Avalanche vs. Predators: Game 5 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds
Friday could be first-round clinching night around the NHL. Two-time Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh is a heavy home favourite to end its series against Philadelphia. Winnipeg is also a solid favourite to end its series in five games against visiting Minnesota.
Avalanche vs Predators Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Analysis
The late game Friday is Colorado at Nashville, with the Predators up 3-1. At this point of a series, especially at home, a team up 3-1 wants to get things over with to rest up as much as possible for the next round. The more games a team plays, the more chances someone could get injured. The last thing the Predators want to do is go back to Denver for a Game 6 on Sunday. Then, who knows, you could be looking at a Game 7, where anything can happen.
Last year on the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Predators were 3-1 in games where they could clinch a series. They won a Game 4 at home in the first round vs. Chicago. In the conference semifinals, Nashville lost a potential clinching Game 5 in St. Louis but returned home and claimed Game 6. In the West Finals, the Preds won a clinching Game 6 in Nashville over Anaheim.
On the Sports Interaction series line, the Predators are -10000 with the Avalanche at +1200. Nashville remains the favourite to win the West (+190) and Stanley Cup (+400).
Colorado Avalanche
The first low-scoring game of this series – and the only one to stay under the total thus far – was Nashville’s 3-2 victory Wednesday in Denver. For the first time in the series, the Avalanche didn’t score the first goal and in fact were down 3-0 entering the third. Gabriel Landeskog scored his third of this series at 5:20 of the third and Alexander Kerfoot his second at 11:01 to make things interesting, but to no avail.
To make matters worse, goaltender Jonathan Bernier – only starting with No. 1 Semyon Varlamov out injured – was pulled from Game 4 due to a lower-body injury. Former Ottawa Senator Andrew Hammond will start Game 5. He stopped all eight shots in relief of Bernier in Game 4. Hammond played just one game prior to that all season, on March 28 vs. the Flyers.
Nashville Predators
Predators star goaltender Pekka Rinne had a rough Game 3, and he almost never has back-to-back poor games. That was this writer’s reasoning for projecting a Nashville road win in Game 4. Rinne was much better in stopping 31 of 33 shots. Filip Forsberg was the No. 1 star with a goal and assist. He opened the scoring with his third goal of this series at 15:33 of the first. Colton Sissons (third of series) and Craig Smith (second) scored in the second.
Nashville could be without winger Ryan Hartman for Game 5 as he had a disciplinary hearing with the league Thursday for an illegal check to the head on Colorado’s Carl Soderberg. Hartman has one goal in the series.
