In a game between two teams that’ve positioned themselves squarely in the playoff picture, the San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche face off at the Pepsi Center in a Western Conference tilt. Altitude Sports & Entertainment will air the game, which gets going at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 6.
San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche Odds
San Jose comes into the game as the narrow favorite with a moneyline of -115. The line for Colorado sits at -105 and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
Colorado is 28-23 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 9.9 units this season. That early-season winning percentage is a remarkable improvement over the 22-60 record from last years regular season campaign. Through 51 regular season outings, 28 of its games have gone over the total, while 21 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team is 18-8 SU at home this year.
The Avalanche have converted on 20.6 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated fifth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 83.4 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, the Avalanche have been penalized 4.2 times per game overall this season, and 3.5 per game over their past ten games. The teams had to defend opponent power plays for just 7.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings, overall.
Averaging 28.6 saves per game with a .912 save percentage, Semyon Varlamov (14 wins, 13 losses, and two OT losses) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Avs this season. If head coach Jared Bednar chooses to rest him, however, the team may roll with Jonathan Bernier (15-11-11 record, .917 save percentage, 2.68 goals against average).
The Avs will continue to lean on the offensive production out of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. MacKinnon (61 points) has tallied 24 goals and 37 assists and has recorded two or more points 18 times this year. Rantanen has 17 goals and 33 assists to his name and has notched at least one point in 32 contests.
On the other side of the rink, San Jose is 28-24 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.9 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of 32 of its contests have gone under the total, while 19 have gone over and just one has pushed. The Sharks are 14-14 SU as the road team this season.
The Sharks have converted on 23.9 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s good enough for fourth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked second overall and it’s successfully killed off 84.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
San Jose’s players have been whistled for penalties 3.7 times per game in total this season, and 2.8 per game over their last five road outings. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Martin Jones (.913 save percentage and 2.61 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for San Jose. Jones is averaging 25.6 saves per game and owns a 16-18-6 record.
Brent Burns (nine goals, 35 assists) has been one of the primary facilitators on offense for the visiting Sharks.
San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche Free Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Over Colorado’s last ten outings, eight of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 5-3 in those games).
- Penalties and power plays may have a key role in tonight’s matchup. The Sharks are 10-14 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 18-17 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes. The Avalanche are 13-6 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 17-15 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Two of San Jose’s last ten games have been decided by a shootout. The team is 1-1 in those games and 3-3 overall in shootouts this season.
- The over has hit in three of Colorado’s last five outings.
- Colorado has averaged 4.6 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 6.4 giveaways per game (ranked 5th overall).
- San Jose is ranked 28th this season with 12.0 giveaways per game. That figures trended down lately, however, as the teams averaged 7.8 giveaways over its last 10 games and 8.2 giveaways over its last five.
