The Panthers struggle on the road and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is starting to show his age. Mikko Rantanen will make them pay tonight.
NHL
The Colorado Avalanche host the Florida Panthers this evening at Ball Arena at 9:00 p.m. ET. NHL odds have Colorado as a -130 favorite, while the total sits at 6.5.
Colorado forward Mikko Rantanen has scored in each of the past four games, and my Panthers vs. Avalanche predictions believe that he will find the back of the net once again on Monday night.
Read on for my NHL picks for Monday, January 6.
My best bet
Mikko Rantanen anytime goal (+125 at FanDuel)
My analysis
Despite the Florida Panthers sitting in the second spot of the Atlantic Division, they struggle in their own zone and rank in the bottom half of the league in goals allowed per game, which is a product of multiple variables.
First, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has regressed. He owns a .899 SV% and ranks 15th out of 17 goaltenders in goals saved above expected with at least 26 games played.
Second, Florida struggles to stay out of the box, ranking second-to-last in penalty minutes taken per game. That issue could especially prove costly against the Colorado Avalanche, a team that boasts a 23.6% power play, which is tied for ninth-best in the league.
Mikko Rantanen is the primary triggerman of that power-play unit, leading the team with eight goals with the man advantage. He leads the team in 5-on-5 goals as well, so there are several avenues for Rantanen to score in his fifth straight game.
These two teams last squared off in November, a game in which Rantanen scored en route to Colorado’s 7-4 victory. Oddsmakers are expecting a similar result this time around.
Mikko Rantanen anytime goal
Nathan MacKinnon 1+ assists
Avalanche moneyline
If we are backing Rantanen to score, then there is an increased probability that Nathan MacKinnon is involved in the play as well. MacKinnon skates alongside Rantanen on both the first line and top PP unit, which is why he has assisted on seven of Rantanen’s past eight goals.
There is also an increased probability of Colorado winning this game with the backing of both Rantanen and MacKinnon finding the scoresheet. Furthermore, Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood is in great form, allowing two or fewer goals in each of his past eight starts.
Blackwood is 6-1-1 over that stretch with a .935 SV% and 1.78 GAA.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Rantanen has scored in each of his past four games. Find more NHL betting trends for Panthers vs. Avalanche.
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Tony Sartori has written over 1,000 pieces of sports betting content across multiple different media outlets. He covers the NHL, UFC, PGA, NFL and MLB. Tony started part-time while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he went on to receive a B.A. in Economics and a certificate in Entrepreneurship in 2022. He continues to work full-time in the sports betting landscape.
Due to the variety of sports he covers, Tony is handicapping every day. If he had one piece of betting advice for a new sports bettor, it would be to strictly enforce bankroll management rules for yourself. If you set aside $10,000 for your betting bankroll, then you should generally only be betting between $100 – $500 per play.
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