Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and the Colorado Avalanche will face off against Alex Iafallo, Anze Kopitar, and the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center in a Western Conference showdown. Altitude Sports & Entertainment will broadcast the matchup, and the opening face-off takes place at 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 22.
Colorado Avalanche vs. Los Angeles Kings Odds
Colorado is 35-25 straight up (SU) and has netted 1.4 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 60 regular season matches, 29 of its games have gone over the total, while 28 have gone under and just two have pushed. As the away team in 2019-20, the Avs are 19-11 SU.
Colorado has converted on 18.9 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 20th in the league, and it has successfully killed off 78.9 percent of its penalties..
Averaging 27.1 saves per game with a .916 save percentage, Philipp Grubauer (19-17-4) has been the best option in goal for Colorado this season. If head coach Jared Bednar decides to rest him, however, the team might go with Pavel Francouz (16-9-3), who has a .926 save percentage and 2.33 goals against average this year.
On the other side of the rink, Los Angeles is 22-39 straight up (SU) and has lost 9.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. 32 of its games have gone under the total, while 25 have gone over and just four have pushed. The team is 13-13 SU at home this year.
The Kings have converted on just 16.4 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the bottom 10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 28th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 75.3 percent of all penalties.
Jonathan Quick has stopped 26.0 shots per game as the top option in goal for the Kings. Quick has 13 wins, 25 losses, and three OT losses to his credit and has registered a mediocre 3.02 goals against average and a fairly-weak .897 save percentage this season.
Colorado Avalanche vs. Los Angeles Kings Betting Predictions
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
For both of these clubs, the game went over the total in three of their past five outings.
Two teams that put the puck on net a lot, Colorado has taken the league’s eighth-most shots on goal (32.7) and Los Angeles’s attempted the third-most (33.8). The Avs have averaged 29.0 shot attempts over their last five road games while the Kings have taken 37.0 shots over their last five home outings.
Five of Colorado’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 4-1 in those games.
Colorado skaters recorded 21.9 hits per game last season, while the Kings posted 23.3 hits per contest.