Skidding Ducks Brace for Avalanche
This is a matchup of teams heading in different directions.
The Colorado Avalanche have the best points percentage in the NHL since Mar. 11 with an 8-1 record. The Anaheim Ducks are 1-5-1 during that stretch so keep that in mind when making NHL picks.
The Avalanche are converting on 44.4% of its power play opportunities as Colorado is fighting it out with Dallas and Minnesota for first place in the Central Division.
Anaheim has dropped its last four games and has 12 home wins, the second-fewest in the NHL.
When looking at some of the NHL news, Colorado continues to play without forwards Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, defenseman Josh Manson and goalie Pavel Francouz.
For Anaheim, wingers Troy Terry and Frank Vatrano are questionable. Center Adam Henrique is out indefinitely.
According to the NHL playoff odds, the Avalanche (+700) are second in the odds to win the Stanley Cup title. The Ducks are one of five teams already eliminated from playoff contention.
Playing Like Champs
The last thing the rest of the Western Conference needs to see is the defending Stanley Cup champions starting to roll.
Since March 4, Colorado has picked up six points in the standings on Dallas, the team that has led the Central Division for most of the season before Minnesota recently took over the division lead. The Wild head into Monday’s action up a point on both Colorado and Dallas.
The trio of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar are leading the way. Since March 11, nobody in the NHL has more points than MacKinnon (four goals, eight assists over nine games). Three of those goals and five assists have come on the power play.
Rantanen has six goals and seven assists and Makar, despite missing two games, has three goals and 10 assists (eight coming on the power play).
Mikko might have 48 goals but, don’t let that distract you from his ability to dish 🚨#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/7IG1G765aK
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 26, 2023
The Las Vegas odds total has gone under in four of the last five games against Pacific Division teams.
Struggling to Stay Above Water
This is not a fun time to be a goalie for the Anaheim Ducks.
Anaheim has been outshot in each of the last six games, and in back-to-back games against Vancouver and Calgary, Anaheim was outshot 83-38.
Those games are part of a four-game losing streak for the Ducks with Anaheim being outscored 16-7 and outshot 38-21 during that stretch.
Frank Vatrano is tied for the team lead with two goals over the last four games while Terry led the way with three assists and four points during that stretch. Both of them are questionable for the game.
The NHL betting lines total has gone under in 10 of Anaheim’s last 15 games played in March.
Avalanche vs Ducks Game Injuries
Avalanche vs Ducks Head-to-Head
Anaheim snapped a seven-game losing streak to Colorado with a 5-3 win on Jan. 26 on Vatrano’s hat trick.
Colorado has won the last three times playing in Anaheim and outscored the Ducks 8-1 in those games. Each of the last seven meetings between the teams in Anaheim have finished under the total.
The Ducks haven’t won back-to-back games against the Avalanche since 2019.
Avalanche vs Ducks Game Information
- Game: Avalanche (43-23-6) vs Ducks (23-40-10)
- Location: Honda Center, Anaheim
- Day/Time: Monday, March 27, 10 p.m. ET
- Avalanche vs Ducks Live stream: NHL.TV
Avalanche vs Ducks Betting Lines
Avalanche vs Ducks Picks & Prediction
Depending on what happens in Minnesota’s game against Seattle on Monday, Colorado has a chance to move into first place in the Central Division with a win.
Colorado is 5-0-1 when playing the second game in back-to-backs, with three of those games going into overtime. The Avalanche topped Arizona 4-3 in a shootout on Sunday when Valeri Nichushkin scored the winning goal in the seventh round of the shootout.
Colorado is second in the NHL in power-play percentage, converting on 25.6% of its man-advantage opportunities.
Anaheim is 27th or lower in goals per game, power-play goals per game, faceoff percentage, shots per game and power-play percentage. Only Winnipeg has had fewer games finish under the total than Colorado’s mark of 27, while 37 of Anaheim’s games went over the total and that is due in large part to the defensive deficiencies of the Ducks.
The Avalanche are 31-20-3 when listed by the sportsbook as the favorite. Anaheim has been favored in just five games this season and is 18-49-10 as the underdog.
The Colorado Avalanche are listed at -265 in our Las Vegas hockey odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Avalanche, you have a chance to win $38. Anaheim is +255, offering a chance to win $255 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Colorado Avalanche a 72.60% chance to win, with the Anaheim Ducks at 28.17%
Avalanche vs Ducks Trends
Avalanche vs Ducks Edge
Avalanche vs Ducks Results
Avalanche vs DucksGame Summary
