Florida Panthers vs Colorado Avalanche - Odds and Predictions

Where: Pepsi Center – Denver, CO.

When: Wednesday, October 30, 10PM EST

How (TV/Radio): Alti, Fox Sports Florida | WFAN

Florida Panthers (Away)

Head Coach: Joel Quenneville{All-Time 895-535-77-141 FLA, CHI, COL, STL}

Sitting in third place in the Atlantic division, the Florida Panthers recently had their eight-game point streak snapped by the Vancouver Canucks in a 7-2 blowout loss.

The game against Colorado will be the last of this road trip for the team and they hope to end it on a winning note.

Offense

The offense has not been an issue thus far for the Florida Panthers.

The team has combined to score 42 goals this season which is the sixth-highest goal total in the NHL and puts them only two seeds behind the Colorado Avalanche who sit in fourth place with 44 goals scored.

The two teams are also tied with 33 even-strength goals a piece.

The Panthers have an average of 3.5 goals scored per game and put an average of 34 shots on net per game – the fifth-best shooting average in the league.

The Panthers have the fourth-most shots in the league and have a shooting percentage of 10.3 percent – which leaves them only in the middle of the pack in that statistic.

Their power play also hovers in the middle of the league with an 18th-best power-play percentage of 20 percent. Florida’s biggest struggle offensively comes with puck possession.

The Panthers have the second-worst faceoff percentage in the NHL with only a 46.2 percent success rate.

They struggle to start the play with puck possession and have to heavily rely on their takeaways.

Defense

The Florida Panthers, despite some weak goaltending, are entering this game as the stronger defensive team. Backstopped by blueline leader Aaron Ekblad, the Panthers sit eighth in the league for fewest average shots against per game.

They average the third-least amount of penalty minutes, and they have the ninth-best penalty kill in the NHL. However, they have allowed a lot of goals.

As mentioned though, Florida’s goaltender has struggled and if it weren’t for their high offensive output, the Panthers could easily see themselves in the basement of the league.

They have allowed the second-most goals against, 45, and the team has a combined save percentage of .875.

Goaltending

Vezina-winning goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will get the nod in net for the Florida Panthers.

Bobrovsky has put up rather lackluster numbers so far this season.

He has a record of 4-2-3, a goals-against-average of 3.79, and a save percentage of just .870.

Head Coach: Jared Bednar{All-Time 111-118-28 COL}

After losing star forward Mikko Rantanen, the Colorado Avalanche were dealt another big blow when it was announced that team captain Gabriel Landeskog would be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. Those two players, alongside Nathan MacKinnon, make up one of the league’s most dangerous lines and much of Colorado’s offensive output. They still hold the first-place spot in the Central division, but for how much longer?

Offense

As mentioned above, the Colorado Avalanche will head into this game without two of their biggest stars in Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. This will leave their linemate Nathan MacKinnon with not one, but two new players to adjust his game to. MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with 15 points this season but much of that is due to his playing with his two injured teammates. The Avs have the fourth-highest goal total this season with 44 and average four goals per game. They have the fifth-highest shot total in the league and have put together a shooting percentage of 12.8 percent – the best in the entire league. Colorado’s biggest struggle this season, like their opponents, is in the faceoff circle. In fact, Colorado is the only team with a worse faceoff percentage than Florida at just 45.9 percent. That element of their game will struggle even more without the captain Landeskog taking draws.

Defense

The Colorado Avalanche come into this game with the sixth-best penalty kill in the league with a success rate of 85.71 percent. They average fewer goals against the Florida Panthers, but they allow significantly more shots. The Avs have allowed 370 shots against – the fifth-highest amount in the league. Their goaltending has played a big part in keeping them alive as the team allows an average of over 33 shots against per contest. The team also averages the tenth-most penalty minutes per game, which is something the Florida Panthers will look to capitalize on. It should be noted that the Avalanche have also already allowed two short-handed goals against them where the Panthers have actually managed to score two short-handed goals.

Goaltending

Starting goaltender Philipp Grubauer is expected to start against Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers Wednesday night. Grubauer has put together a stellar record of 6-1-1 this season and has a goals-against-average of 2.59 and a save percentage of .920.

The last time these two teams saw action against each other was earlier this month on October 18. The Avs picked up the victory in a high scoring affair with a final score of 5-4.

What’s at Stake for Panthers vs Avalanche?

It’s still early in the season but this is a game where the Av’s true colors will show. How will they perform without two of their top-three stars? Are they deep enough to prove they are a force to be reckoned with at any time or will the cracks in their foundation be exposed? For Florida, this is a chance to get a big win over a top-level team and head back to their home arena with the momentum.

Questions to Answer

How will Colorado perform without two of its top three stars? How deep is this roster? Will Florida’s offensive pressure overwhelm the team with their backs to the wall?

How big of a role will faceoffs play in this game as Florida and Colorado have the two worst faceoff percentages in the NHL?

Who will coach Jared Bednar decide to put Nathan MacKinnon with? Will they be able to keep up with him? Will there be chemistry? Will Bednar juggle the lines throughout the game or still to his original lineup?

Florida Panthers Injury Report

F Vincent Trocheck – IR (lower-body)

D Mike Matheson – OUT (undisclosed)

Colorado Avalanche Injury Report

F Gabriel Landeskog – OUT (lower-body)

F Mikko Rantanen – IR (lower-body)

The latest odds for the Florida Panthers vs Colorado Avalanche game are provided by bet365NJ, DraftKings Sportsbook, and Caesars NJ.

Good luck!

Money Line