The Colorado Avalanche and the Florida Panthers meet in NHL action from the Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday. Who comes out on top in this inter-conference heavyweight showdown? Let’s dive in and find out with our Avalanche vs. Panthers Prediction.
Colorado Avalanche Team Preview
The Colorado Avalanche come into this one looking to bounce back from a 5-2 loss to Carolina in their last matchup. Nathan MacKinnon has 85 points with a team-high 32 goals and 53 assists while Cale Makar has 60 points with 47 assists. Mikko Rantanen has 67 points with 28 goals and 39 assists and Valeri Nichushkin has 42 points split between 22 goals and 20 assists this season. Alexandar Georgiev has started 43 games for Colorado, going 27-12-3 with a 2.91 GAA and an .898 save percentage this season while Ivan Prosvetov is 4-3-1 with a 3.16 GAA and an .895 save percentage this season.
Colorado Avalanche Team Facts
- The Avalanche have won four of their last five games as underdogs against the Panthers.
- The home team has covered the puck line in each of the Avalanche’s last five games.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1’ market has hit in each of the Avalanche’s last seven games following a road loss.
- The favorites have won the first period in six of the Avalanche’s last seven games.
Florida Panthers Team Preview
The Florida Panthers come into this one looking to build on their 4-2 win over Washington in their last matchup. Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in scoring with 63 points including a team-high 38 goals and 25 assists while Aleksander Barkov has 48 points with 11 goals and 37 assists. Carter Verhaeghe has 52 points with 25 goals and 27 assists while Matthew Tkachuk has 54 points with 37 assists of his own this season. Sergei Bobrovsky has posted a 24-10-2 mark with a 2.50 GAA and .910 save percentage in goal for Florida this season while Anthony Stolarz is 8-5-2 with a 2.11 GAA and a .917 save percentage this season.
Florida Panthers Team Facts
- The underdogs have won four of the last five games between the Avalanche and Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena.
- The road team has covered the puck line in 11 of the last 12 games between the Avalanche and Panthers.
- The Panthers have lost the third period in four of their last five games following a win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Panthers’ last 15 Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena.
Avalanche vs. Panthers Prediction
I’m on the Panthers here. I keep trying to take shots on the Avalanche because plus money and Colorado is not an instance that comes around all that often, but maybe we’re getting it for a reason in recent games. The Avs haven’t come out of the blocks at all since the all-star break, and the Panthers, regardless of the opponent have been one of the more consistent teams in the NHL home and away. I’ll side with Florida until the Avs get their act together.