Colorado Avalanche at Calgary Flames Game 1 Picks 4/11/2019

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Scotiabank Saddledome

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Colorado Avalanche travel to Scotiabank Saddledome to play the Calgary Flames on Thursday in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The opening line for this game has the Avalanche at +165 and the Flames at -190.

Colorado has a record of 38-30-14 this season. They are 5th in the Central Division. They've scored 258 goals and given up 244 goals for a point differential of +14. For the season they have an ATS record of 38-44-0 and an over/under record of 40-41-0. Calgary is 50-25-7 this season. They are 1st in the Pacific Division. They have scored 289 goals and surrendered 223 for a goal differential of +66. Their record against the spread is 50-32-0 while their over/under record is 41-37-0.

Valuable Colorado Avalanche Betting Trends

The Colorado Avalanche are 38-44-0 straight up this year

The Colorado Avalanche are 40-41-0 against the over/under this season

Important Calgary Flames Betting Trends

The Calgary Flames are 50-32-0 straight up this year

The Calgary Flames are 41-37-0 against the over/under this season

Key Colorado Avalanche Injuries

12/11/18 C Vladislav Kamenev Shoulder is out indefinitely
04/07/19 RW Mikko Rantanen Upper Body is questionable Thursday vs Calgary

Key Calgary Flames Injuries

04/07/19 C Sam Bennett Upper Body is questionable Thursday vs Colorado

Player Spotlight

Nathan MacKinnon has accumulated 99 total points this season for the Avalanche. He has 41 goals this year with 365 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 58 assists on the season and averages 22.1 minutes played per game. Gabriel Landeskog averages 21.2 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 14% by scoring 34 goals on 243 shots. He has 41 assists, giving him a total of 75 points on the season. Philipp Grubauer has 18 wins and 9 losses this season in net for the Avalanche. He has 1,071 shots against him and he's given up 89 goals. He's made 982 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Johnny Gaudreau has scored 99 total points this year for the Flames. He has 36 goals this season with 245 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 15%. He has a total of 63 assists on the season and averages 20.1 minutes played per game. Sean Monahan averages 19.1 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 16% by scoring 34 goals on 211 shots. He has 48 assists, giving him a total of 82 points on the season. David Rittich has 27 wins and 9 losses this year in goal for the Flames. He has 1,228 shots against him and he's surrendered 109 goals. He's made 1,119 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Avalanche have 90 total points this season, which ranks them 17th in the NHL. They are 10th in the league in goals scored with 258 while they've given up 244 goals, ranking them 16th overall. They have had 286 power play opportunities and have scored 63 goals on those chances for a percentage of 22%. That is 7th in the NHL. The Avalanche have allowed 272 power play opportunities and have given up 58 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79%, putting them 25th in the league when short-handed. They average 33 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.64% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 12th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Flames are 3rd in the NHL with a total of 107 points this year. They have 53 power play goals on 275 opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That ranks them 18th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 246 power play opportunities and have given up 50 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%. That is 21st in the NHL. As a team, the Flames are 3rd in the league with 289 goals scored while they've given up 223 goals, which is 23rd overall. They average 32 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.88%. As a team they give up 28 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 21st in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Colorado is 17th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.4%, as they've attempted 4,738 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 4,861 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 50.1% as they have 3,546 attempts while they have given up 3,537 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 15th in the league. The Avalanche start possessions in the offensive zone 53.7% of the time, which is 6th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 46.3% for the season. That is 26th overall in the NHL. They have 2,346 face-off wins compared to 2,529 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.1%. That ranks them 26th in the league. On defense Colorado has 1,699 hits and they have blocked 1,324 shots from the opposition, putting them 2nd overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Flames are 4th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 54% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 46% for the season, which is 28th in the NHL. They have 2,490 face-off wins compared to 2,265 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 52.4%. That is 3rd in the league. On defense Calgary has 1,233 hits and they have blocked 1,033 shots from the opposition, which is 30th in the league. Calgary is 4th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 53.6% as they've attempted 4,935 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 4,273 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 53.2% ranks 4th as they have 3,689 attempts while they have given up 3,240 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Avalanche/Flames NHL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Colorado +165

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