The NHL rolls on as we have three games on tap for tonight. All games are out west which means late start times for anyone on the east coast. The game I like tonight is the Colorado Avalanche taking on the Vancouver Canucks. I breakdown the matchup between these two teams and offer my two plays below.
Colorado Avalanche @ Vancouver Canucks
- Time: 9:00 PM ET
- TV Coverage: Sportsnet, ALT, ESPN+
- Colorado Avalanche: 6-5-1, 6th Central (2-3 Away)
- Vancouver Canucks: 5-9-2, 7th Pacific (2-4-1 Home)
| Opening ML | Current ML | Spread | Total | |
| Colorado Avalanche | -150 | -155 | -1.5 (+160) | o6.0 (+100) |
| Vancouver Canucks | +130 | +135 | +1.5 (-180) | u6.0 (-120) |
Colorado Avalanche
The preseason favorites to win the Stanley Cup have not gotten off to the start they would have liked. They currently sit in 6th Place in the Central with a record just above .500%. However, they have been playing much better as of late going 4-2 in their last 6 games.
Colorado is still without superstar Nathan MacKinnon who’s out indefinitely with a lower body injury. In addition to MacKinnon the Avalanche have several other key players injured including J.T. Compher (upper body), Bowen Byram (concussion), Martin Kaut (shoulder), and Stefan Matteau (leg).
Despite these players missing, the Avs offense seems to have finally found their groove averaging 5 goals per game during that six game stretch. This recent push has propelled them near the top of the league in expected goals per 60 minutes with 2.54. Nazem Kadri has led the charge offensively for Colorado with 14 points through 12 games. He’s currently on a 6 game point streak collecting 3 goals and 7 assists during that stretch.
Colorado’s defense currently ranks 25th in goals allowed, averaging 3.25 per game. This may be a misleading stat as the Avalanche rank near the top of the league in expected goals against per 60 with 2.12. The defense also ranks top 10 in the league in high danger chances against only allowing 21. Darcy Kuemper has been confirmed the starter tonight and enters this game with a -2.0 GSAx (Goals Saved Above Expected). However, as of late he’s been better with a +0.48 and +1.44 GSAx in his last two starts.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks are another team that has struggled during the beginning stretch of the season going 5-9-2. They’re currently on a 4 game skid which includes a 7-1 loss to Colorado last week.
When you look at this team, they seem to be struggling in every aspect. On offense, they rank 25th in goals per game averaging just 2.5. They’re generating scoring opportunities but can’t seem to capitalize on those opportunities with one of the lowest shooting %’s in the league. J.T. Miller leads the team with 18 points while Quinn Hughes is behind him with 14. One player that Vancouver needs to step up is Brock Boeser who led the team in points last year but is averaging just 0.5 point per game. He was out for a few games with an undisclosed injury and has gone pointless in his last three games.
Vancouver’s defense hasn’t been much better ranking 27th in the league giving up an average of 3.38 goals per game. Their penalty kill has also been atrocious ranking dead last in the league. To the Canucks credit, they do have a -4.33 goals against above expected, meaning they have allowed less goals than what was expected. Thatcher Demko, shoutout Boston College, is expected to get the nod tonight. He hasn’t been great with a 3.33 GAA with a .898 SV%. However, to his credit he only has a -1.0 GSAx which puts some blame on the team defense as they’ve allowed 31 high danger shots against.
PICK: COLORADO AVALANCHE TO WIN IN REGULATION -0.5 (-110)
PICK: COLORADO AVALANCHE TEAM TOTAL OVER 3.5 (+115)
The Avalanche come into this game on a great steak and face a struggling Canucks team. Vancouver is currently allowing the 7th most high danger chances against a Colorado team that’s found it’s grove on offense. As previously mentioned, in Colorado’s last 6 games they’re averaging 5 goals and are up against a team allowing 3.38 goals against. The Av’s defense has been playing much better and should shut down the Canucks offense that hasn’t shown many signs of life. I like Colorado to win in regulation while scoring over 3.5 goals.
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.
