Tampa Bay Lightning vs Colorado Avalanche Prediction, 12/18/2021 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Colorado Avalanche

Date: Saturday, December 18, 2021

Location: Ball Arena in Denver, CO

TV: Altitude Sports

Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning (18-6-4) head to Ball Arena on Saturday where they'll take on the Colorado Avalanche (17-7-2).

The Tampa Bay Lightning will head into their next game feeling good after earning a 3-2 victory over the Kings in their previous game. Tampa Bay amassed 6 penalty minutes in this matchup. The Lightning had a middle of the road offensive performance in the victory. Furthermore, they had 3 chances on the power play but weren't able to convert one of them into a goal. For the game, they finished 3 out of the 30 shots they put on net.

The Lightning have had 841 shots taken against them and have a save percentage of .912. While at even strength, the Lightning have given up 57 goals while notching 75 of their own. Tampa Bay Lightning opponents have earned 82 power play opportunities (15th in professional hockey) and have tallied 17 goals in those attempts. For the current campaign, they have recorded 40 points and their points percentage sits at .714. Tampa Bay has taken 822 shots and has a shooting percentage of 11.0%. In regard to their goal scoring prowess, the Tampa Bay Lightning have accounted for 90 goals (9th in hockey) so far this season and have allowed 74. Tampa Bay has tallied 84 power play opportunities and they have notched 15 goals out of those tries, garnering them a rate of 17.86%.

The player between the pipes for this game is Andrei Vasilevskiy. The opposition has been able to score 784 goals against Vasilevskiy in his career and his goals against average is 2.48. Vasilevskiy has taken the ice for 324 matchups over the course of his professional hockey career. He has a save percentage of .920 in his 18,967 minutes on the ice. He has earned an overall mark of 205-87-22 and he was named the starter in 314 games. Over the course of his career, Vasilevskiy has 180 quality starts and his quality starts percentage sits at .573. Vasilevskiy has seen 9,827 shot attempts taken against him and has garnered 9,043 total saves.

In their last game, Colorado opposed the Rangers in a game where the Avalanche earned a victory by a score of 4-2. They had 6 opportunities on the power play in this contest and tallied 1 goal out of those tries. The Avalanche recorded 4 goals out of the 31 shots on goal they were seeking.

So far this year, the Colorado Avalanche have a total of 112 goals, 36 points, in addition to a points percentage of .692. They have permitted 86 goals to be scored by way of 68 goals at even strength and 18 goals while they had less men on the ice. The Avalanche have accumulated 88 goals at even strength and 24 goals (4th in the NHL) while on the power play. They have earned 103 power play opportunities and they have accumulated a power play percentage of 23.30%. Colorado has put up 884 shots (15th in hockey) and has earned a shot percentage of 12.67%, while allowing the other team 795 shots. They have a penalty kill percentage of 76.62% on their opponents 77 chances on the power play, and their save percentage currently comes in at 89.2%.

For the opposition you will find Darcy Kuemper defending the goal. Kuemper has earned a career mark of 119-88-32 and has played in 261 games. Kuemper's quality start percentage is 56.1% and he has accumulated 137 quality starts in his pro hockey career. He is sitting with 6,659 saves out of 7,269 shots tried, which gives him a save % of .916. His opposition is averaging 2.49 goals per game and he has surrendered 610 goals altogether. He has been a starter 244 games and has racked up 14,683 mins.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Colorado

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