Two squads that are squarely in playoff contention, the New York Islanders and the Colorado Avalanche meet at the Pepsi Center. Altitude Sports & Entertainment will showcase this East-West matchup, and the puck drops at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 19.
New York Islanders at Colorado Avalanche Odds
New York (+140) is entering this one as the underdog to Colorado (-160), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -125 money on the over and +105 on the under at PointsBet Iowa Sportsbook..
The Avalanche are 33-25 straight up (SU) and have earned 0.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, ranked second in the Central Division so far in the early season, is a welcomed improvement compared to what the team did during the 2018-19 season (38-44). Of its 58 games this season, 29 have gone over the total, while 27 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team’s 15-14 SU at home this year.
Colorado has converted on 19.4 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 22nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.3 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, Colorado has been whistled for penalties 3.7 times per game overall this season, and 2.6 per game over its last five outings home outings. The team’s had to kill penalties for just 7.3 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, overall.
Averaging 27.1 saves per game with a .916 save percentage, Philipp Grubauer (19-17-4) has been the top goalkeeper for the Avalanche this season. If they choose to give him the night off, however, the team could turn to Pavel Francouz (14-9-9 record, .922 save percentage, 2.51 goals against average).
Nathan MacKinnon and Andre Burakovsky will each look to continue their strong seasons for the Avalanche. MacKinnon (82 points) has tallied 33 goals and 49 assists and has recorded two or more points in 24 different games this year. Burakovsky has 19 goals and 25 assists to his credit and has notched at least one point in 26 contests.
New York has netted 4.9 units for moneyline bettors this year and is currently 33-25 straight up (SU). Through 58 regular season contests, 31 of its games have gone under the total, while 24 have gone over and just three have pushed. New York’s 15-14 SU as the visiting team this season.
New York has converted on just 18.2 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s ranked 23rd in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 16th overall and it’s successfully killed off 80.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
New York’s players have been penalized 3.3 times per game this season, 2.8 per game over their past five games total, and 2.8 per game over their last five on the road. The team’s had to kill penalties just 7.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Semyon Varlamov (26.4 saves per game) has been the primary option in the net for New York. Varlamov owns an 18-19-4 record, while registering a .918 save percentage and 2.53 goals against average this year.
Mathew Barzal (18 goals, 30 assists) has been one of the top playmaking threats for the visiting Islanders.
New York Islanders at Colorado Avalanche Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
The under has hit in four of Colorado’s last five games.
New York has managed 25.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Colorado is averaging 35.2 shots per game over its last five at home.
Power plays and penalty kills could be extremely important in tonight’s matchup. The Islanders are 4-9 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 21-17 when they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Avalanche are 18-10 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 24-12 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
New York (3-2 in shootouts) has more experience this season in games decided by shootout. Colorado fell short in its only shootout this season.
Colorado has averaged 8.4 takeaways per game over its last five home games, right in line with its season average of 8.2 takeaways per game (ranked 8th in the NHL).
New York has averaged 2.9 goals per game as a team this year, but has been averaging 0.3 goals per match up over its three-game losing streak.
New York is ranked 18th with 7.3 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down, however, as it’s forced 4.6 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.4 takeaways over its last five.
New York might have an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 16-12 in games decided by one goal, while Colorado is 7-11 in such games.