The St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche meet again in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Last year, the Avs swept St. Louis in the first round. Will the Blues take the first game of this series rematch? Or will the Avalanche continue their postseason winning ways against St. Louis? Check out our preview of this Blues vs. Avalanche Stanley Cup Playoffs showdown.
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Betting Preview for the St. Louis Blues vs Colorado Avalanche 2022 Playoffs Round 2 Game 1 on May 17, 2022
Where: Ball Arena, Denver
When: Tuesday, May 17, 2022, 7:00 PM ET
Line: St. Louis Blues (+1.5) vs. Colorado Avalanche (-1.5) – view all 2021-22 NHL lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the St. Louis Blues (+1.5)
Regular Season Record: 49-22-11
After a bad start to their first-round matchup against the Minnesota Wild, the Blues woke up and showed no mercy on their opponent. From Games 4 to 6, the Blues went 3-0 and outscored Minnesota, 15-5. The top two lines of the Blues did the heavy lifting offensively, but bottom-six forward Jordan Kyrou also put up some serious work with 3 goals and an assist in that series. David Perron led the Blues in the first round with 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists), while Ryan O’Reilly also found the back of the net five times to go with 3 assists. Vladimir Tarasenko, the Blues’ regular-season leader in goals, netted 5 goals as well. St. Louis did all that while getting owned in the possession battle by the Wild, which is also a testament to how great goalie Jordan Binnington was in that round. Binnington came away with a 3-0 record and a 1.68 GAA plus a .943 SV% against Minnesota.
The Blues, who have scored at least a power-play goal in each of their last eight games dating back to the regular season, are 8-2 in their last 10 outings away from home.
Betting on the Colorado Avalanche (-1.5)
Regular Season Record: 56-19-7
Among all teams that made the playoffs, the Avs had the easiest time in the first round. Colorado absolutely dominated a solid Nashville Predators team, sweeping Roman Josi and company in four games. Only one game in that series was settled by one goal. The rest was an utter show of mastery by the Avs on both ends of the ice. Speaking of dual brilliance, no other Avs exemplified that better than defenseman Cale Makar, who led all skaters from both sides in that series with 10 points, scoring 3 goals and dropping dimes for 7 other Colorado scores. Another defenseman who wreaked havoc in that series was Devon Toews, who silently had a plus/minus of +5. Moreover, all the top four players who led the Avs in plus/minus against the Preds were defensemen. The Avs’ depth on the blue line and the versatility that group is providing are going to be big keys for Colorado in the second round.
The Avs, who averaged 5.25 goals for per game against Nashville, are 8-2 in their last 10 outings as the home team.
Writer’s Prediction
The Avs win, 4-2.
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