The Nashville Predators (44-29-7) travel to meet the Colorado Avalanche (56-18-6) at Ball Arena Thursday. Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we look at the Predators vs. Avalanche odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.
The Predators are locked into one of the eight playoff spots in the Western Conference, but they can still change their seeding. A win here would go a long way toward potentially avoiding the top-seeded Avs in the first round.
The Avalanche have locked up that top seed in the Western Conference, so it remains to be seen how high their motivation will be. The Avs certainly don’t want to go into the playoffs on a low note, but also might not want to show the Preds everything in the event these teams meet for higher stakes next week.
Predators at Avalanche odds, spread and lines
- Money line: Predators +200 (bet $100 to win $200) | Avalanche -250 (bet $250 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Predators +1.5 (-125) | Avalanche -1.5 (+100)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -105 | U: -120)
Predators at Avalanche projected goalies
David Rittich (5-3-4, 3.56 GAA, .883 SV%) vs. Darcy Kuemper (37-12-3, 2.52 GAA, .922 SV%, 5 SO)
Starting netminder Juuse Saros will miss the final two regular-season games due to a left leg injury, so the veteran Rittich will take the team across the finish line. He is 0-0-3 with a 4.57 GAA and .865 SV% in two starts and five appearances in April.
Kuemper snapped a three-game losing skid with a win over the St. Louis Blues Tuesday, turning aside 29 of the 32 shots he faced. He is 6-3-0 with a 3.23 GAA and .912 SV% across nine starts in April.
Money line
The Avalanche (-250) will cost you two and a half times your potential return, and that’s risky business, even against the very giving Rittich. It remains to be seen how motivated Colorado will be in what is essentially a meaningless game.
AVOID.
Against the spread
The AVALANCHE -1.5 (+100) are a better play at even-money on the puck line but go lightly. Colorado has the top spot in the West locked up, and they may simply be playing it safe and trying to get to the postseason on a healthy note.
OVER 6.5 (-105) is the lean here.
The Over has cashed in five of the past six games overall for the Predators while going 23-7 in the past 30 on the road and 4-1 in the past five against winning teams.
The Under has dominated for the Avs lately, although the Over is 4-1 in the past five against winning teams and 4-1 in the past five in this series.
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