:10","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T13:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=458185"},"modified":"2024-12-10T06:58:11","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T11:58:11","slug":"nhl-predictions-colorado-avalanche-pittsburgh-penguins-december-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/12\/10\/nhl-predictions-colorado-avalanche-pittsburgh-penguins-december-10\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: Dec. 10 w\/ Pittsburgh Penguins vs Colorado Avalanche"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A Tuesday night in the NHL features a showdown between the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/12\/07\/nhl-predictions-maple-leafs-penguins\/\" target=\"_self\">Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> and the Colorado Avalanche. Welcome to NHL predictions with<em> Last Word on Hockey<\/em>! Each day, we examine upcoming games, providing predictions and analyzing head-to-head matchups. In today\u2019s prediction article, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/c\/crosbsi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-09_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sidney Crosby<\/a> and the Penguins host <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/mackina01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-09_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nathan MacKinnon<\/a> and the Avalanche. Be sure to check out more <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/nhl-predictions\/\" target=\"_self\">NHL predictions<\/a> for all the games on Last Word on Hockey!<\/p>\n<h2><strong>NHL Predictions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2><strong>Colorado Avalanche vs. Pittsburgh Penguins<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Head-to-Head:<\/strong>\u00a0Avalanche 0-0 Penguins<\/p>\n<p><strong>Time:<\/strong>\u00a07:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST); 5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST)<\/p>\n<p><strong>TV:<\/strong>\u00a0ESPN+, Sportsnet+<\/p>\n<p>Both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche are hoping to gain some momentum coming into this one. The Penguins are 12-13-4, coming off a 5-3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche are 16-13-0, with their last game being a 2-1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Penguins&#8217; Story<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Winning five of their last six games, the Penguins are looking to gain some ground in the Wildcard race. Captain Sidney Crosby continues to lead the team in scoring with 27 points in 28 games. Free agent signing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/l\/lizotbl01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-09_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blake Lizotte<\/a> has been a significant addition to the roster since recovering from injury. He\u2019s scored six goals and nine points in 13 games while playing crucial defensive minutes for the organization. The contributions of Lizotte alongside his linemates <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/beauvan01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-09_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Beauvillier<\/a> and Michael Bunting has been a big factor in the Penguin\u2019s resurgence as of late.<\/p>\n<p>In net, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/j\/jarrytr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-09_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tristan Jarry<\/a> seems to have finally found his footing. He has won his last four starts, with a combined .915 save percentage across these games. He will be a key factor in this game against the Avalanche.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Avalanche&#8217;s Story<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A myriad of early season injuries have threatened to derail Colorado\u2019s season. However, their core players have stepped up when needed most. Nathan MacKinnon leads the way with 41 points in 29 games. Behind him, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/r\/rantami01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-09_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mikko Rantanen<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/makarca01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-09_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cale Makar<\/a> have had great offensive seasons with 37 and 35 points respectively. There is a steep drop off in points after these three. However, players like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/c\/coltoro01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-09_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ross Colton<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/n\/nichuva01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-09_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Valeri Nichushkin<\/a> have been important when healthy.<\/p>\n<p>In net, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/12\/09\/san-jose-sharks-trade-starting-goalie-to-colorado\/\" target=\"_self\">Avalanche have made a significant shake-up.<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/blackma01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-09_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mackenzie Blackwood<\/a> is coming into Colorado following a move that sent Alex Georgiev to the San Jose Sharks. Blackwood has put up respectable numbers for a rebuilding Sharks team. With a .911 save percentage and a 6-9-3 record, Blackwood stands to remarkably improve the defensive aspect of the Colorado Avalanche.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>NHL Predictions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The offensive firepower of the Colorado Avalanche is likely too much for the shaky Penguins defence. Although Jarry is playing well, Pittsburgh tends to give up too many chances to not get punished by such an offensive team.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Prediction:<\/strong>\u00a0Avalanche win 5-3.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Prop Bets of the Night<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fanduel.com\/sportsbook-affiliate-nba-lp?btag=a_38367b_16c_LWOS&amp;siteid=38367\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">FanDuel\u2019s<\/a> Over 7 at +124 is an enticing option to pick-up given the offensive capabilities of both teams involved.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credit: James Guillory &#8211; Imagn Images<\/p>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-273541d7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-content is-mac\" data-id=\"273541d7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-content.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-273541d7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-content is-mac\" data-id=\"273541d7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-content.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p><strong><em>Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions, some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling\u00a0<span class=\"s15\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Tuesday night in the NHL features a showdown between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Colorado Avalanche. Welcome to NHL predictions with Last Word on Hockey! Each day, we examine upcoming games, providing predictions and analyzing head-to-head matchups. In today\u2019s prediction article, Sidney Crosby and the Penguins host Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche. Be sure [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5231,"featured_media":458202,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12,28,4547,4548,4524],"tags":[6085,6123],"class_list":["post-458185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-penguins","category-avalanche","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","tag-colorado-avalanche-predictions","tag-pittsburgh-penguins-predictions"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5231"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458185"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":458203,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458185\/revisions\/458203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/458202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}