The surprising Colorado Avalanche look to take a big lead in the Western Conference Quarters tonight, Tuesday April 20, as the San Jose Sharks play a must win game. The Avs won Game 3, 1-0 (OT) as +120 homedogs and they lead the series 2-1. NHL oddsmakers at SBGGLOBAL.com have the Sharks as -165 moneyline road favorites over the Avs (+145) with the over/under set at 5.5 goals . Be sure to get your 2010 NHL Playoffs: 2010 NHL Playoffs: San Jose Sharks vs Colorado Avalanche Game 4 Odds & Prediction in now at SBGGLOBAL.com
The Sharks are at it again, losing in the first round of the playoffs as a No.1 seed. Their biggest problem is putting the puck past Avs goalie Craig Anderson, not their own. The Sharks pretty much did everything they wanted to do against the Avalanche on Sunday night – except for one notable thing. "Score on the right goalie, I guess," McLellan said, cracking a smile. "We can be a little bit humorous with it today. I think we need a little bit of an opportunity to smile." The Sharks have scored three game-winning goals in this series, sending two of them into their own net . What they need to do now is get some early goals before Anderson takes up residence and stands on his head. The Sharks have 50-plus shots in each of the last two games, but if not for a Joe Pavelski tying goal late in Game 2 and a Devin Setoguchi OT winner, they could be in an 0-3 hole. Dan Heatley missed Sunday's game with an undisclosed injury but San Jose coach Todd McLellan deemed him likely to play tonight. Heatley has been on the same line with Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, a trio that scored 40 per cent of San Jose's goals in the regular season. So far this series they've been largely bottled up.
The Avs pushed the Sharks scoreless through three periods until Ryan O'Reilly nailed the overtime winner, or should I say Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle's attempted backhand pass, deflected past Evgeni Nabokov for the winning goal instead of behind the net as Boyle intended. The Avs are getting superb goaltending from Craig Anderson, who stopped all 51 shots he faced Sunday after making 46 saves in a Game 2 overtime loss. Just because Colorado leads the series doesn't necessarily mean the Avalanche are in the driver's seat. They are relying too much on Anderson and not blocking shots. They won’t win the series if they think Anderson can stand on his head for four more games . San Jose's firepower figures to catch up with them sooner or later. Anderson has a .946 SVPCT and a 2.66 GAA in the series. None of the Sharks could put a puck past him in Game 3, but it wasn't for a lack of trying, Setoguchi and Ryan Clowe had eight shots apiece and Manny Malhotra, promoted to the top line in the absence of Dany Heatley, had seven. Colorado was missing one of its playmakers in Milan Hejduk, who went out early in Game 3 with an injury. Hejduk will be re-evaluated before the game to see if he can suit up.
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Home team is 8-1 in the last 9 meetings.
- Avalanche are 5-1 in their last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games.
- Avalanche are 9-3 in their last 12 games as a home underdog of +110 to +150.
- Avalanche are 8-3 in their last 11 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
- Avalanche are 5-2 in their last 7 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game.
- Sharks are 3-7 in their last 10 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
- Sharks are 3-9 in their last 12 road games.
- Sharks are 2-7 in their last 9 games as a road favorite.
Jose Sharks vs Colorado Avalanche
When: Tuesday April 21, 2010 10:00 PM ET
Line: SBGGLOBAL.com
Pick: Avs +145
Point-Spreads.com 2010 NHL Playoffs: San Jose Sharks vs Colorado Avalanche Game 4 Odds & Predictions
The Bottom Line: The Avs are big underdogs but are winning. They are more pumped than ever and will play hard and win. Be sure to get your 2010 NHL Playoffs: San Jose Sharks vs Colorado Avalanche Game 4 Odds & Predictions in now at SBGGLOBAL.com and receive up to 260% in Cash Bonuses and start winning today!
