The Colorado Avalanche are looking to stay hot against the St. Louis Blues in the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Avs made quick work of the Nashville Predators in the first round, defeating their opponents in four games, and now they'll look to see similar results against the Blues. St. Louis should provide a more difficult test than Nashville did, but the Avs are certainly up for the challenge. We'll be making some bold Avalanche-Blues predictions for their second-round matchup in the 2022 NHL Playoffs.
Colorado needed overtime in one of their four games against the Preds, but otherwise, they swept their first-round series without much of a hitch. It was never in doubt that the Avs would make a deep run in the playoffs, and they'll be well-rested heading into their matchup with the Blues. Nathan MacKinnon has proven throughout the playoffs that he's arguably the best player in hockey, which is crazy because he isn't even the best player on his team. Star defenseman Cale Makar has been nothing short of phenomenal in the playoffs and will look to pick up where he left off after a prolific first round that saw him register 10 points in the four-game series. In all but one game, Makar recorded three points, leading the charge for Colorado on both ends of the ice.
The Blues needed six games to dispose of the Minnesota Wild, but managed to do so without too much trouble. David Perron and Vladamir Tarasenko were excellent in the opening round for the Blues, constantly providing pressure in front of goal. Captain Ryan O'Reilly played a huge role as well, scoring some key goals and leading the team in and off the ice. Minnesota struggled to sustain Kirill Kaprizov in the opening round, but ultimately it didn't cost them. However, failure to lock down some of the multiple superstars on Colorado's lines will be far more detrimental in this series for St. Louis.
3 bold Avalanche predictions vs. Blues in 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs
3. Mikko Rantanen steps up after quiet first round
While it seemed just about every Avs player was dominant in the first round, one of their usual goalscoring suspects had a rather quiet series. Mikko Rantanen, who recorded 92 points in the regular season, failed to score a single goal against the Predators. While he had five points throughout the series, he was held off the scoresheet entirely in two games, and failed to make his usual impact around the net. Rantanen never recorded more than 2 shots on goal in a single game against the Predators, despite typically recording 3-4 per game during the regular season. While his dropoff in production wasn't harmful to Colorado, they'll want him firing at his normal rate in the second round. We're expecting Rantanen to bounce back with two multi-goal performances against the Blues.
2. Cale Makar records 2+ points in EVERY game
Cale Makar has cemented himself as the brightest young defender in hockey, and is maybe already the best defenseman in the league. His ability to turn defense into offense is on par with the likes of Roman Josi and Victor Hedman, and he seems to always make the right decision in terms of making a pass or letting a slap shot fly. The 23-year-old will play a huge role in the series against the Blues and we're expecting him to show out on a nightly basis, with 2+ points in each game of the series. He narrowly missed out on achieving that against Nashville, and with the offense playing at a high level, he can certainly get it done in Round 2.
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1. Nathan MacKinnon leads the series in goals
There are some talented goal scorers on both sides, but no one has the knack for finding the back of the net that MacKinnon does. With his blend of power and speed, he's nearly unguardable in transition and can change the tide of the game in a matter of seconds. The 26-year-old scored five goals in the first-round series against the Predators, and we're expecting him to lead both teams in goals scored during the second round. He scored 32 goals in 65 regular-season games, and we're expecting him to keep up his red-hot pace in the playoffs when up against the Blues. Despite the strong goalscorers on St. Louis, including Tarasenko, Perron, and Jordan Kyrou, none possess the offensive prowess that MacKinnon boasts.
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