Overview
The Tampa Bay Lightning will head to Colorado to take on the Avalanche in this cross-conference matchup. This will be the second time these two teams have met, with the first ending in a 4-3 victory for Colorado in a shootout back in October.
The Lightning and the Avalanche find themselves in the top two spots in their division. With minimal separation in both divisions, respectfully, every game becomes important when they are trying to solidify themselves at the top.
Last Game Records
Lightning
- Last Game: Won 3-2 against the San Jose Sharks in overtime.
- 30-10-2-4 overall record
Avalanche
- Last Game: Lost 2-3 to the Arizona Coyotes
- 32-8-3-1 overall record
Matchup Information
- 10:30 p.m., Thursday, February 10, 2022
- Denver, Colorado
- Ball Arena
Lightning vs. Avalanche Betting Analysis
Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Analysis
The Lightning has been one of the best teams in all of hockey, with 66 total points in the first half of the season. This will be their first game back after the All-Star break, and looking to set the tone as they take on one of the other top five teams in the league.
The offense is one thing that the Lightning have been superior at so far this season. Ranking in the top 10 amongst all other teams, the Lightning are averaging 3.37 goals per game.
The Lightning have a very slim injury report. Nikita Kucherov is the big name that is left on the list, and the only thing holding him back at this point is conditioning after his bout with COVID.
Steven Stamkos, in his 14th year in the NHL, is still getting the job done offensively. Stamkos is currently leading the team in points with 52, scoring 20 goals, and assisting on 32 others.
Victor Hedman and Alex Killorn are also both having solid seasons offensively. Both players have passed the 40 point margin and have recorded at least a single point in seven of their last ten games.
Colorado Avalanche Betting Analysis
The Avalanche ended their first half of the season with a bad loss to the Arizona Coyotes, ending their ten-game winning streak. While a loss like that is not going to break their season, the Avalanche look to get things back rolling with a big win against a top team.
The Avalanche also do not have a major injury report issue. The biggest issue the Avalanche face on their report is the loss of Nathan MacKinnon, who is dealing with a nose and concussion issue that he suffered on a high stick against the Boston Bruins.
The Avalanche offense has been special so far this year. Averaging 4.09 goals per game, they sit alone atop the NHL leaders for goals per game.
The Avalanche also turn to a veteran in Nazem Kadri, in his 13th season in the NHL, for their offensive leader. Kadri has a team-high 60 points, scoring 19 goals and adding 41 assists. Kadri is on pace to shatter his season-high for most points, which is 61 points he set back in 2016.
Team Updates
Both teams are in a realistically solid spot for the second half of the season. Outside of the MacKinnon injury, which he is due to return from on Sunday, neither team is missing an integral part of their core for too long.
- The Lightning won seven of their last ten games before the All-Star break.
- Tampa Bay was over the total goals in six of their last ten games.
- The Avalanche won nine of their last ten games before the All-Star break.
- Colorado was under the total goals in seven of their last ten games.
Islanders vs. Canucks Betting Preview
Andrei Vasilevskiy is the main goaltender for the Lightning. With a 25-7-2 record, he is only giving up 2.23 goals per game.
Vasilevskiy was 7-2 in his last nine starts prior to the All-Star break. While Vasilevskiy did have back-to-back games of giving up four goals, he did respond by giving up only two goals in each of his last three games before the break.
Darcy Kuemper has been the main goaltender for the Avalanche. He has a 21-5-1 record and is giving up just 2.55 goals per game.
In his last six starts, Kuemper has given up just nine total goals. If Kuemper can keep up this pace and the Avalanche’s offense stays relatively the same, the Avalanche has to be one of the top choices to make a deep playoff run.
It will be interesting to see how these goaltenders come out after having time off. The Avalanche have been almost unbeatable at home, with a 20-2-1-1 record. However, the Lightning have also been solid on the road with a 14-6-1-1 record.
Lightning vs. Avalanche Betting Prediction
Bet on the Colorado Avalanche!
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