The Pepsi Center will be hosting an East-West showdown as the Colorado Avalanche face off against the visiting Detroit Red Wings. It’s the last time that these two clubs will meet in the regular season. The match will get going at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 18, and fans at home are able to watch it live on Fox Sports Detroit.
Detroit Red Wings at Colorado Avalanche Odds
Colorado heads into the contest as the noticeable favorite with a -185 moneyline. The line for Detroit sits at +160, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-125 to bet the under, +105 for the over).
Colorado is 38-33 straight up (SU) and has earned 10.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage is a surprising turnaround from what the team did during last years regular season (22-60). Through 71 regular season outings, 38 of its games have gone over the total, while 28 have gone under and just five have pushed. This year, the teams 24-11 SU at home.
The Avalanche have converted on 20.7 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked second overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 84.1 percent of all penalties.
The Avalanche, as a collective unit, have been penalized 4.1 times per game overall this season, and 5.4 per game over their last five matchups at home. The team has had to kill penalties for 13.6 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
Boasting a .916 save percentage and 28.4 saves per game, Semyon Varlamov (22-23-6) has been the primary goalkeeper for Colorado this year. If the Avs, however, decide to give him a rest, Colorado could turn to Jonathan Bernier (18-13-13 record, .914 save percentage, 2.81 goals against average).
Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen will both spearhead the attack for the Avalanche. MacKinnon (86 points) has tallied 36 goals and 50 assists and has recorded two or more points on 24 separate occasions this year. Rantanen has 25 goals and 50 assists to his credit and has notched at least one point in 44 games.
Over on the other bench, Detroit is 26-45 straight up (SU) and has lost 16.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 42 of its outings have gone under the total, while 28 have gone over and just one has pushed. As the away team, the Red Wings are 13-23 SU.
The Red Wings have converted on just 18.0 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 22nd overall and it’s successfully killed off 78.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
Detroit’s players have been penalized 3.7 times per game this season, 3.8 per game over their past five match ups total, and 4.2 per game over their last five road outings. The teams been forced to kill penalties 10.8 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Jimmy Howard (26.7 saves per game) has been the primary option in the net for Detroit. Howard has 18 wins, 35 losses, and eight OT losses to his credit, and has registered a .909 save percentage and 2.87 goals against average this year.
For the visiting Red Wings, the offense will be facilitated by Dylan Larkin (nine goals, 41 assists) and Henrik Zetterberg (10 goals, 37 assists).
Detroit Red Wings at Colorado Avalanche Betting Predictions
Free Pick: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Detroit (4-1 in shootouts this season) has more experience in games decided by shootout. Colorado has only participated in a couple of shootouts this year, winning one and losing the other.
- The total has gone over in three of Colorado’s last five games.
- Five of Detroit’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 0-5 in those games.
