Arizona Coyotes at Colorado Avalanche Betting Preview/Player Prop
08 March 2021
Arizona comes into this game with 25 points on the season, which puts them in sixth place in the West Division. The Coyotes have gone 4-3 over their last seven games, but beating the Avalanche has proved to be a challenge.
Colorado enters play on Monday night with 28 points on the season, good enough for third place in the division. The Avalanche have had to deal with COVID-19 already this season, and that has forced a number of games to be canceled.
The Colorado Avalanche are -185 in this matchup with the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night.
Coyotes Can’t Find Consistent Offense
The Arizona Coyotes are averaging just 2.6 goals per game, but they have had some bigger scoring outputs of late. Arizona has just struggled to find some consistency on the offensive end of the ice, and that is a big reason for their poor record.
Conor Garland has been the best offensive player for Arizona this season, leading the way with 14 assists and 22 total points. Arizona is converting on 20 percent of their chances on the power-play, and that could spark some offense on Monday night.
Darcy Kuemper has been solid in net for the Coyotes, allowing just 2.39 goals per game. Arizona has not struggled to keep pucks out of their net, but generating offense will remain a major concern moving forward.
Avalanche Starting to Roll
After a long pause due to COVID-19, it appears that the Colorado Avalanche are starting to hit their stride. The Avalanche have won four of their last six games, and they are starting to look like a team that can win the Stanley Cup.
Colorado is scoring 3.1 goals per game this season, and they have the ability to be one of the most explosive teams in the NHL. Mikko Rantanen now leads the team with 12 goals and 24 points, and Nathan MacKinnon has missed some time due to injury.
Goaltender Philipp Grubauer is also having a tremendous season for the Avs, stopping 92 percent of shots faced while posting 12 victories. The Avs have one of the best penalty kills in the league, and that has allowed them to hold opponents to just 2.5 goals per game.
Avs Pick Up Another Win
The Colorado Avalanche clearly have the Arizona Coyotes number, and their offense is simply too tough to stop. Colorado has been a bit worse than expectations this season, but they are clearly rolling at this point in time.
Arizona will be able to keep this game close, but they just don’t score enough to beat the Avalanche in Colorado. Look for this matchup to be decided by a late goal, and it will be scored by the home team.
Bet the Colorado Avalanche -185 over the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night.
Player Prop
Total Saves: Philipp Grubauer Over 22.5 (-115)
Grubauer has been a solid netminder for the Avs since coming over from the Washington Capitals following the 2017-18 season. In his first two seasons, Grubauer recorded GAA’s of 2.64 and 2.63, while posting Save% of .917 and .916.
And those numbers have improved significantly this season. Coming into tonight’s contest with the Coyotes, Grubauer has a 2.06 GAA (3rd in the NHL) and .921 Save% (7th) to go along with his 3 shutouts and 12-6 record.
He has looked sharp in his last two starts with 26 saves apiece in wins over San Jose and Anaheim. And in his only contest against the Coyotes this season, Grubauer stopped 23 of 25 shots. With Dunkel projecting a low scoring affair tonight, Grubauer should have plenty of opportunity bolster those stats. Take Philipp Grubauer (-115) to go Over 22.5 Saves.
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