The first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup goes on Monday, May 9, with the Western Conference showdown at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, so we bring you the best Avalanche vs. Predators betting pick and odds. 

Colorado visits Nashville for Game 4, and the Avalanche are one step away from the second round. According to MyBookie Sportsbook, the Avs are heavy -250 moneyline favorites, while the totals sit at 6.5 goals. 

The Avalanche scored seven goals twice in this series                     

The Colorado Avalanche dismantled the Predators 7-2 in the opener at home. After a narrow 2-1 overtime victory in Game 2 in Colorado, the Avs trounced Nashville 7-3 as -240 road favorites in Game 3 this past Saturday. 

Gabriel Landeskog led the charge for the Avalanche in Nashville, accounting for a couple of goals and assists. Nazem Kadri scored one goal and made an assist, while Cale Makar dished out three assists. The Avs outshot the Predators 42-30, and Darcy Kuemper and Pavel Francouz combined for 27 saves. 

Kuemper suffered an injury in the first period after taking a stick to his eye. Darcy wasn’t experiencing vision problems on Sunday, but he’s questionable to play Monday in Nashville. Kuemper went 37-12-4 with a 2.54 GAA and .921 save percentage this past regular season, while Francouz was 15-5-1 with a 2.55 GAA and .916 save percentage.  

The Predators cannot cope with the Avs’ offense         

The Nashville Predators were close to pulling off an upset in Game 2 despite taking 25 shots fewer than their opponents. Connor Ingram posted a whopping 49 saves, but it wasn’t enough. Game 3 saw the Predators tie the clash at 3-3 midway through the second period just to surrender four unanswered goals. 

Ingram yielded five goals on 35 shots last Saturday. The 25-year-old netminder could get another starting call Monday, as Juuse Saros won’t be ready for Game 4. Saros, who went 38-25-3 with a 2.64 GAA and .918 save percentage in the regular season, has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since April 26. 

David Rittich got the nod in Game 1, and the 29-year-old goalie yielded five goals in just 15 minutes on the ice. Whoever guards the cage in Game 4 will have a mountain to climb. 

Trends:

Colorado: 

  • 18-8 in the last 26 games overall 

Nashville:

  • 3-7 in the last ten games against Colorado 
  • 1-7 in the last eight games overall 

Colorado Avalanche vs. Nashville Predators Pick 

The Avalanche are arguably a much better team than the Predators. Nashville won three of its four regular-season meetings with Colorado, but the playoffs are different, and the Avs are playing like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. 

Although Darcy Kuemper might not be available for Game 4, I’m expecting the Avalanche to sweep the Predators. With Juuse Saros on the shelf, Nashville’s defense has been struggling mightily, and we should see more of the same Monday at Bridgestone Arena. 

Pick: Take Colorado Avalanche -1.5 at +105                

The Total:

The Avs’ offense is one of the best in the NHL. Colorado was scoring 3.76 goals per contest in the regular season. On the other side, the Predators were tallying 3.20 goals per game. Both Nashville and Colorado struggled to defend with man down, so I’m looking for another high-scoring affair. 

The total has gone over in six of the last seven encounters between the Avalanche and Predators. Also, the over is 5-3 in Colorado’s last eight contests overall, and it is 9-2 in Nashville’s previous 11. 

Pick: Go over 6.5 goals at -115