Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche Game 1 Prediction, Playoff Odds
The Vegas Golden Knights get a chance for a little revenge against the Colorado Avalanche in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Presidents Trophy came down to a tiebreaker on the last day of the regular season, as Vegas and Colorado both finished atop the standings with 82 points. The Avalanche had more regulation wins and took home the hardware, but it’s playoff results that matter. The firepower and skill of some of the league’s best players will be on display in this series, with Game 1 set to go from Colorado on Sunday night.
The Avalanche are -182 favourites on the NHL odds to win Game 1 and strike first in this series. The total for Sunday is 5.5.
Golden Knights vs. Avalanche Stanley Cup Odds
Oddsmakers have this opening as a much tighter series than either team’s first-round odds, with the Avalanche at -231 to win this best-of-seven. Early action is backing up those odds, as 76 per cent of Sports Interaction bettors are taking the Avs in Game 1. This was one of the tightest season series’ this year, with both teams winning four of eight games and Vegas outscoring Colorado by a single goal (18-17). With so much skilled offence on both teams, it’s a little surprising to see the Over only hit twice in the season series.
The Golden Knights were dangerous on the road this year. They were 21-10 outside of T-Mobile in the regular season and won two of three road games against Minnesota in the first round. Vegas is a slim underdog to win this series at +159, while they have the third-best odds to win the Stanley Cup at +545. They’ve cashed the Under in five of their last six games as a dog.
Colorado has been absolutely lights out over the last few weeks. They’ve won nine straight games overall, including a first round sweep of St. Louis, and 11 straight home games. The Avs’ offence has been clicking at a high rate, hitting the Over in five of their last six games. They currently have the best odds to win the Stanley Cup at +275, while Nathan MacKinnon is the Conn Smythe favourite at +287.
Vegas Golden Knights
By playoff standards it’s an extremely quick turnaround for the Golden Knights. They’re only getting a one day break after their 6-2 Game 7 win against Minnesota in the first round. Without a doubt, Mark Stone will be the biggest game-changer for Vegas. Stone scored a team-best four goals against the Wild and led the team with 61 points (21G, 40A) during the regular season. In eight games against Colorado this year, he finished with six points (1G, 5A).
The Golden Knights easily had the best goaltending tandem in the NHL this season. Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner are both No. 1 goalies and they’ll share the Jennings Trophy after combining to allow a league-best of just 124 goals. It’s been all Fleury in the playoffs, however. The potential Vezina Trophy candidate posted a 1.71 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in the first round. In seven games against the Avalanche during the regular season, “Flower” went 4-3-0 with a 2.14 GAA and .932 SV. Over the entire season, Fleury finished third among goalies who played at least 17 games in GAA (1.98), third SV (.928) and third in shutouts (6).
Keep an eye on Max Pacioretty’s health in this series. He scored the game-winning goal of Game 7, but missed the previous 12 games with an undisclosed injury. If he stays healthy, he could be the X-factor Vegas needs. Pacioretty was second on the team in points during the regular season with 51 (24G, 27A) and he had a team-best eight points (6G, 2A) against Colorado.
Colorado Avalanche
After sweeping St. Louis in the first round and earning a week off, Colorado should be plenty rested for this series. MacKinnon is likely raring to go, as he seems to hit another level in the playoffs. He leads the playoffs with six goals and he’s the first player in franchise history to score nine points in a series while playing four or fewer games. MacKinnon has recorded 63 points (26G, 37A) in 44 career playoff games and his career playoff average of 1.43 points per game is the third-highest in NHL history among players with at least 40 games played, trailing only Wayne Gretzky (1.84) and Mario Lemieux (1.61). He had six points (2G, 4A) in eight games against Vegas during the regular season.
This series is going to see another potential Vezina Trophy candidate in Philipp Grubauer. The German goalie had a career year, finishing second in the NHL in GAA (1.95), eighth in SV (.922) and tied for first in shutouts (7). In the first round he posted a 1.75 GAA and .936 SV. Grubauer played seven of the eight regular season games against the Golden Knights, going 4-2-1 with a 1.86 GAA and .935 SV.
The biggest question mark regarding the Avalanche lineup right now, has nothing to do with injuries. There’s still no word or timetable on Nazem Kadri’s appeal of his eight-game suspension. Kadri has already served two games of the suspension and had an appeal meeting with commissioner Gary Bettman, but as of now there is no timetable on a decision.
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