Two of the league’s very best at fending off power plays, the Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings take the ice at the Staples Center for a Western Conference tilt. The opening face-off is at 10:30 p.m. ET on Monday, April 2, and you’ll be able to witness it live on Altitude Sports & Entertainment.
Colorado Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings Odds
With a moneyline of -175, Los Angeles heads into the matchup as the heavy favorite. The line for Colorado sits at +155, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -110 money on the over and -110 for the under.
The Kings are 43-36 straight up (SU) and have earned moneyline bettors 2.1 units this year. That winning percentage, the third-best in the Pacific Division so far this season, is a welcome improvement compared to how the team performed during last year’s regular season (39-43). Of the team’s 79 regular season matches, 41 have gone under the total, while 35 have gone over and just three have pushed. This year, the team is 21-17 SU at home.
Los Angeles has converted on 21.0 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked first overall, and it’s successfully killed off 85.1 percent of all penalties.
Los Angeles, as a collective unit, has been penalized 3.9 times per game overall this season, and 2.6 per game over its past ten outings. The team’s had to kill penalties for just 5.2 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, overall.
Averaging 27.1 saves per game with a .923 save percentage, Jonathan Quick (31 wins, 30 losses, and three OT losses) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Kings this season. If they choose to give him the night off, however, the team might go with Darcy Kuemper (10-9-9 record, .932 save percentage, 2.10 goals against average).
Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty will both look to continue their strong seasons for the Kings. Kopitar (90 points) is up to 35 goals and 55 assists and has recorded multiple points in 24 different games this year. Doughty has 10 goals and 48 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 41 contests.
Colorado is 42-37 straight up (SU) and has netted 11.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 39 of its games have gone over the total, while 32 have gone under and just seven have pushed. As a road team, Colorado is 15-24 SU.
Colorado has converted on 21.5 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked third overall and it’s successfully killed off 83.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Colorado’s players have been penalized 4.0 times per game this season, and 2.6 per game over their past ten games. The team’s had to kill penalties just 5.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Semyon Varlamov (.920 save percentage and 2.68 goals against average) has been the main option in goal for Colorado. Varlamov is averaging 28.8 saves per game and owns a 26-25-6 record.
Nathan MacKinnon (38 goals, 56 assists) will lead the offensive counter for the visiting Avalanche.
Colorado Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings Betting Predictions
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
The total has gone under in three of Los Angeles’ last five outings.
Extra-man opportunities may prove to be critical in this matchup. The Avalanche are 19-15 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 27-26 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Kings are 17-11 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 30-20 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
Colorado is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Los Angeles is 2-1 in shootouts.
Los Angeles skaters have forced 3.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a drop-off from its season average of 4.9 takeaways per game (ranked 31st).
Colorado has averaged 5.0 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 6.4 takeaways per game (ranked 23rd overall).
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