The Colorado Avalanche sit in second place in the NHL’s Central Division, just two points behind the St. Louis Blues with 12 games in play and with a game in hand. The problem that the Avs face right now is an indefinite suspension for league play due to the spread of the coronavirus. The Avalanche seem securely set for either first or second in the division, depending on how the Blues finish, because Colorado has a ten-point lead over third-place Dallas, which looks like they want to repeat last year’s historic collapse by losing six games in a row, placing themselves in danger of sliding down to a wild card, or even out of the postseason. For those of you who include NHL futures in your sports betting, we will take a look at how the Avs look right now, whether or not a regular season resumes or the league moves right into playoffs.
NHL: Colorado Avalanche 2019-20 Season Analysis
The Avalanche came into the postseason last year holding the second wild card but toppled the Western Conference’s top seed, the Calgary Flames, in the first round. This year, expectations were higher, but the Avs have largely met them, despite a series of injuries. Gabriel Landeskog was on the shelf for over a month with a lower-body injury. Nazem Kadri was out for 19 games. Mikko Rantanen was out for two different periods of time and was on injured reserve when the league went on hiatus. Even so, the team has managed to produce.
Offensive Analysis
Nathan McKinnon has stacked up an impressive 93 points in only 69 regular-season games. He has both elite skill and speed, which is one reason why he should be a Hart Trophy finalist. One particularly solid game came on January 2, when Colorado hosted the St. Louis Blues. Colorado staked out a 3-0 lead, but the Blues came back to make it 3-2. Colorado shifted a gear and ended up winning, 7-3. MacKinnon tallied four points on the night.
Defensive Analysis
Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz have been solid as a goaltending tandem for the season. Grubauer came into the season as a starter but has been on the shelf with injury a lot this year, so Francouz has stepped up his game. Francouz has posted a 21-7-4 record with a .923 save percentage and a 2.41 goals against average. Having Francouz as an insurance policy has helped keep the Avalanche from suffering when Grubauer was out.
Key Numbers & Key Players
Rookie defenseman Cale Makar has been huge this season. He’s on the ice for just over 21 minutes per game, and he has a dozen goals and 50 points. He is one of the top contenders for rookie of the year. He also has been solid on the back end.
Playoffs panorama and Championship Odds
The Avalanche have a +1200 moneyline to win the Stanley Cup this season, should play resume. If the season stopped today, they would have home ice in a best-of-seven series against the Dallas Stars (assuming they did not shorten series to best-of-five). The Stars have a terrific offense but have not shown consistent will on defense, and that is where Colorado would be able to take them apart — but the Avalanche have not played well against Dallas this year. Based on trends down the stretch, Colorado has outplayed Dallas. They have held their own against the Central-leading Blues as well, so you can make as good a case for the Avalanche as any other team to come out of the West.
