Avalanche vs. Ducks Predictions, Odds, Preview

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

6 minute read

Jan. 22, 2021

By Joe Williams

VegasInsider.com

The Colorado Avalanche and Anaheim Ducks hook up for the first meeting this season on Friday night in SoCal.

The Avalanche are playing the second end of a back-to-back, losing 4-2 against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. However, they elected to give primary goaltender Philipp Grubauer a rest, and backup Pavel Francouz is down with a lower-body injury. So Hunter Miska made his NHL debut, and he took the L.

The Ducks are having some difficult scoring goals, averaging just 1.5 goals per game, and they're coming off a 3-2 setback on Wednesday night against the Minnesota Wild behind backup goalie Ryan Miller.

Avalanche vs. Ducks Betting Resources

Matchup: West Division
Expert Picks: Vegas Insiders
Venue: Honda Center
Location: Anaheim, California
Date: Friday Jan. 22, 2021
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
TV: NHL League Pass
Bet: BetMGM | BetRivers | FanDuel | PointsBet | All

Betting Odds - Avalanche vs. Ducks

Line Movements

Subject to Change

Money-Line: Colorado -200 Anaheim +175
Puck-Line: Colorado -1.5 (+135) Anaheim +1.5 (+160)
Total: 5.5 Over (-115) Under (-105)

The Ducks look to get on track after losing three of their first games of the season. (AP)

Avalanche vs. Ducks Current Form-Last Game

The Avalanche fell 4-2 in Los Angeles on Thursday, but they were using a goalie making his NHL debut. They get Grubauer back in the crease, and he already has one shutout to his credit through three starts. Another against the offensively-challenged Ducks wouldn't be a shocker.

Colorado scored just the two goals against the Kings, and while they have 14 goals overall through three games, eight of them came in a single serving against St. Louis last Friday. LW Andre Burakovsky is a question mark for this one due to a lower-body ailment.

The Ducks were on the short end of a 3-2 loss against the visiting Minnesota Wild on Wednesday. Believe it or not, the two goals actually tied a season high. That's how much of an uphill climb it has been for the Anaheim offense. They aren't likely to have a watershed game against Grubauer and the Cup favorite Avs, either.

Anaheim has really struggled with a total of six goals, with two of them coming off the stick of bottom-six forward Nicolas Deslauriers. He might be getting a promotion soon if he keeps finding a knack for goals.

The hits keep coming for the Ducks, too, as it was learned Thursday that rearguard Josh Manson will be sidelined at least six weeks due to an oblique injury. That's a tough loss for Anaheim, as he provides plenty of physicality and sandpaper, as well as a willingness to sacrifice his body for blocked shots.

Avalanche vs. Ducks Head-to-Head

Mar. 4, 2020 - Ducks 4 at Avalanche 3 (OT), Anaheim +285, Over 5.5
Feb. 21, 2020 - Avalanche 1 at Ducks 0, Colorado -165, Under 5.5
Oct. 26, 2019 - Ducks 5 at Avalanche 2, Anaheim +140, Over 6

(SU-Straight Up, OU - Over-Under)

Colorado Avalanche Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats (2020-2021)

Overall: 2-1 SU, 1-2 O/U
Road: 1-0 SU, 0-1 O/U

Grubauer has posted a 2-1-0 record with a 2.01 goals-against average and .923 save percentage with one shutout, and another clean sheet could be in order against an Anaheim offense averaging just 1.5 goals per game through four outings.

It's no surprise that the Avs have been paced by C Nathan MacKinnon, who has two goals, and team highs with five assists and seven points through the first four outings. He entered the season as a Hart Trophy favorite, and he has been true to form during the early going.

Mikko Rantanen has struck for two power-play goals, and he has five points through four games. Rantanen also leads the team with 18 shots on goal. The Avalanche have been strong on the power play, as nine of their 14 markers overall have come on the man advantage.

Four Avalanche players are averaging at least a point per game, with rearguards Samuel Girard (0 goals, 4 assists) and Cale Makar (0 goals, 4 assists) also joining MacKinnon and Rantanen in the club.

Newcomer Devon Toews has fit right in for Colorado, too, going for two goals nad three points, including a pair of power-play markers. Brandon Saad is another newcomer in Denver, and he has a goal through four games, but he also has a team-worst minus-5 rating despite Colorado have a plus-4 goal differential overall.

Anaheim Ducks Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats (2020-2021)

Overall: 1-2-1 SU, 1-3 O/U
Home: 1-1 SU, 0-2 O/U

The Ducks have had a toothless offensive attack to date. Anaheim has scored a total of just six goals, going for two goals in the opener in a loss at Vegas on Jan. 14, and they tied a season-high in a 3-2 loss against the Minnesota Wild last time out on Wednesday.

It isn't how Anaheim's management probably drew things up, but bottom-six forward Max Comtois (0 goals, 3 assists), Deslauriers (2 goals, 1 assist) and Carter Rowney (0 goals, 3 assists) are tied for the team lead in points.

One of the team's big guns, Jakob Silfverberg, has been held scoreless with a minus-4 rating, and another top-six forward, Rickard Rakell, is also searching for his first point while producing a team-worst minus-5 rating. Rickard and Deslauriers lead the team with 11 SOG.

Anaheim hasn't gotten anything out of high-priced offseason addition Kevin Shattenkirk, either. The Stanley Cup winner posted eight goals and 34 points last season for the Tampa Bay Lightning, his best point total since his 56-point outburst in 2016-17 with St. Louis/Washington. But he has just one assist through four games.

The saving grace for the Ducks has been Gibson, no pun intended. He enters 1-1-1 with a 2.03 GAA and .937 SV%, including one shutout. The 27-year-old faced the Avs just once last season, allowing only one goal in a hard-luck 1-0 loss Feb. 21 at Honda Center.