Avalanche vs. Red Wings Wednesday NHL injury report, odds: Nathan MacKinnon out, Dylan Larkin game-time decision as total drops

The Colorado Avalanche are the biggest favorites on the NHL board Wednesday night at -270 in Detroit but will be without All-Star forward Nathan MacKinnon due to a nagging injury. That might be evened out, so to speak, because the Red Wings may not have their best offensive player by far in Dylan Larkin.

Colorado is looking to win a second straight Presidents' Trophy so every point is important, but it's more important to make sure MacKinnon is healthy for the stretch run. He's dealing with a lower-body injury and will sit for precautionary reasons – i.e., the Avalanche think they can win without him. MacKinnon is fifth on the team with 48 points despite playing only 36 games.

His 1.33 points per game ranks fifth in the NHL. The Avalanche are 11-2-1 without him this season. They come off one of their worst games of the season, a 5-1 loss in Boston on Monday. MacKinnon had the lone goal for Colorado.

The Red Wings are trying to stay on the fringes of the Eastern Conference wild-card race, but they aren't going to make it despite winning three of four. Larkin leads the team with 26 goals and 52 points and is plus-8. He has 10 goals and 10 assists over the last 14 games but is a game-time call after suffering an undisclosed injury in practice Tuesday. Center Vladislav Namestnikov (23 points) has been cleared to play after missing the past two.

The total for this game opened at Over/Under 6.5 goals but has dropped to 6 surely because of MacKinnon/Larkin.

It will be Pavel Francouz (7-2-2, 2.39 GAA) in net for Colorado. He last played on Feb. 15 and allowed three goals in a loss at Dallas. The Wings counter with Thomas Greiss (8-7-0, 3.17 GAA), who has a 3-1-1 record with a 2.14 GAA and .931 save percentage over his last five appearances.

Colorado won the first meeting of the season 7-3 at home on Dec. 10. The Avs totaled six goals in the first two periods and had 14 players with at least one point in the game. MacKinnon had a goal. Greiss was yanked after allowing three goals on seven shots.

Looking for the best picks against the spread, sharp plays on the total, and props you can take straight to the pay window? Join Jonathan Coachman on the Early Edge as he speaks with SportsLine's top handicappers to preview the day's biggest games. We promise to keep it short, sweet and to put some green in your pocket. Early Edge is in your feed every single day by 11 a.m. ET. Subscribe right here on YouTube to watch daily, plus don't miss the Early Edge specials and live shows!