Intelligent Hockey: Best bets for Saturday's NHL slate

No one likes to wait. With the playoffs a month away, we are inching closer to the greatest time of the year. With three matchups featuring six surefire playoff teams, I thought it would be nice to start the festivities early. My hook? I want the teams with great home records.

Pittsburgh Penguins at Colorado Avalanche Saturday, April 2 – 3:00 PM ET 

The question on Saturday that will determine this contest is: Can the Penguins sap the Avalanche’s speed? If they can’t, Pittsburgh could lose handily. 

When facing a bully, the first rule is don’t back down. The Avalanche are that metaphorical bully. Sink on entries and concede the offensive zone and Colorado can wax any adversary. The alternative is, as showcased in their game against the San Jose Sharks Thursday night, if a team steps up and tries to hold the line, the Avalanche can slide past the defender one-on-one. The latter is the lesser of two bad options. 

The Penguins aren’t slow, but a decelerated game is probably their likeliest path to winning. To triumph, they will need to grind Colorado down with their forecheck and cycle. Tire the Avalanche with extended offensive zone time and they can get sloppy on their switches. Heck, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar has preached that he wants simpler passes, so if the Penguins can effectively seal the perimeter, they could force the Avalanche into reckless passes through the middle.

Where this game is most concerning for the Penguins is in transition defence. In their last meeting, the New York Rangers preyed on Pittsburgh with the second wave of their attack. The Avalanche defencemen have permission to attack any time they see an opportunity, and Colorado staggers its rush to make it harder for defences to sort out. If