The Colorado Avalanche face the Nashville Predators, with both teams looking to rebound from shaky starts to the season.
Colorado sits in the middle of the Central Division with a 15-11-2 record, while Nashville is in the bottom half with a 12-12-4 record and has dropped five straight games. The upcoming game could be fantastic because both teams are aiming to do better in the Central Division and the Western Conference.
Predators vs Avalanche Betting Odds
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Predators vs Avalanche Match Details
Fixture: Nashville Predators at Colorado Avs
Date and Time: Saturday, December 17 at 9:00 PM ET
Venue: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
Predators vs Avalanche Key Stats
With only 2.46 goals scored per game and eight goals in their previous five games, Nashville's offense has been a disappointment this season. The offense has struggled overall, with the exception of Filip Forsberg, Matt Duchene, and Mikael Granlund, who have combined for 19 goals and 47 assists. Defenseman Roman Josi has added six goals and 17 assists from the point.
Nashville has struggled on offense, but the defense has also played poorly, allowing 3.07 goals per game. Roman Josi and Mattias Ekholm have a 3.0 defensive point share between them, while the rest of the team has faltered, allowing opponents to consistently find open opportunities on goal.
Colorado's offense has improved this season, scoring 3.04 goals per game, and they are off to a strong start. While Artturi Lehkonen and J.T. Compher have scored 12 goals and 15 assists to head the top two lines, Mikko Rantanen has 20 goals and 17 assists. The rest of the attack has also contributed.
Although Colorado's offense has improved, the team has been buoyed by its defense, which has allowed just 2.82 goals over the last three games. The top defensive pairing is led by Makar and Toews, who have a combined 3.8 defensive point shares and 86 blocked shots. Erik Johnson and Josh Manson have a combined 2.9 defensive point shares.
Predators vs Avalanche Betting Prediction
Colorado hopes to recover from a difficult setback and dominate this game on their home ice, while Nashville hopes to end their losing streak. Colorado, which scores 3.04 goals per game on average, should keep scoring while Nashville's attack, which scores only 2.46 goals per game, is being restrained by Colorado's 2.82 goals allowed per game defense and a lack of turnovers in the defensive zone. Tonight at home, take Colorado to win and cover the spread.
Prediction: Colorado Avalanche ML (-170)
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