With the series tied 3-3, the Colorado Avalanche and the San Jose Sharks square off in the critical Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals. NBC Sports Network will showcase this Western Conference matchup, and the opening face-off is at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 2.
San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche Odds
Colorado (-125) is being picked as the favorite over San Jose (+105). If you want to put some action on the matchup’s Over/Under (O/U) total, you’ll be looking at -105 to bet over 6 goals and +-115 for under 6 under..
Though the team is 52-40 straight up (SU) this season, San Jose has actually lost 9.4 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 53 of its contests have gone over the total, while 35 have gone under and just four have pushed. This 2018-19 Sharks team is 23-22 SU on the road.
Following a regular season where they converted 23.4 percent of all power-play chances (the sixth-best), the Sharks have connected on 21.4 percent of their postseason power play chances. Their penalty kill has gone from 80.1 percent in the regular season to 76.3 percent in the playoffs.
San Jose’s offensive skaters attempted 33.0 shots per game in the regular season, leading to 3.5 goals per contest (ranked second overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the club’s managing an average of 32.4 shots on goal 3.5 goals per game.
Averaging 24.9 saves per game with a .898 save percentage, Martin Jones (43-29-5) has been the primary option in goal for San Jose this season. If it decides to rest him, however, head coach Peter Deboer may turn to Aaron Dell (11-16-4), who has a .884 save percentage and 3.19 goals against average this year.
The visiting Sharks have relied on Brent Burns and Tomas Hertl this year. Burns has 94 points via 20 goals and 74 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 26 different games. Hertl has 41 goals and 43 assists to his name, and has notched a point in 55 games.
On the other bench, Colorado is 43-47 straight up (SU) and has lost 10.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 90 regular season matches, 44 of its games have gone under the total, while 43 have gone over and just three have pushed. The team’s 23-21 SU at home this season.
Colorado has converted on 21.6 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 25th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
The Avalanche have been penalized 4.0 times per game this season, and 3.2 per game over their past five contests. The team’s had to kill penalties just 6.8 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Semyon Varlamov (27.8 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Colorado. Varlamov has 20 wins, 29 losses, and nine overtime losses and has registered a mediocre 2.87 goals against average and a fairly-weak .909 save percentage this year.
The home team will be led on offense by Nathan MacKinnon (46 goals, 65 assists).
San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche Free Picks
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The total has gone over in three of San Jose’s last five outings.
- San Jose has managed 28.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Colorado is averaging 40.4 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Over Colorado’s last ten outings, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-4 in those games).
- San Jose skaters recorded 18.4 hits per game last season, while the Avalanche accounted for 20.4 hits per contest.
