Congratulations, you have survived the work week and have made it to the weekend! Now, kick up your feet, take a sip of your favorite beverage, and get ready for this epic NHL showdown between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Colorado Avalanche. Welcome back to our NHL odds series, as it is time to reveal our Penguins-Avalanche pick and prediction.
The Penguins travel to Denver, Colorado fresh off an impressive 4-3 road victory versus the stout Minnesota Wild. Pittsburgh enters play at 41-18-10, and are clearly many people's pick to reach the Stanley Cup Finals out of the Eastern Conference. Currently third in the Metropolitan Division, the Penguins would love to solidify their championship mindset by taking down the NHL points leader on the road.
As for the keepers of last year's President's Trophy and well on track for another run at the league's best record, the Avalanche may have the greatest home-ice advantage in recent memory. Colorado seems to be unbreakable when squaring off with their foes at Ball Arena, compiling a 27-4-3 record in their home arena. The Avs are coming off a victorious outing against San Jose, defeating the Sharks 4-2 on Thursday evening. This is the first meeting between the Penguins and Avalanche since the 2019-2020 season. Both of these contenders will face off again three days from now on April 5th out east in Pittsburgh.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Penguins-Avalanche NHL odds:
NHL Odds: Penguins-Avalanche Odds
Pittsburgh Penguins: +1.5 (-188)
Colorado Avalanche: -1.5(+155)
Over: 6.5 (-102)
Under: 6.5 (-120)
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Why the Penguins Could Cover the Spread
Entering this fierce, national-broadcasted matchup, the Penguins are 22-8-5 out on the road this year. Pittsburgh may in fact be losing some familiar faces to free agency in the off-season such as longtime Penguin Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, and Kris Letang could all be wearing different uniforms next season. But for now, the Penguins are going all-in on a Stanley Cup run this year.
A big reason for Pittsburgh's success for most of their season revolves around the fact that they've been consistently great on both sides of the puck. Defensively, coach Mike Sullivan's squad ranks as the fifth-best team in the NHL among defensive efficiency, as the Penguins are sometimes almost glued to their assignments when defending in their own zone. Combine this defense with a tremendous goaltender in Tristan Jerry, who is putting a halt to .921 % of shots on goal, the seventh-highest percentage in the league.
Acting as an offensive juggernaut for what it seems like years now, the Penguins are no slouches in scoring the puck either. Pittsburgh is a top-ten team in goals put in the net in 2021-2022, as they are led by future first-ballot Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby's club-leading 71 points. Tied for the fourth-most points in the Eastern Conference, Pittsburgh prides itself on conforming to any opposing team's style of play and punishing you in an abundant amount of ways.
Why the Avalanche Could Cover the Spread
Now introducing the mighty Avs, who have hands down been the most complete hockey team to lace up the skates all year long. Everyone knows the story by now; Colorado is usually dominant in the regular season until the postseason rears its ugly face and sends the Avalanche home packing early. Colorado is eager to prove to not only the other 31 teams in the NHL that they are legit but more importantly to themselves that they can get over the hump. With the top seed all but locked up in the Western Conference, the Avs will look to hone in on their recent dominance on the defense, as Colorado is only giving up 2.42 goals per game since the All-Star break, good for third-best in the league.
The most obvious advantage that the Avalanche have on their enemies each night out is their otherworldly team speed, which is near impossible to try to contain when in transition. Leading the charge of surreal fleetness is center Nathan MacKinnon, who escaped disaster recently after hurting his hand and getting into a fight while standing up for a cheap shot on teammate Mikko Rantanen. Initially thought to be a season-ending injury, it appears MacKinnon has the green light to play after only missing one game. You can argue that Mac's contribution to his team is felt as great as anyone else in the NHL.
One X-factor to be aware of heading into this highly anticipated matchup is goalie Darcy Kuemper, who has stepped up his play after early-season struggles got the best of him. Kuemper's .940 save percentage since the All-Star break is the best of any goaltender with at least one start. If the Avs want to cover the spread, the Colorado net-minder needs to be on his A-game.
Final Penguins-Avalanche Prediction & Pick
This contest has the makings of being an all-time great game, as this matchup could very well be a future preview of the Stanley Cup Finals. Both squads will benefit win or lose by using this game as a measuring stick to figure out exactly where they sit with less than a month to go in the regular season. This inter-conference clash is coming down to the wire, so don't be surprised if this thing is decided in overtime. Even if the Avs end up prevailing, Pittsburgh will be competitive enough to cover the spread.
Final Penguins-Avalanche Pick: Penguins +1.5 (-188)
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