The Colorado Avalanche and the San Jose Sharks are set to face off at the SAP Center in Game 1 of the NHL’s Western Conference Semifinals. NBC Sports Network will broadcast this Western Conference matchup, which gets underway at 10 p.m. ET on Friday, April 26.
Colorado Avalanche at San Jose Sharks Odds
San Jose (-125) is tabbed as the favorite over Colorado (+105). If you want to put some action on the matchup’s Over/Under (O/U) total, you’ll be looking at -125 to bet over 6 goals and +105 for under 6 under..
Even though they’ve posted a record of 50-39 straight up (SU), the Sharks have earned moneyline bettors a total of 9.9 units this season. Through 89 regular season contests, 51 of its games have gone over the total, while 35 have gone under and just three have pushed. The team is 28-17 SU at home this season.
San Jose’s offense attempted 33.0 shots per game in the regular season, leading to 3.5 goals per outing (ranked second overall in the NHL). In the postseason, the team’s attempting an average of 33.1 shots on goal ( 3.3 goals per game).
Following a regular season where they converted 23.7 percent of all power-play chances (the sixth-strongest), the Sharks have been able to score on 23.5 percent of their extra-man advantages in the postseason. Their penalty kill has gone from 79.8 percent in the regular season to 72.4 percent in the playoffs.
Sporting a .897 save percentage and 24.8 saves per game, Martin Jones (41-28-5) has been the best option in goal for the Sharks this year. If they, however, decide to give him a breather, head coach Peter Deboer could roll with Aaron Dell (11-16-16 record, .884 save percentage, 3.19 goals against average).
Brent Burns and Tomas Hertl will each lead the charge for the Sharks. Burns (87 points) has tallied 17 goals and 70 assists and has recorded multiple points in 24 different games this year. Hertl has 41 goals and 41 assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 53 contests.
Colorado has lost 9.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far and is currently 42-45 straight up (SU). A total of 44 of its games have gone under the total, while 41 have gone over and just two have pushed. Colorado’s 19-25 SU as the visiting team this season.
Colorado has converted on 21.9 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 25th overall and it’s successfully killed off 78.6 percent of all penalties.
Colorado’s skaters have been whistled for penalties 4.1 times per game in total this season, and 5.8 per game over their past five contests. The team’s had to kill penalties 8.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Semyon Varlamov (.909 save percentage and 2.87 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Colorado. Varlamov is averaging 27.8 saves per game and owns a 20-29-9 record.
Leading the offensive firepower for the visiting Avalanche will be Nathan MacKinnon, who’s got 44 goals and 63 assists on the year.
Colorado Avalanche at San Jose Sharks Betting Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- For both of these teams, the total has gone over in three of their last five matchups.
- Colorado has managed 30.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while San Jose is averaging 35.4 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- Penalties and power plays may have a key role in the outcome of this matchup. The Avalanche are 19-19 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 25-27 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Sharks are 23-17 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 36-22 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- One of the top teams when it comes to pressuring their opponents, San Jose is ranked 5th overall this season with 9.4 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward, as it has managed 13.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 14.4 takeaways over its last five.
- Colorado is ranked 26th in the league this season with 6.8 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward lately, as the team has created 10.0 takeaways over its last 10 games and 10.8 takeaways over its last five.
- San Jose might hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 20-14 in games decided by one goal, while Colorado is only 11-22 in such games.
