Free Picks: Colorado Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights

Patrick Trudeau
By: Patrick Trudeau
02/15/2021
NHL Free Picks – Best Bets of the Week
Vegas vs Colorado NHL
Colorado Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights, NHL, T-Mobile Arena

The West is stacked with great defensive teams. Colorado and Vegas are two squads that are elite defensively. With that being said, there are a number of reasons this game has the potential to see a ton of scoring. Colorado and Vegas’ recent history indicate that this contest will not shy away from either team lighting the lamp, despite being highly ranked defensively.

I expect lots of scoring Sunday night in Vegas.

The entire hockey world is well versed in the defensive capabilities of Vegas and Colorado. Two of the top defensive teams in the league, the Knights and Avalanche are relentless on defense. While neither team is in the top rankings on offense, these two West Division teams have been stellar in stopping the opposition.

And for this game, I think we’re going to see the opposite.

Am I crazy? Maybe. But there is a method to my madness. First of all, the Avalanche are coming off an extended break thanks to COVID-19. The last time the Avs hit the ice was on the 2nd of February.  Twelve days later, expect the Avalanche to be rather sloppy on defense as they prepare for game action once again.

Extended breaks matter. The Avalanche opened the season by allowing 4 goals to the St. Louis Blues. Nearly two weeks of missed action will hurt the Avalanche on defense.

Over in Vegas, they are playing Saturday night against the San Jose Sharks. While the Sharks are not necessarily known for their goal-scoring abilities, the fact that the Knights are playing back-to-back is another potential hint into the future of this contest.

On the surface, one would suspect that this would be a low scoring affair. I understand that. As we know on BetPicks, I love high scoring games and while this contest looks like it could be a sweaty, defensive game, there is much more to this than statistics and rankings.

And with that being said, history AND statistics are both on our side. Yes, both teams are solid on defense, but head-to-head we have seen a number of high-scoring games. In their brief 9 game history, the two teams have combined to score more than 5 goals in 5 of those games. The current total for over/under is 4.5.

I think smashing the over has potential to be one of the best NHL bets you can make Sunday night. There are a variety of factors playing into this game that has me thinking this could be a high-scoring battle.

I will be watching this game closely. The Avalanche are good on defense but have spent days away from the rink. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights are playing on consecutive days, which is always beneficial to bettors that love the over.

And I love the over.

Join 888Sport Now
FREE PICK: Total goals OVER 4.5
-278

Stats

  • Colorado ranks 3rd in average score against.
  • Colorado scores 3.45 goals per game.
  • Vegas won Saturday night 3-1 against San Jose.
  • The Golden Knights are 7-1-1 at home this season.

have always wanted to be a writer and sports are my favorite thing in the world, so I combined the two to make a career. I have been a long-time gambler and sports betting writer that isn't afraid to look at the underdog or specials. I am covering the NHL, MLB and NCAA Football for BetPicks.ca and am a huge fan of both sports - as well as many others. Follow me on Twitter (@Patrick_Trudeau) so we can talk betting, sports, or why ketchup DOES belong on Poutine.

NHL Eastern Metropolitan

 

TeamWLOT%
1Carolina54208.707
2NY Rangers52246.671
3Pittsburgh462511.628
4Washington442612.610
5NY Islanders373510.512
6Columbus37387.494
7New Jersey27469.384
8Philadelphia254611.372

 

NHL Eastern Atlantic

TeamWLOT%
1Florida58186.744
2Toronto54217.701
3Tampa Bay51238.671
4Boston51265.652
5Buffalo323911.457
6Detroit324010.451
7Ottawa33427.445
8Montréal224911.335

 

NHL - Western Central

TeamWLOT%
1Colorado56197.726
2Minnesota53227.689
3St Louis492211.665
4Dallas46306.598
5Nashville45307.591
6Winnipeg393211.543
7Chicago284212.415
8Arizona25507.348

 

NHL - Western Pacific

TeamWLOT%
1Calgary502111.677
2Edmonton49276.634
3Los Angeles442711.604
4Vegas43318.573
5Vancouver403012.561
6San Jose323713.470
7Anaheim313714.463
8Seattle27496.366

 

2021-22 Season
Regular season beginsOctober 12
All-Star & Winter Games breakFebruary 3-22
Trade deadlineMarch 21
Final day of regular seasonApril 29
Stanley Cup Playoffs beginMay 2
Last possible day for PlayoffsJune 30
2022 NHL DraftJuly 7