If your looking to find some value on betting lines in the late game window tonight look no further. There are four games kicking off at 10:00 pm ET and we will focus on two games that should provide bettors with some optimism heading into the games.
Colorado Avalanche (-160) @ Vegas Golden Knights (+135)
This is quite the heavyweight battle featuring the top team in the Central Division and the second-place team in the Pacific Division. This is a back-to-back situation for both teams with Colorado having played the tougher opponent in the Winnipeg Jets based on standings. Francouz started the first game of the back-to-back for the Avs meaning the team will likely turn to starter Darcy Kuemper to man the crease barring any last-minute changes.
The Avs also shut out the Golden Knights in their last meeting with a 2-0 victory back on Feb. 16, 2022. It looks like Lehner will miss yet another game as he remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury and if he does make his return, stepping into the cage against a potent Avalanche offense may not be the best way to get him acclimated. Whether Brossoit or rookie goaltender Logan Thompson is in the crease it is still a tall task to shut down the Avalanche who have the second-most goals for in the league.
Nathan MacKinnon also returned to the lineup last night after a one-game absence which will reunite the Landeskog, Rantanen, and MacKinnon line. Despite the Golden Knights holding home-ice advantage in this one, they are going to be with travel coming back from their game against Arizona and with a 14-11-3 record at home which isn’t overwhelming. Ride the team with the better record in this game and if you want to add some value take the Avalanche to win by +1.5 goals because if the game is tight fought there should be a good chance to cash on a late-game empty netter.
New York Islanders (+105) @ Los Angeles Kings (-130)
The Los Angeles Kings return home in this game to face a New York Islanders team who are in their third game of a five-game road trip. The Islanders are nowhere near the team they were last season but have consistently held teams to three goals or less over the last few months. They are coming off a tough-luck shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks where they peppered goaltender James Reimer with 47 shots only coming away with three goals.
Brock Nelson has goals in four straight games and has provided much-needed secondary scoring for a team that struggles to find offense (ranked 31st in the league in goals for). Sorokin has been shouldering most of the load in the crease for the Islanders since Semyon Varlamov’s COVID-19 absence and the team will likely get him back in the crease.
The Kings on the other hand will be in a back-to-back situation and even with the minimal travel to get back home from Anaheim, won’t be as fresh as the Islanders. Cal Petersen is the likely starter for the Kings and is coming off back-to-back wins against the Arizona Coyotes but has not been efficient in his crease based on save percentage over his last four starts. He did get the win against the Islanders on Jan. 27, 2022, in Long Island but expect the Kings’ energy level to fade as the game rolls along. The oddsmakers have this one pegged as a toss-up but with the Kings as the home team, the line should shift to their favor and give you good reason to jump on the Islanders.
Odds via BetMGM
