A pair of solid Western Conference NHL teams are set to square off on Saturday night as the Colorado Avalanche host the Nashville Predators. Both teams played on Friday night, and fatigue could play a role in this game.
Nashville has been a pleasant surprise this season, and they look like a team that can reach the playoffs. The Predators picked up a win on Friday night to improve their record to 11-8-1 on the season.
Colorado has been a bit of a disappointment this year, but they should start to turn things on at some point. The Avalanche are currently in 5th place in the Central Division, but that could always change in a hurry.
The Colorado Avalanche are the slight moneyline betting favorites at -109 over the Nashville Predators.
Predators Must Control the Pace
Nashville will be experiencing some fatigue after playing on Friday night, but the Predators aren’t a team that wants to play fast anytime. Nashville is scoring 2.75 goals per game this season, but they have also limited opponents to that number as well.
Goaltender Juusse Saros leads the way for the Predators in net, and he should draw this assignment on Saturday night. Nashville has also done a great job on the penalty kill, and that unit will need to be great in this one.
Center Matt Duchene leads the Predators with 12 goals and 21 total points on the year, but the Predators have to find a way to do more scoring. The Predators are scoring on nearly 26 percent of their power-play chances, and that could keep them in this game as well.
Nashville does not want to get into a “track meet” with the Avalanche, but they will have to score some goals to win this game.
Colorado Continues to Score
The Avalanche have not yet played their best hockey, but it is going to happen at some point. Colorado continues to score goals at a high clip, and they will try to speed this one up to take some chances on offense.
Colorado is scoring 3.88 goals per game, but they are also allowing 3.00 per night. The Avalanche can still win if they keep giving up that many goals, but it’s going to put some additional pressure on the offense.
Nazem Kadri has a team-high 18 assists and 25 points for the Avalanche up to this point. Colorado is a team that is loaded with offensive talent, and defenseman Cale Makar has scored nine goals up to this point.
Goaltender Darcy Kuemper is the new top goaltender in Colorado, and he has gone 9-5 in his 14 starts this year. Colorado isn’t facing a great offense in Nashville, but they need to contain the attack from the Predators.
Avalanche Get Back on Track
The Avalanche entered Friday night red-hot before a setback against the Sharks but look for Colorado to respond well in this game. Playing at home will give the Avalanche a slight advantage, but they are just the better overall team.
Nashville was a winner on Friday night, but they haven’t been playing their best hockey of late. The Predators will try to slow the pace down in this one, but that’s almost impossible to do against the Avalanche.
This should be a pretty good matchup, but the Avalanche will simply be too tough at home. Bet on Colorado -109 to take care of Nashville on Saturday night.