Game three of the second round is tonight as the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche are tied at one game each. The series heads to St. Louis for game three after the Blues won game two late in the third period. That was the first time the Avalanche lost a game this postseason and it while it won't be the last, they certainly didn't want it to happen on home ice. Regardless, I can tell that this is going to be a fantastic series as it’s time to continue our NHL odds series with an Avalanche-Blues prediction and pick.
Here are the Avalanche-Blues NHL Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Avalanche-Blues Odds
Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (+140) (-170 ML)
St. Louis Blues: +1.5 (-170) (+140 ML)
Over: 6.5 (-120)
Under: 6.5 (-104)
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Why The Avalanche Can Cover The Spread/Win
The Colorado Avalanche have shown a lack of offense in this series, which is a rare form for a team of this caliber. The “rest vs rust” debate is now in full swing as their aggressiveness hasn't been able to capitalize. They heavily outshot the Blues in game one but struggled in game two. The offense needs to find its groove, but the defense has stepped up even more than it already has, eliminating the Blues' opportunities to find goals on the rush.
Most of the goals that the Avs are letting up have been from the Blues capitalizing on the Avs' mistakes, whether it's losing an edge in the offensive zone or flat out turning the puck over in their own zone on a breakout. The good news for the Avs is that goaltender Darcy Kuemper has been great in the net with a .923 save percentage in the playoffs so far. He's been keeping the Avs in these games, just can't seem to get a ton of production in front of him.
Why The Blues Can Cover The Spread/Win
The St. Louis Blues have looked pretty good in this series so far, especially their defense. They took game one into overtime and flat out won game two, all while focusing on shutting down the Avs' powerhouse offensive abilities. By most standards, the Blues' offense has certainly seen better days. The Blues like to control the puck and play a slow-paced game while the Avs are the complete opposite, playing a very fast game, forcing you to keep up. Both of these strategies are clearly working though as the Blues are capitalizing on Avalanche mistakes and not allowing them to get clean shots off.
Goaltender Jordan Binnington has been incredible in the playoffs so far as he is showing a .948 save percentage, including saving 81 out of 85 shots from the Avs in the second round alone. They'll look to take the lead in the series at home tonight before another home game on Monday.
Final Avalanche-Blues Prediction & Pick
This is certainly going to be a fantastic series and I can't wait to see what happens. As far as game three goes, I still like the Avs, and clearly the oddsmakers do too. They'll be coming out of the gate guns blazing after losing the last game, with the objective of getting the first goal of the game for the first time this series. because the odds aren't so great, and the defenses for both teams have been so incredible, give me the under, at a decent price too. I'm going to keep taking the under until proven wrong, which is dangerous if you know how offensively talented both of these teams are.
Final Avalanche-Blues Prediction and Pick: Under 6.5 (-104)
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