The 2022 Stanley Cup continues Tuesday, May 3, with the Western Conference First Round showdown at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, so we have prepared the best Predators vs. Avalanche betting pick and odds.

According to BetDSI Sportsbook, the Avalanche are heavy -300 moneyline favorites to win Game 1. The Predators are +260 road underdogs, while the totals sit at 6.5 goals. Nashville beat Colorado in three of their four regular-season encounters. 

The Predators dropped four of their last five contests                   

The Nashville Predators (45-30-7) made it to the playoffs despite winning only four of their final 12 contests in the regular season. Also, the Predators have won just one of their previous five games, outlasting the Colorado Avalanche 5-4 in a shootout at Ball Arena. 

Nashville finished eighth in the Western Conference with 97 points. The Predators were scoring 3.23 goals per game (12th in the NHL) while posting the fifth-best power-play percentage (24.6%). They were yielding 3.09 goals in a return (17th). 

Juuse Saros has missed the final two games due to a lower-body injury, and the 27-year-old netminder is questionable to play Tuesday. Saros went 38-25-3 with a 2.64 GAA and .918 save percentage in 2021-22, and his eventual absence would be a huge blow for Nashville. If Saros sits out Game 1, we’ll see David Rittich between the pipes. Rittich was 6-3-4 with a 3.57 GAA and .886 save percentage last regular season. 

The Avalanche seek revenge       

The Colorado Avalanche (56-19-7) have struggled mightily over the last couple of weeks. They’ve lost six of their final seven contests in 2021-22, including a 5-4 shootout defeat to the Nashville Predators. The Avs finished atop of the Western Conference with 119 points, but they failed to post the best record in the NHL, as Florida had 122 points in the East. 

Colorado was scoring 3.80 goals per game this past regular season (4th in the NHL). The Avalanche had the sixth-best power-play percentage in the league (24.5%). On the other side of the ice, the Avs were yielding 2.86 goals per contest (10th). 

Darcy Kuemper is expected to guard the cage in the postseason. The 31-year-old goalie went 37-12-4 with a 2.54 GAA and .921 save percentage in 2021-22. Kuemper has emerged victorious only once in his last five starts, allowing 19 goals in that stretch. 

Trends:

Nashville: 

  • 1-4 in the last five games overall    

Colorado:

  • 7-2 in the last nine games at home 

Nashville Predators vs. Colorado Avalanche Pick 

Both teams have struggled as of late, and the Avalanche will be fired up to get revenge after losing three of their four contests against the Predators in the regular season. Darcy Kuemper will look for a bounce-back performance, and he’s been one of the best goaltenders in the league all season. 

Colorado has won 24 of its previous 30 games at home. If Juuse Saros remains on the shelf, the Avalanche should win Game 1 by two or more goals. Colorado beat the puckline in six of its previous ten showings on the home ice. 

Pick: Take Colorado Avalanche -1.5 at -120                 

The Total:

Both Nashville and Colorado execute the power-play opportunities very well. Also, they haven’t impressed with their penalty killing, so we might see a high-scoring affair Tuesday in Game 1. Just a few days ago, the Predators and Avalanche have combined for eight goals and 83 shots. 

I don’t feel comfortable with a 6.5-goal line, but five of the last six encounters between Nashville and Colorado have produced seven or more goals in the total. The over has hit in their previous four meetings.  

Pick: Go over 6.5 goals at -105