The BB&T Center will play host to an East-West matchup as the Colorado Avalanche face off against the Florida Panthers. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 9, and you’ll be able to watch the game live on Altitude Sports & Entertainment.
Colorado Avalanche at Florida Panthers Odds
Florida (-140) is currently the favorite over Colorado (+120), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 under, +100 over.
Colorado is 12-15 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.5 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 17 of its games have gone over the total, while 10 have gone under and none have pushed. As a road team in 2017-18, the Avs are 4-9 SU.
Colorado has converted on 19.5 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 19th in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off 79.2 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Avs have been sent to the penalty box 4.6 times per game overall this season, 5.0 per game over its last five contests total, and 4.2 per game over its last five road outings. The team’s had to kill penalties just 8.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .903 save percentage and 28.6 saves per game, Semyon Varlamov (8-9-1) has been the primary option in goal for Colorado this season. If head coach Jared Bednar decides to rest him, however, Colorado might turn to Jonathan Bernier (4-7-1), who has a .891 save percentage and 3.24 goals against average this year.
Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Avalanche. MacKinnon has 32 points via 10 goals and 22 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 10 different games. Rantanen has eight goals and 14 assists to his name (and has registered at least one point in 15 games).
Over on the other bench, Florida is 11-17 straight up (SU) and has lost 6.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 28 regular season matches, 15 of its games have gone over the total, while 13 have gone under and none have pushed. It’s 6-8 SU at home this season.
The Panthers have converted on just 18.1 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 76.1 percent of all penalties.
Panthers players have been penalized 4.4 times per game in total this season, and 2.8 per game over their last five at home. The team’s had to kill penalties 8.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Roberto Luongo has stopped 31.7 shots per game as the primary choice in goal for the Panthers. Luongo has six wins, nine losses, and two OT losses to his credit and has registered a mediocre 2.62 goals against average and a .928 save percentage this year.
The Panthers offense will be led by Jonathan Huberdeau (eight goals, 21 assists) and Vincent Trocheck (12 goals, 17 assists).
Colorado Avalanche vs. Florida Panthers Betting Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Panthers, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Trends
Over Colorado’s last ten games, five of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 1-4 in those games).
Colorado has scored 3.1 goals per game overall this season, but is down to 1.8 goals per matchup over its last four games (0-4 SU over that span).
The Avalanche are 3-7 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Panthers are 4-7 SU when they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
Two of Florida’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 1-1 in those games and 2-2 overall in shootouts this year.
The over has hit in three of Florida’s last five games.
Florida skaters have averaged 13.8 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 12.8 giveaways per game (ranked 28th overall).
Colorado skaters have averaged 7.2 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 6.9 giveaways per game (the fourth-fewest in the NHL).
