The Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche are scheduled to meet at Ball Arena on Sunday. This should be a good one between two teams that like to attack and put on a good show. The Panthers are coming off a 3-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes for their fourth win in their last five outings.
They have moved to an impressive 18-4-4 and 40 points for a tie with the Toronto Maple Leafs for top honors in the Atlantic Division. Despite their hot start, you’re not going to find many people that take the Leafs seriously at this point in the season. Even Leafs’ fans aren’t fooled by now.
No Sunday scaries here! #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/KlGtqAhWIP
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 12, 2021
Win in the playoffs and they’ll buy into being real. The Panthers are going to have success if they get a good Sergei Bobrovsky in the playoffs. They spent enough money on Bobrovsky that he has to show up big when it matters for the Panthers. He hasn’t shown up much at all in his first two years.
Bobrovsky has looked better this season, so he’s been reliable thus far. He’s coming off a solid performance against the Coyotes, with 22 saves on 23 shots. I don’t know what kind of barometer that is. The Coyotes can’t score against anyone.
The Avalanche will provide the Panthers with a big challenge on Sunday evening. Colorado is a 15-7-2 team with 32 points going into this one. They have a seven-point deficit behind the Minnesota Wild for the lead in the Central Division.
As good as the Avalanche are up front offensively, they have struggled to replace Philipp Grubauer between the pipes. The defense and goaltending could be considerably better for the Avs. They didn’t need goaltending in their last three outings, as the Avs scored 7 goals in three straight games.
Head below for our free Panthers vs. Avalanche pick on December 12, 2021.
Florida Panthers vs. Colorado Avalanche Betting Odds and Team Statistics:
The following odds are courtesy of BetOnline:
| Teams | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Panthers | +1.5 (-190) | +120 | Over 6.5 (-102) |
| Colorado Avalanche | -1.5 (+165) | -133 | Under 6.5 (-108) |
| Team Data | Florida Panthers | Colorado Avalanche |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Record | 18-4-4 | 15-7-2 |
| Puckline Record | 14-12 | 13-11 |
| Away/Home Record | 4-3-4 | 8-2-1 |
| Puckline Away/Home | 6-5 | 8-3 |
| Goals Per Game | 3.8 | 4.4 |
| Goals Against Per Game | 2.7 | 3.4 |
| Shots Per Game | 36.3 | 34.5 |
| Shots Against Per Game | 30.7 | 30.7 |
Panthers vs. Avalanche Prediction:
The Avalanche have been doing everything right in the offensive zone. If you are just looking at what the Avalanche are doing offensively, this looks like the top team in the NHL.
The Avalanche are up to a whopping 4.38 goals scored per game. The second best offense in the NHL isn’t close to the Avalanche.
At home the Avalanche have been even hotter. They’ve netted 4.91 goals per game in Denver at Ball Arena. No one has been able to stop the Avalanche, especially in their home barn.
The issue for the Avalanche has been their defense and goaltending, hence why they’re 7 points outside of the lead in the Central.
Colorado has conceded 3.42 goals per game for 26th in the NHL. They need to improve or going nowhere. I’m looking at Darcy Kuemper as well as the blueline.
Florida Panthers vs. Colorado Avalanche Betting Trends:
Panthers
- 6-1 overall in their previous seven games
- 4-1 overall in their previous five games versus a team with a winning record
- 1-4 overall in their previous five games as an underdog
- OVER is 4-0 in their previous four games after a win
- OVER is 4-1 in their previous five games versus the Central Division
Avalanche
- 18-6 overall in their previous 24 games versus the Atlantic Division
- 46-15 overall in their previous 61 games as a favorite
- OVER is 7-0 in their previous seven games at Ball Arena
- OVER is 9-1-1 in their previous 11 games after a win
- OVER is 5-1 in their previous six games versus the Atlantic Division
Darcy Kuemper goes into tonight with a 2.87 GAA and 0.904 save percentage. The Avs can score all the goals they want, but if they want to improve their stock this season, Kuemper and the defense must step up.
Florida is second in the NHL with 3.77 goals scored per game. They are still well behind the Avalanche, who have put in 4.38 goals a game.
In the Avalanche last ten attempts, they’ve scored 5.20 goals per game. However, the defense has allowed 3.8 goals a game. The Panthers should score at least in this one.
Florida has been hot offensively as well recently. They have scored 3.6 goals per game in their last ten attempts. The only way I can play this game is by looking at the OVER here.
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