Coyotes vs Avalanche Game 2 Odds and Pick – Aug. 14

• The Colorado Avalanche lead the Arizona Coyotes 1-0 in their best-of-seven playoff series
• Game 2 will be played Friday, Aug. 13th, at 2:00 PM Eastern (11:00 AM Pacific)
• The first game of the series wasn’t particularly close and the follow up affair will likely follow a similar script

While it took longer than expected to blow the game open, the Colorado Avalanche put on a comprehensive clinic in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Arizona Coyotes. Colorado outshot Arizona 40-14 and eventually cracked Coyotes goalie Darcy Kuemper at 13:05 of the third period en route to a 3-0 win.

The good news for Arizona? There’s nowhere to go but up. The bad news? Game 2 of is on Friday, Aug. 13th (2:00 PM ET) so there’s little time to turn things around.

Coyotes vs Avalanche Game 2 Odds

Odds taken August 12th.

Looking back at the Game 1 preview, you’ll see the Coyotes vs Avalanche odds have shifted slightly. The Avalanche are an even bigger favorite on Friday, sitting at -195 on the moneyline. As for my betting advice, nothing has changed. Take Colorado once again.

Playoff Nazem Kadri Is a True Force

Nazem Kadri was playing in his first playoff game for the Avalanche and he made a huge impact. He finished with eight shots on goal, one of which was the game-winning goal with less than seven minutes to play in the third period. Kadri’s eight shots were more than half of Arizona’s team total for the game.

Nazem Kadri passes Alex Kerfoot on the franchise playoffs goals leaderboard moving into 69th all time #GoAvsGo

— Avs Stats (@avsstats) August 12, 2020

Kadri was shipped to Colorado by Toronto in exchange for Tyson Barrie and Alex Kerfoot. It must be somewhat sweet for the 29-year-old to know that both players he was traded for have already been eliminated from the postseason. Kadri was underwhelming in the regular season, putting up only 36 points, but it’s playoff time now. If he stays disciplined, he’ll provide the secondary scoring that the Avs have been missing behind Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog.

Grubauer Builds Confidence in Game One

Philipp Grubauer didn’t stuff the stat sheet in the opener but he was steady when called upon. The 14-save shutout paints a picture that isn’t entirely fair to how solid his performance was. This game was tied more than halfway through the third period and, with the lack of activity, it would have been easy for Grubauer to fall asleep and get caught giving up a bad goal. Instead he was rock solid and that’s a big confidence boost for a goalie who wasn’t even the surefire choice to start coming into the game.

15 to go. 👊#GoAvsGo https://t.co/qEhElnNQ3T

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) August 13, 2020

When your team has 40 shots and the opponent is held to 14, you need to win that game. That’s exactly what happened in this one and that needs to be noted. While the only goalie included in the games three stars was Kuemper, expect to see a similar performance from Grubauer Friday.

Bet Confidently on the Avalanche

If the Coyotes were going to catch the Avalanche flat footed, it would have been in the series opener. Colorado had been playing for seeding only up to this point, while Arizona was fresh off eliminating Nashville in a true series. Yet battle-tested Arizona was swept aside with ease. Expect the Avalanche to use their speed and skill to their advantage again in game two.

Took some time, but the @Avalanche ended the third with three goals to take a 1-0 series lead. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/jjcUGsFCl7

— NHL (@NHL) August 13, 2020

I’d be willing to take them on the puckline yet again but if you’re feeling conservative take them on the money line. Whatever you do, don’t go switching sides now.

The Pick: Colorado Avalanche Puckline (+138)