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The Colorado Avalanche will try and take a commanding 3-1 series lead as they face the St. Louis Blues in Game 4 of the second-round series. It's time to continue our NHL odds series with an Avalanche-Blues prediction and pick.
The Avalanche defeated the St. Louis Blues 5-2 in Game 3 on Saturday. St. Louis struck first when Colton Parayko blasted a nearly 100 mph slapshot off the faceoff that cracked the defenseman's stick and corralled into the net. Later, the Avalanche responded when Logan O'Connor picked up a loose puck off the dump and spun from the backhand to the forehand to stick it into the net for the tie.
Colorado took the lead in the second when Nazem Kadri redirected a Cale Makar shot and put the Avs up 2-1. Ville Husso misread a situation late in the third with the Blues trailing 3-2. He began to head to the bench and did not realize the puck was across the blue line. Husso had to scramble back and was unable to handle a two-on-one Avalanche attack. Gabriel Landeskog put in the fourth goal past a scrambling Husso.
It was a game that saw starter Jordan Binnington leave the game, following a collision with Nazem Kadri. Unfortunately, the injury will cause Binnington to miss the rest of the second round. There is extra vitriol against Kadri as Binnington threw a water bottle at him following the injury. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the series unfolds now.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Avalanche-Blues odds:
NHL odds: Avalanche-Blues Odds
Avalanche: -1.5 (+142)
Blues: +1.5 (-172)
Over: 6.5 (-114)
Under: 4.5 (-106)
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Why The Avalanche Could Cover The Spread
Colorado has the stars and the momentum. After struggling to play the Blues at home, the Avalanche had a slightly easier time with them in St. Louis. Kadri had a goal and an assist, while Mikko Rantanen produced two assists. Also, Nathan Mackinnon contributed an assist to the cause and has five goals and four assists in seven playoff games. Mackinnon has been one of the better players on the ice during these playoffs. Additionally, Cale Makar has been amazing, delivering three goals and eight assists in the playoffs. Makar also halted a two-game pointless streak in the win over the Blues.
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Darcy Kuemper leads them in net. He played up-and-down all season but produced a .935 save percentage in Game 3 as he stopped 29 shots. His defense blocked 13 shots for him, and the Avs killed off both power-play opportunities for the Blues in Game 3. Likewise, the Avalanche controlled the game, not allowing the Blues to get back into it.
The Avalanche has the tools to put the clamps on this series. They need their stars to show up and their goalie to execute as he did in Game 3. Additionally, Colorado must avoid a letdown following a win, as they could not do in Game 2.
The Avalanche will cover the spread if Mackinnon, Rantanen, Kadri, Makar, and Landeskog continue to execute and produce scoring opportunities. Also, they need Kuemper to remain consistent and stop everything the Blues throw at him.
Why The Blues Could Cover The Spread
St. Louis knows that this is a game they probably must win. Going down 3-1 and heading back to Colorado would be disastrous. Now, the Blues must showcase all their talent and produce a win. St. Louis has the stars to do it. Ryan O'Reilly produced a goal and an assist in game 3. Additionally, Parayko produced a goal. But those two were the only Blues players that managed to do much of anything. Vladimir Tarasenko fired six shots on goal, and Justin Faulk produced four. Additionally, David Perron had four shots. None of these three successfully converted a shot into a goal and were probably wondering what they needed to do to score.
Husso was not great in relief of Binnington as he allowed four goals on 19 shots. Thus, he will need to play much better to give the Blues a chance to come back in this series. He is 1-3 in these playoffs with a 3.38 goals-against average, and a .891 save percentage. However, the one win he has was in a 37-save shutout victory over the Minnesota Wild in the first round. He can play at an elite level and needs to find that in himself again.
The Blues cover the spread if their stars convert on their shots and Husso plays at the elite level he has shown in spurts.
Final Avalanche-Blues Prediction & Pick
The Blues need to win. Because of that, I feel they will keep this game close and make it entertaining. Husso will step up and deliver to give his team the best chance to win. Expect the Blues to cover, and potentially for this game to go into overtime to determine a winner.
Final Avalanche-Blues Prediction & Pick: Blues: +1.5 (-172)
