The Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes battle in Game 3 of their Western Conference First-Round series Saturday at 3 p.m. ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB. We analyze the Avalanche-Coyotes NHL betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
The Avs have taken the first two games of the series, by scores of 3-0 and 3-2. The series featured Colorado as the home team for Games 1 and 2; the Coyotes will have the advantage of last change in Game 3.
Avalanche vs. Coyotes: Projected starting goalies
Philipp Grubauer vs. Darcy Kuemper
Grubauer started Games 1 and 2, but with Saturday’s Game 3 being the second half of a back-to-back the Avs could give Pavel Francouz the nod. The rookie goaltender recorded a 2.41 goals against average and .923 save percentage in the regular season.
Kuemper was solid in Arizona’s qualification round series win over the Nashville Predators, with .933 SV% over four starts. During the regular season, the 30-year-old veteran registered a goals against average of 2.22 on the strength of a .928 SV%. Kuemper faced Colorado once during the regular season and stopped all 33 shots in an Arizona shootout victory (Nov. 2). He was solid over Games 1 and 2 but has been undone late in both contests.
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Avalanche vs. Coyotes: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 9:20 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Coyotes 3, Avalanche 2
Moneyline (ML)
Game 1 was a scoreless hockey game for over 50 minutes, but puck-possession and expected-goal analytics tilted heavily toward Colorado (-183). Game 2 was a more even affair, with Arizona creating more high-danger opportunities and a fairly-hot Kuemper keeping things close at the other end.
Over 85% of first-round series finish without a sweep. Colorado hasn’t exactly clicked in taking a 2-0 advantage, but the ‘Yotes have a near-40% chance of taking this one. MAKE A PLAY ON ARIZONA (+150).
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
Skip the ARIZONA +1.5 (-190) proposition on price concerns.
Over/Under (O/U)
Expected goals and the defensive tone of play make the underside of 5.5 goals the lean, and the price is right. BACK THE UNDER 5.5 (-139).
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