Last season, the Avalanche essentially coasted to a Stanley Cup championship. At no point was a Game 7 needed, and they never trailed at any point in each of the four series, playing to a dominant 16-4-0 record. That isn't the case this year, as Colorado is down 3-2 to the Kraken and facing elimination from the NHL Playoffs on Friday night.
What was nearly a perfectly constructed roster in 2022 has been gutted due to both the salary cap and a dreadful injury situation. The Avs are now extremely reliant on their top superstars — Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. With everything on the line in Game 6, I believe targeting that trio makes a lot of sense — thus, they make up our same-game parlay.
In Game 4, Rantanen and MacKinnon's 1.23 combined expected goals compiled nearly half of all the Avs' expected chances to score. Something similar tonight makes sense and would make our 10/1 long shot live.
With Valeri Nichushkin on the sidelines, the secondary scoring up front for the Avalanche has quietly become quite barren. There aren't many reasons why this game should break open in favor of Colorado without our three guys being highly involved.
Before I get to the same game parlay picks for Avalanche vs. Kraken Game 6, I must note that in games that go past regulation, bet365 counts overtime shots on goal, blocks and saves toward player props and SGP markets. However, despite using the phrase “anytime,” goals do not count for anytime scorer markets if they occur past regulation. Assists recorded on overtime winners count toward point and assist markets, however.
Same-Game Parlay: Avalanche vs. Kraken
The Parlay (+1000 at bet365):
- Nathan MacKinnon Over 4.5 Shots on Goal & Anytime (regulation) Goal Scorer
- Mikko Rantanen Over 3.5 Shots on Goal
- Cale Makar Over 2.5 Shots on Goal & Over 0.5 Points
Nathan MacKinnon Over 4.5 Shots on Goal and Anytime Goalscorer:
MacKinnon is by no means the reason Colorado is in this surprising hole. He entered the playoffs in incredible form and he was the second-most productive player in the league since the turn of the New Year.
He has always brought it in the postseason, ranking sixth all time with 1.320 points per game and 0.587 goals per game in a large 75-game sample.
MacKinnon has averaged 5.64 shots on goal over his last 23 playoff games, and he has cashed the over in 16 of those 23 contests (69% hit rate).
Mikko Rantanen Over 3.5 Shots on Goal:
Rantanen has been an absolute stud for the Avalanche all season. His 55 goals broke Colorado's regular-season record, and he proved he can carry an outrageous workload at times when the Avs were in desperate need for wins.
After a slow start to the series, Rantanen has caught fire with four goals and six points over the last three contests, with 15 shots.
Cale Makar Over 2.5 Shots on Goal and Over 0.5 Points:
Last year's Conn Smythe trophy winner will enter this matchup fresh off a one-game suspension for a hit on Jared McCann.
Makar's 1.068 playoff point per game average ranks only below Bobby Orr on the NHL's all-time list. He has looked true to form early in this series, and just like MacKinnon and Rantanen, he should be counted on to play big minutes.
He has put up 12 shots in four matchups in this series, and he has generated a point per game average.
We will need a favorable game script to cash this ticket at +1000, but considering the way Colorado's roster is currently shaking out, I believe this is SGP is worthy of a small wager.
