The San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche battle in a winner-take-all Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals. NBC Sports Network will air the matchup, which gets going at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 8.
Colorado Avalanche at San Jose Sharks Odds
The Sharks (-140) are favored over the Avalanche (+120), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been placed at 6 goals (-120 over, +100 under).
San Jose is 53-42 straight up (SU) and has earned 10.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Through 95 regular season matches, 54 of its games have gone over the total, while 37 have gone under and just four have pushed. The team’s 30-18 SU at home this season.
The Sharks’ offensive skaters attempted 32.9 shots per game in the regular season, leading to 3.5 goals per contest (ranked second overall in the NHL). In the postseason, the team’s maintaining an average of 32.1 shots on goal 3.1 goals per game.
Following a regular season where they scored on 23.1 percent of all power-play chances (the sixth-best), the Sharks have been able to score on 20.0 percent of their extra-man advantages in the postseason. Their penalty kill has gone from 80.6 percent in the regular season to 79.6 percent in the playoffs.
Averaging 24.8 saves per game with a .899 save percentage, Martin Jones (44-31-6) has been the top goalkeeper for San Jose this year. If San Jose chooses to rest him, however, the team may turn to Aaron Dell (11-16-16 record, .884 save percentage, 3.19 goals against average).
On the visitors’ side of the ice, Colorado is 45-48 straight up (SU) and has lost 9.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 46 of its outings have gone under the total, while 44 have gone over and just three have pushed. The Avalanche are 20-27 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Avalanche have converted on 21.1 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 25th overall and it’s successfully killed off 79.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
Semyon Varlamov (27.8 saves per game) has been the primary choice in the net for Colorado. Varlamov owns a 20-29-9 record, while registering a .909 save percentage and 2.87 goals against average this year.
Colorado Avalanche vs. San Jose Sharks Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Colorado has managed 30.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while San Jose is averaging 35.4 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Colorado skaters created 20.4 hits per game last season, while the Sharks forced 18.4 hits per contest.
