St. Louis Blues vs. Colorado Avalanche Picks, Predictions, Odds

Daniel Dobish Sports Betting Expert

12 minute read

The St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche meet at Ball Arena in Denver on Tuesday night for Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals, a best-of-seven series. Puck drop is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on TNT.

Sign up to get daily betting columns directly to your inbox!

Score Prediction

Avalanche 4, Blues 2

Best Bet

Avalanche -1.5 (+110)
Under 7 (-133)

ST. LOUIS BLUES vs. COLORADO AVALANCHE PREDICTIONS

The Blues got off to a slow start, falling behind against the Minnesota Wild 2-1 after Game 3 at home. Head coach Craig Berube swapped out Ville Husso for Jordan Binnington, the 2019 Stanley Cup winning goaltender, and the Blues have registered three consecutive victories with Binner in the crease.

St. Louis has not only won the past three games, but it outscored Minnesota 15-5. Ryan O'Reilly, David Perron and Vladimir Tarasenko led a balanced attack, tying for the team lead with five goals in the first round. Perron edged O'Reilly with nine points to eight, but O'Reilly was outstanding in the faceoff circle, winning 80 of his 140 chances, good for a 57.14% mark.

The Avalanche registered a series sweep of the Nashville Predators in the first round, outscoring the Preds 21-9. The last time the Avs played was back on May 9, so they're rested and ready to go. Pavel Francouz was thrust into the lineup after Darcy Kuemper was forced to leave Game 3 on May 7 with an eye injury, after taking an inadvertent stick through the face mask. He was nearly ready to return in Game 4, but he had too much swelling for the liking of head coach Jared Bednar. After more than a week, Kuemper is ready to assign his starting role.

Updated on 12/26/2024

BetMGM Get a 20% Deposit Match up to $1,600 in Sports Bonus!

Bonus Code VIBONUS1600 Claim Now

Must be 21+. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER

ST. LOUIS BLUES vs. COLORADO AVALANCHE BETTING ODDS

Blues +190
Avalanche -208
Blues +1.5 (-122)
Avalanche -1.5 (+110)
Over 6.5 (-125)
Under 7 (-133)

More Odds | Futures Odds

ST. LOUIS BLUES vs. COLORADO AVALANCHE BETTING RESOURCES

• Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2022
• Matchup: Central vs. Central
• Venue: Ball Arena
• Location: Denver, Colo.
• TV-Time: TNT, 9:30 p.m. ET

ST. LOUIS BLUES BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 53-24-11
• ATS: 51-37
• O/U: 46-37-5

The Blues have scored exactly five goals in each of the past three games, all wins, after totaling just seven goals across the first three games of the series against the Wild. The Blues allowed 11 combined goals in Games 2 and 3, but Binnington and the Blues D coughed up just five total goals in the previous three victories.

St. Louis has registered 16 victories in the past 21 games overall, while winning nine of the past 11 games on the road. It is also 6-2 in the past eight games as a 'dog, and 8-3 in the past 11 as a road underdog. However, the Blues are just 3-7 in the past 10 playoff games as an underdog.

The Blues hope to fare better than last season against the Avalanche, suffering a sweep in the first round. Colorado won a series in five games in the Western Conference Finals against St. Louis in 2001, too, in the only other previous postseason meeting.

In terms of totals, the OVER has cashed at a 22-9-1 clip across the past 32 games, while the OVER is 13-2-1 in the past 16 games on the road, too.

COLORADO AVALANCHE BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 60-19-7
• ATS: 42-44
• O/U: 45-36-5

The Avalanche buttoned it up quickly against the Predators, posting it's second consecutive sweep in the first round. The problem in recent seasons in the playoffs hasn't been the first round, it's the second round. Colorado has failed to emerge from the second round in each of the past six occasions. The last time the Avalanche advanced past the Conference Semifinals was in 2002 before bowing out to the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals. In fact, the Avs are just 8-20 in the past 28 in the Conference Semifinals games.

Colorado has picked up 48 victories in the past 65 games overall, including 4-0 in the playoffs. It is also 54-11 in the past 65 games at home, while going 54-17 in the past 71 games as a favorite. In addition, Colorado is 21-8 in the past 29 playoff games as a favorite.

For totals, the OVER has cashed in five of the past seven games overall, while going 5-1 in the past six as a favorite. The OVER is 6-1 in the seven in the Western Conference Semifinals Round.

ST. LOUIS BLUES vs. COLORADO AVALANCHE CONCLUSION

The Blues suffered a 5-3 loss in Denver in the penultimate game of the regular season on April 26, a game which saw Binnington bested by Kuemper. Now the two goaltenders meet with much bigger stakes. Colorado also won 4-3 in the only meeting in St. Louis way back on Oct. 28. The only victory for the Blues against the Avalanche came in the regular-season opener on Oct. 16, a 5-3 win behind Binnington against Kuemper.

Colorado is rested and raring to go. Kuemper will be ready to go, while veteran Andrew Cogliano (upper body) is likely to go, too. For St. Louis, veteran rearguard Marco Scandella is a question mark due to a lower-body injury, while defenseman Torey Krug remains out indefinitely due to an LBI, too.

The Avalanche roughed up the Preds, and they're a good play in the opening game against the Blues here. St. Louis has won just once in the past seven games against the Avs, and they're also 1-6 in the past seven trips to Denver. The only reason to be concerned is that the Avalanche could be rusty after eight days off. Perhaps they have a slow start, but they'll catch up in a hurry.

ST. LOUIS BLUES vs. COLORADO AVALANCHE BETTING TRENDS

• Blues are 16-5 in the past 21 games overall.
• Blues are 9-2 in the past 11 road games.
• Blues are 6-2 in the past eight as an underdog.
• Blues are 3-7 in the past 10 playoff games as a 'dog.
• Avalanche are 48-17 in the past 65 games overall.
• Avalanche are 54-11 in the past 65 home games.
• Avalanche are 21-8 in the past 29 playoff games as a favorite.
• Avalanche are 8-20 in the past 28 Conference Semifinals games.
• OVER is 22-9-1 in the past 32 games for the Blues.
• OVER is 13-2-1 in the past 16 road games for the Blues.
• OVER is 5-2 in the past seven games for the Avalanche.
• OVER is 5-1 in the past six as a fave for the Avalanche.
• OVER is 6-1 in the past seven Western Semi games for the Avs.
• Favorite is 38-15 in the past 53 meetings.
• Blues are 1-6 in the past seven meetings.
• Blues are 1-6 in the past seven trips to Denver.
• OVER is 6-0 in the past six meetings.

Betting On The NHL Playoffs

Best NHL Betting Sites:

bet365 | BetMGM | Caesars Sportsbook | FanDuel | FOX Bet | PointsBet | SI Sportsbook | Unibet | Best US Sportsbooks

Where to bet on the NHL Playoffs:

Arizona | Colorado | Illinois | Indiana | Louisiana | Michigan | New Jersey | New York | Pennsylvania | Tennessee | Virginia | West Virginia

Daniel Dobish

Dan is a handicapper and sports betting expert for VegasInsider with years of experience writing for a number of top publications in the industry. More from Daniel Dobish