Two of the league’s best at killing off power plays, the Anaheim Ducks and the Colorado Avalanche collide at the Pepsi Center in a Western Conference matchup. The action gets going at 3 p.m. ET on Monday, January 15, and it can be caught live on Altitude Sports & Entertainment.
Anaheim Ducks at Colorado Avalanche Odds
Anaheim (-105) is entering this one as the underdog to Anaheim (-115), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -105 money on the over and -115 for the under.
Colorado is 23-19 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 8.3 units this year. That early-season winning percentage is a remarkable improvement over the 22-60 record from last year’s regular season campaign. Of its 42 games this season, 24 have gone over the total, while 17 have gone under and just one has pushed. This season, the team is 15-8 SU at home.
The Avalanche have been able to convert on 21.1 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s good enough for 10th-best in the NHL. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated second overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 84.2 percent of all penalties.
As a team, the Avalanche have been penalized 4.4 times per game overall this season, 4.6 per game over their past five contests total, and 4.0 per game over their last five at home. The team has had to kill penalties for just 8.4 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
Averaging 28.5 saves per game with a .912 save percentage, Semyon Varlamov (14-12-2) has been the primary option in goal for the Avs this year. If Colorado decides to give him a breather, however, the team could roll with Jonathan Bernier (10-8-8 record, .911 save percentage, 2.77 goals against average).
The Avs will continue relying on offensive production from Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. MacKinnon (53 points) has put up 19 goals and 34 assists and has recorded multiple points in 16 different games this year. Rantanen has 15 goals and 26 assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 27 contests.
Anaheim is 20-24 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.0 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Through 44 regular season contests, 28 of its games have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and just one has pushed. As the visiting team, the Ducks are 10-13 SU so far.
The Ducks have converted on just 17.5 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked fourth overall and it’s successfully killed off 83.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
Anaheim’s players have been called for penalties 4.6 times per game this season, and 5.4 per game over their past five match ups. The team’s had to kill penalties an unhealthy 14.8 minutes per game over their last five outings.
John Gibson (29.9 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Anaheim. Gibson owns a 14-20-6 record, and has registered a .923 save percentage and 2.63 goals against average this year.
Rickard Rakell (15 goals, 17 assists) will pace the offensive attack for the visiting Ducks.
Anaheim Ducks at Colorado Avalanche Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
Over Colorado’s last ten outings, seven of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 6-1 in those games).
The Avalanche are 6-10 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Ducks are 15-11 SU when they spend more time in the box than their opponent.
Anaheim (2-5 in shootouts this season) has more experience in games decided by shootout. Colorado has participated in only two shootouts this year, winning one and losing the other.
The total has gone under in three of Colorado’s last five outings.
Colorado has scored 3.3 goals per game overall this year, but has raised that figure up to 4.3 per contest in its past six games (the team’s a perfect 1-0 SU over that streak).
One of the best at possession and valuing the puck, Colorado is ranked 4th this season with just 6.2 giveaways per game. That figure has trended down recently, however, as it’s averaged 5.2 giveaways over its last 10 games and 4.8 giveaways over its last five.
Anaheim skaters have averaged 7.0 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 10.2 giveaways per game (ranked 20th in the NHL).
Anaheim skaters have given out the sixth-most hits in the league (23.5 per game).
