by Rod Pearson
Friday, Jan 05, 2024
Game Time: 4:00 pm ET, Saturday, January 6, 2024
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Where to Watch: ESPN+
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline: Panthers +114, Avalanche -135; Over/Under: 6.5 goals
Bet365: Moneyline: Panthers +114, Avalanche -135; Over/Under: 6.5 goals
BetMGM: Moneyline: Panthers +115, Avalanche -135; Over/Under: 6 goals
Season Record
Florida Panthers: 24-12-2 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)
Colorado Avalanche: 25-11-3 (1st place, Central Division)
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Recent Form
Florida Panthers: 7-3-0 last 10
Colorado Avalanche: 7-2-1 last 10
Florida Panthers vs Colorado Avalanche Preview and Analysis
The Panthers are entering this game with 50 points, a 24-12-2 record overall, and they are 12-7-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Vegas Golden Knights in their last game, winning that one on the road 4-1. Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, and Sam Bennett each scored 1 goal for them in that game. Brandon Montour led the team in assists with 2 while Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Kevin Stenlund each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Sergei Bobrovsky was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 1 goal on 27 shots with 26 saves and a .963 save percentage. Their offense has scored 115 goals this season averaging 3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 95 goals against them allowing 2.5 goals per game.
The Avalanche are entering this game with 53 points, a 25-11-3 record overall, and they are 16-4-0 in their home games this regular season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Dallas Stars in their last game, winning that one on the road 5-4 in overtime. Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin each led the team in goals scored with 2 while Mikko Rantanen scored 1 goal for them in that game. Jack Johnson and Devon Toews each led the team in assists with 2 while Nathan MacKinnon led the team in shots on net in that game with 7. Alexandar Georgiev was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 32 shots with 28 saves and a .875 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 144 goals this season averaging 3.7 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 119 goals against them allowing 3.1 goals per game.
Panthers vs Avalanche Prediction
The current betting odds have the Panthers listed as an underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Panthers have looked really good in their games this season with their 24-12-2 record overall which has them surging up the standings right now. The Panthers went to the Stanley Cup finals last season and lost to the Golden Knights, they just beat the Golden Knights in Vegas in their last game and they have looked really good over the last few weeks. The Panthers have also looked great in their road games all season with their 12-7-2 road record. Meanwhile, the Avalanche have also looked good in their games this season with their 25-11-3 record overall which has them leading their division in the West right now. They have also looked a lot better on home ice with their 16-4-0 home record this year. The Avalanche have been playing well lately with their really strong offense as they have one of the best offenses in the NHL right now and have been scoring a lot of goals, but they are also giving up a lot of goals in their games lately which will be key in this one. The Panthers have a really strong offense that can match the way the Avalanche score goals but the Panthers also have a much better defense which gives them the edge in this game, especially since they haven't been giving up many goals in their games lately either. The best way to place a bet here is on the Panthers to win this game.
Panthers Avalanche Prediction: Our NHL Pick for Saturday, January 6, 2024 (4:00 pm ET start time) is Panthers 4 Avalanche 2.
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NHL Betting Trends
Florida Panthers: 46-44 (-22.2 units) on the moneyline in non-conference games. 18-18 (-7.5 units) on the moneyline off a road win by 2 goals or more. 24-14 UNDER in all games. 16-7 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive unders. 9-2 UNDER after a 6 game unbeaten streak.
Colorado Avalanche: 151-78 (+14.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 50-21 (+13.3 units) on the moneyline off a road win. 41-17 (+11 units) on the moneyline after scoring 4 goals or more in 2 straight games. 7-1 UNDER after allowing 4 goals or more 2 straight games. 13-7 UNDER after playing 2 straight games where 8 or more total goals were scored.
Key Injuries
Florida Panthers: N. Cousins (C) Ques Sat - Concussion.
Colorado Avalanche: A. Lehkonen (LW) Late Jan - Neck. P. Francouz (G) out for season - Groin. C. Wagner (RW) out for season - Achilles. G. Landeskog (LW) out for season - Knee.
Notable Quotes
“I think maybe we needed a little adversity to really dig down and find a way. We had 20-plus guys that were just completely dialed in from the start of the day today and wanted to get that job done. There’s no secret we don’t like these guys for what happened last year. That’s human nature. Especially coming into this building where a team has not had success as of late and just really wanting to beat a team that kind of ruined our summer last year. I thought in the two games that we played them have been two of our best of the season.” - Matthew Tkachuk after their win against the Golden Knights in their game on Thursday.
“When we went all the way a couple of years ago and won, we were a really resilient group. This year we’re kind of back to that.” - Nathan MacKinnon after their win against the Stars in their game on Thursday.
Starting Lineups
Florida Panthers
LW Rodrigues, Evan
C Barkov, Aleksander
RW Reinhart, Sam
LD Forsling, Gustav
RD Ekblad, Aaron
G Bobrovsky, Sergei
Colorado Avalanche
LW Drouin, Jonathan
C MacKinnon, Nathan
RW Rantanen, Mikko
LD Toews, Devon
RD Makar, Cale
G Georgiev, Alexandar
Statistical Leaders
Florida Panthers
Points: S. Reinhart (47)
Goals: S. Reinhart (25)
Assists: A. Barkov (28)
GAA: A.Stolarz (2.05)
Colorado Avalanche
Points: N. MacKinnon (64)
Goals: N. MacKinnon (22)
Assists: N. MacKinnon (42)
GAA: I. Prosvetov (2.84)
Coaches:
Florida Panthers: Paul Maurice (2nd season)
Colorado Avalanche: Jared Bednar (8th season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
