Subscribe
Follow Us
The Colorado Avalanche will face the Florida Panthers on Saturday. It's a slugfest in Sunrise, Florida, as we share our NHL odds series and make an Avalanche-Panthers prediction and pick.
The Avalanche are coming off a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals, in which Alexandar Georgiev returned from injury and made 28 saves while allowing one goal. Conversely, the Panthers fell 3-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks and look to bounce back.
The Panthers won the last showdown against the Avalanche last season while also sweeping the series. Furthermore, they are 6-3-1 over the past 10 games against the Avs. But the Avalanche are 3-2 over the past five games against the Panthers in Florida.
Here are the Avalanche-Panthers NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Avalanche-Panthers Odds
Colorado Avalanche: +1.5 (-245)
Moneyline: +104
Florida Panthers: -1.5 (+194)
Moneyline: -125
Over: 6.5 (+110)
Under: 6.5 (-134)
How To Watch Avalanche vs Panthers
Time: 6 PM ET/3 PM PT
TV: ESPN+, Scripps, and ALT
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Avalanche Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Avalanche are starting to play well. Still, there are some things they can do to improve. Colorado has talent that can change the game on a dime, and the offense has showcased that it still has the might to score goals endlessly.
The Avalanche are seventh in goals and assists while also ranking 13th in shooting percentage. Their work on the powerplay has been exceptional, and they are second with the extra man.
Nathan MacKinnon remains one of the best in the world. Amazingly, he currently has seven goals and 27 assists. Mikko Rantanen has tallied 13 goals and 15 assists. Meanwhile, defenseman Cale Makar has potted eight goals and 20 assists. Casey Mittelstadt has been solid, notching seven goals and 11 assists.
Defense and goaltending have been issues in Denver. Thus, the Avalanche might acquire John Gibson in a trade as they have been one of the teams linked as possible teams that might trade for the goalie. In the meantime, they will continue to roll with Georgiev and hope he continues to play well. The Avs are 29th in goals against, and 28th on the penalty kill. Geogiev comes in with a mark of 5-5 with a 3.31 goals-against average and a save percentage of .874. However, he has struggled against the Avalanche, going 2-3 with a 3.78 goals-against average and a save percentage of .903.
The Avalanche will cover the spread if they can spread the puck around and get past the Florida defense while slinging one past the goalie. Then, they need to prevent the Panthers from getting chances on the powerplay.
Why the Panthers Could Cover the Spread/Win
The defending Stanley Cup champions are still winning, but there are still some issues. Therefore, the Panthers might improve their roster with a trade to give themselves the best chance of returning to the Stanley Cup.
The Panthers are sixth in goals and fifth in assists. Likewise, they are 10th in shooting percentage. Scoring on the extra-man attack has been good, as Florida currently ranks ninth on the powerplay.
Sam Reinhart has been great and leads the team with 15 goals and 15 assists, including four powerplay markers. Meanwhile, Aleksander Barkov has remained efficient with three goals and 15 assists but is still looking for his first marker on the powerplay. Sam Bennett has remained stout with nine goals and nine assists. Likewise, Anton Lundell has netted six goals and eight assists. The Panthers hope to get more out of star Matthew Tkachuk, who currently only has five goals and eight assists and has not looked like himself at all this season.
The defense and goaltending have been inconsistent. So far, they are 23rd in goals against. But their work on the penalty kill has been exemplary, as they are 13th in killing penalties. Sergei Bobrovsky has had some solid numbers this season, going 14-9-1 with a 2.98 goals-against average and a save percentage of .893. Additionally, he is 12-4-2 with a 2.66 goals-against average and a save percentage of .912 in his career against the Avalanche.
The Panthers will cover the spread if Reinhart, Barkov, and Tkachuk can find some skating room and fire multiple shots at Georgiev. Then, they need to avoid making mistakes against MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Makar.
Final Avalanche-Panthers Prediction & Pick
The Avalanche are 6-14 against the spread, while the Panthers are 10-10 against the odds. Moreover, the Avalanche are 3-5 against the spread on the road, while the Panthers are 5-5 against the odds at home. The Avalanche are 12-7-1 against the over/under this season, while the Panthers are 13-7.
Both teams have explosive offenses. However, the defenses have struggled. But when it comes to trusting goalies, it is easier to believe Bobrovsky will do better than Georgiev. Therefore, I am rolling with the Cats to cover the spread at home.
Final Avalanche-Panthers Prediction & Pick: Florida Panthers: -1.5 (+194)
