Colorado Avalanche vs Calgary Flames: Predictions and Odds

Where: Scotiabank Saddledome – Calgary, Alberta, Canada

When: Thursday, April 11, 10PM EST

How (TV/Radio): CBC, Sportsnet, TVA, NBC Sports | WFAN, FAN960

Colorado Avalanche (Away)

Head Coach: Jared Bednar {All-Time 103-116-27}

The Colorado Avalanche finished their regular season on the right note and were fully deserving of their final wild card spot. The Avalanche went 38-30-14 this season, ending the season with a 7-1-2 run during their final ten games.

The Avs finished with some decent numbers on offense, finishing tenth in goals for, 11th in shots for, seventh on the powerplay, and 12th in shooting percentage. Defensively, however, spells trouble for the team. They allowed the 16th highest amount of goals against, the 20th most shots against, the 28th most penalty minutes, and the 25th worst penalty kill to match. They also only managed to go 15-15-6 on the road this season.

A huge reason that the Colorado Avalanche snuck their way into the final wild card spot was because of the play of Philipp Grubauer. Grubauer went 9-2-2 down the stretch, finishing the season with a 18-9-5 record, a 2.64 goals against average, a .917 save percentage, and three shutouts. He is expected to get the start in net for game one.

Calgary Flames (Home)

Head Coach: Bill Peters {All-Time 187-163-60 CAL, CAR}

The Calgary Flames finished first-place overall in the Pacific division this season with a final record of 50-25-7, but they weren’t without their struggles towards the end. The Flames went 6-4-0 in their last ten games, ending with a two game losing streak.

That being said, the Flames are still heavily favoured to get through this first-round series mostly unscathed. Calgary was the second-highest scoring team this year. They also ranked third overall in both faceoff and shooting percentage. On defense, the Flames managed to find themselves ranked first in the league for fewest shots against and ninth for fewest goals allowed.

It’s a safe bet that goaltender David Rittich will start the series against the Avalanche. Rittich finished the regular season with a record of 27-9-5. His goals against average was 2.61 and his save percentage was .911. He had one shutout.

These two Western Conference teams last faced each other on January 9, 2019 – a game in which the Flames defeated the Avalanche with a final score of 5-3.

Questions to answer

Will Calgary’s roster depth be too much for Colorado? How heavily can the Avalanche rely on Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog?

Will Calgary’s sluggish play towards the end of the regular season carry onward into the playoffs or were they merely resting and saving their energy?

Can Philipp Grubauer pick-up where he left off, finishing the season in Colorado going 9-2-2 in the crease?

Colorado Avalanche Injury Report

F Mikko Rantanen – day-to-day (undisclosed)

F Vladislav Kamenev – IR (shoulder)

D Conor Timmins – IR (head)

Calgary Flames Injury Report

F Sam Bennett – day-to-day (undisclosed)

Colorado Avalanche at Calgary Flames Predictions and Odds

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