The Avalanche are up 3-1 in their second-round series and will host the Wild on Wednesday night, with first puck drop set for 8:00 p.m. ET. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Avalanche are -218 Moneyline favorites, and the game’s total is set at O/U 6.5 goals.

Below, I’ll provide an Avalanche vs. Wild Game 5 prediction and pick.

Avalanche vs. Wild Game 5 prediction, preview

Colorado Avalanche

Colorado is one of the league’s top teams, if not the best, and has essentially played one bad game all postseason, which was its Game 3 loss against Minnesota. This club is no stranger to adversity, as it responded with a 5-2 win in Game 4 and has scored 5+ goals in three of four games this series. Tonight, it has a chance to advance to the Western Conference Final in front of its home crowd, which is notable, considering the club has yet to lose a game at home this postseason and went 26-9-6 at home during the regular season.

The Avalanche will turn to Mackenzie Blackwood between the pipes again after benching Scott Wedgewood in Game 3. Blackwood sported a 2.51 GAA and .904 SV% during the regular season and stopped 19-of-21 shots in Colorado’s 5-2 win in Game 4. While the Avalanche’s blue line has long been consistent, Blackwood simply hasn’t played many games. Prior to his Game 4 start and substitution in Game 3, he hadn’t played in a game since April 14, and I’d expect Minnesota to try to take advantage of that.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild showed that they could compete with a powerhouse like the Avalanche, as evidenced in their 5-1 blowout win in Game 3. However, the club simply doesn’t match Colorado’s overall depth and offensive impact, and it is dealing with key injuries. Both Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin have yet to play a game in this series, and their defensive impacts have been sorely missed. Eriksson Ek’s two-way impact would be huge for Minnesota right now in slowing down Colorado’s offensive attack.

Minnesota has outperformed its metrics for most of the postseason thus far, ranking last among the remaining playoff teams in xGoals per 60 (2.85), despite ranking second in goals per 60 (3.5). The club made a goaltending switch to Filip Gustavsson in Game 2, but he played poorly in his first start since April 13, so it’s Jesper Wallstedt season again. Wallstedt looked solid in Game 4, stopping 29-of-32 shots, and he remains one of the better goaltenders this postseason in terms of goals saved above expected. The Wild have allowed 3.32 goals per 60 and 42 high-danger chances against, both of which rank second-most among remaining playoff teams.

Avalanche vs. Wild Game 5 pick, best bet

Best Bet: COL Avalanche Team Total –– OVER 3.5 Goals (-130)

Colorado has averaged a postseason-high 4.06 goals per 60 and has scored 4+ goals in 5-of-8 games this postseason and in 3-of-4 games this series.

Strong Lean: OVER 6.5 Goals (-102)

Minnesota ranks second in goals per 60 (3.50), and the total has hit in 3-of-4 games this series, with Game 3 missing the mark by one goal. The Wild can hang with the Avalanche offensively, and I’d expect them to take advantage of Blackwood’s lack of playing time.