The Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche are set to face off in what could very likely be a first-round matchup. Colorado hasn’t necessarily been at its best, only winning one of its last five games with this one means nothing.
This will be the battle of the backups as both teams will not be playing their starting goalies, but will that translate into offenses finding success tonight?
See who has the NHL betting edge in our free NHL picks and predictions for Predators vs. Avalanche on Thursday, April 28.
Predators vs Avalanche odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Predators opened up as +200 road underdogs. The line hasn’t had any movement and the total opened up at 6.5, also with no movement.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Predators vs Avalanche predictions
Predictions made on 4/28/2022 at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Predators vs Avalanche game info
• Location: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
• Date: Thursday, April 28, 2022
• Puck drop: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Altitude Sports, Bally Sports South
Predators vs Avalanche betting preview
Key injuries
Predators: Juuse Saros G (Out), Jeremy Lauzon D (Out).
Avalanche: Mikko Rantanen F (Out), Ryan Murray D (Out), Gabriel Landeskog F (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Predators vs Avalanche head-to-head record
Predators: 2-3 SU, 18 goals for.
Avalanche: 3-2 SU, 24 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Predators are 10-3 in their last 13 meetings in Colorado. Find more NHL betting trends for Predators vs. Avalanche.
Predators vs Avalanche picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The Colorado Avalanche have already clinched first place in the Central Division and sit two points behind the Florida Panthers for first place in the league. They might want to go for the President’s Trophy, but chances are that they will probably give their top players some rest so they can be healthy for a playoff run.
The Nashville Predators can basically control their own destiny in regards to who they will face in the first round. They have matched up very well against the Avalanche this season, taking two out of the first three meetings.
The Preds have lost two straight games, both in overtime against two of the best teams in the Western Conference, the Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild. They are missing the most important player on their team, Juuse Saros, but David Rittich has been a serviceable backup. Rittich is 5-3-4 on the season with a .883 SV% and a 3.56 GAA.
The Avs will be starting their backup goalie as well, Pavel Francouz, whose last start came on April 14. Francouz has been the better of the two goalies, but Colorado has not been good defensively in its last five games. In that span, it's allowing 3.76 goals against per game, the fourth worst in the league since April 18.
The Preds can hopefully take advantage of this weak period for their opponent and I don’t think the Avalanche will have such high energy in this game since they don’t have much to play for. I like the value on Nashville in a game that means more to them.
Prediction: Predators moneyline (+200 at BetMGM)
Over/Under analysis
Colorado’s offense has been inconsistent as of late. Since April 18, the Avs have had the eighth-worst offense in the league, only averaging 2.59 goals per game.
For a team that has been Top 3 in offense all year, those numbers are seriously concerning heading into the postseason. Having Landeskog and Rantanen out of the lineup due to injury has obviously taken a big hit on their offensive production, which will hopefully pick up once they're back in the lineup.
The Predators haven’t been much better on the offensive end in that same stretch. They have only played four games since April 18, but have scored just 12 goals, ranking them 22nd in the league with 2.7 gpg.
Both offensive groups are not at their best right now, and even though they have both been great all season, sometimes teams have small slumps.
Simply put, 6.5 is way too high of a number for this matchup. I think this game will be very chippy since these teams might meet in the playoffs, and I don’t think there will be a ton of scoring. I like the Under.
Prediction: Under 6.5 (-120 at BetMGM)
Best bet
The Predators have had success in Colorado over the past few seasons and it is not a place where they are intimidated to play. They are trying to ramp it up for the playoffs while the Avs cannot afford to lose any more key players in their lineup.
The Preds have won the last two meetings between the teams and that should give them all the confidence they need going into this game tonight.
It’s not every day that you get a playoff team at +200, and I think Nashville is good enough to pull off the road upset.
Pick: Predators moneyline (+200 at BetMGM)
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