Colorado vs Pittsburgh Prediction 17 March 2026
🔊 The Western Conference leaders are set to host Pittsburgh, who have returned to the season without consistent results and are teetering between the top four and a spot outside the playoff picture. The league's best home team across all metrics holds an advantage, even when considering the injury list. However, the Penguins still hold out hope for those expected to recover in the coming days. Let's delve into the statistical insights and trends ahead of this regular season NHL showdown.
Head-to-Head
📊 Over the past three seasons, Colorado and Pittsburgh have faced each other four times: the Avalanche have won three matches, while the Penguins have claimed victory in one. Notably, the Western team has triumphed in the last three head-to-head encounters, scoring at least four goals in each game.
Head-to-head statistics Colorado - Pittsburgh
Colorado Avalanche Team Overview
The Western Conference leaders head into their matchup with the Penguins following a 3-1 defeat to the Winnipeg Jets. This loss allowed Dallas to close the gap in the Western standings to just three points, though the Avalanche still have a game in hand.
At home, Colorado have been struggling over the past month, losing more often than winning. Jared Bednar's squad have suffered 7 losses in 11 games at Ball Arena. Nevertheless, the Avalanche remain the NHL's top team in terms of points percentage (78.1%), average scoring (3.97 goals per game), and home defense (2.34 goals allowed).
Recently, defenseman Brent Burns played his 990th consecutive regular-season game without missing one. He is 74 games shy of the league record, meaning Burns will need to stay in the NHL for at least one more season. Injured Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, and Logan O’Connor will miss the game against Pittsburgh.
Match Results: Colorado Avalanche
Pittsburgh Penguins Team Overview
It's hard to call Pittsburgh's play stable since the break. Dan Muse's squad last won two consecutive games at the end of January (excluding the game bridging the pre-Olympic and post-Olympic break). Recently, the Penguins edged out the Utah Grizzlies (4-3) and maintained their fifth position in the East.
Before their victory in Salt Lake City, the Penguins lost four straight away games, significantly tarnishing their stats. On the road, Pittsburgh averages 3.21 goals per game while conceding 2.67, which is the best result among Eastern Conference teams.
The Penguins' injury list is daunting. Ahead of their matchup with the Western Conference leaders, defensemen Samuel Girard, Jack St. Ivany, Ryan Graves, and Caleb Jones, along with forwards Sidney Crosby, Filip Hallander, and Justin Brazeau, remain sidelined. There's a chance that Girard, St. Ivany, and Hallander might be fit to play in Denver.
Match Results: Pittsburgh Penguins
⚡️ Leaders
The NHL's second-highest scorer, Nathan MacKinnon (109 points, 44 goals, 65 assists), has been on the scoresheet in 8 of 9 games since the season resumed. His linemate Martin Necas (80 points, 31 goals, 49 assists) has been productive in 9 of 10 games following the break.
Pittsburgh's leading scorer, Sidney Crosby (59 points, 27 goals, 32 assists), is expected to return to action by the end of this week. In his absence, the scoring load has been shouldered by Bryan Rust, who has registered points in 8 of the last 9 games, and Rickard Rakell, who is riding a five-game point streak.
🥅 Goaltenders
Colorado traditionally splits goaltending duties between Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. Blackwood has struggled post-break, stopping just 86.9% of shots with a goals-against average (GAA) of 3.06 over six games. Wedgewood, on the other hand, has been more impressive, saving 95.4% of shots with a GAA of 1.26 over five games. Wedgewood has not allowed more than two goals in five consecutive games, tying the season record.
For the Penguins, both Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs have played five games each since the season restart. The Canadian netminder has posted a save percentage of 90.1% with a GAA of 2.70. The Latvian goalie has slightly lower numbers, with an 88.4% save percentage and a GAA of 2.91, but he does have one shutout to his name.
Editor's Prediction
Scoring just one goal against Winnipeg is a rare occurrence for the league's highest-scoring team, Colorado Avalanche. Whenever the Avalanche have been held to one goal or less, their following games have been high-scoring affairs, with at least six goals combined in all six instances. Similarly, Pittsburgh's last six games in the league have also seen this total surpassed each time. We anticipate an open game full of goals, specifically predicting a total over 5.5 goals.
No comments
Betting Tips: Colorado Avalanche - Pittsburgh Penguins
in last 13 away games (NHL).
in 7 of last 8 games (NHL).in 6 of last 7 home games (NHL).in last 7 games (NHL).
Other predictions
