Will the Avs live up to their role as favourites?
This was only the first strike and the second one follows right away? The Blues were able to hand the Avalanche their first loss ever this postseason on Thursday, evening the series away from home. Will this scenario repeat itself on Saturday in St. Louis?
The chances of that are not quite so good, as Colorado rarely plays two weak games in a row. In the first playoff round, the Blues started the first home game with a 1-1 score and were then handed a 5-1 defeat by the Wild.
However, a Blues win in front of their own fans is undoubtedly possible and would put the Avs under a lot of pressure. We therefore expect another cautious game in which neither team wants to run into the open.
Already in the first two games the five-goal mark was not exceeded and we do not expect much more for Game 3. So for St. Louis vs. Colorado, our prediction is a hard-fought duel that should still go to the Avs in the end.
St. Louis Blues – statistics & current form
The Blues never cease to surprise the average NFL fan. When they stormed to the Stanley Cup two years ago like this, they were often the underdogs, only to hit the big time in the end anyway.
Can they do the same now in the series against Colorado, which they entered as the biggest underdogs of any team in Round 2? It certainly looks like they can make the series more exciting than many expected.
Blues with the Championship Gene
What is always noticeable in the meantime is that former Cup winners can go one better in the decisive moments, even against favoured teams. The best example of this is also the current champs from Tampa, who pose big problems for the best team of the regular season.
That is also the strength of the Blues. They know how to win the decisive duels and have that instilled confidence. The Avs sometimes lack that, having chased the Cup unsuccessfully for a couple of years now.
Defence the focus of the series so far
The Blues’ biggest asset so far has been their defence. At 2.50 goals conceded per game, they have the second best defence in the playoffs and especially if they can continue to hold the series to low scoring games, anything is possible.
With Jordan Bennington again excelling on Thursday (96.8% save percentage), we expect the Blues to not get blown out on Saturday either. For St. Louis against Colorado, a bet on under 6.5 goals is the better alternative to win bets.
Key Players:
G: Jordan Binnington
D: Nick Leddy
D: Colton Parayko
LW: Brayden Schenn
C: Ryan O’Rielly
RW: David Perron
Colorado Avalanche – Statistics & current form
The Avs have lost a playoff game – the first of this season. That won’t end their world right now, but they’ll have to figure out how to crack this sturdy Blues defence.
They are also starting to show their disadvantage at the goalie position, where Darcy Kuemper (92.3 % save percentage) and Pavel Francouz (90.2 %) are a few percentage points behind Bennington. Some experts were already aware before the season that this could become a problem in the end.
Patience is needed
If things don’t go well up front, then at least your own defence has to stand up. That’s one of the main credos in the NHL and that’s exactly what the Avs failed to do Thursday. At some point they got too hectic up front and caught one or two counter-attacks.
The best example was the 1:3 by David Perron, which happened only a few seconds after a face-off in the Blues’ third. That kind of thing must not happen to them too often. Already in Game 1 nine give-aways almost broke their neck.
Avs still on the right track
Aside from a few minor recklessnesses, however, the Avalanche can’t be faulted too much at all. They led in hits again in Game 2 with 45:38, which speaks for the fact that they continued to act with high intensity. That’s what they need now in Game 3.
We see Colorado slightly ahead here, but so do the bookies. So for Blues vs Avs, the odds on Colorado are not quite as good. However, for those who prefer winning bets, we still recommend betting on the Avs, who simply have the greater quality in their squad.
Key Players:
G: Darcy Kuemper
D: Devon Toews
D: Cale Makar
LW: Valeri Nichuskin
C: Nathan MacKinnon
RW: Mikko Rantanen
St. Louis Blues – Colorado Avalanche Direct comparison / H2H-balance
Thursday’s 4-1 win was also the Blues’ first playoff win over the Avs this millennium. Now that sounds a little worse than it actually is, though, as the two have only met six times before.
Nevertheless, the statistics are still clearly in favour of Colorado, who have won eight of the last twelve meetings. For them, the home defeat in Game 2 should therefore only be seen as a slip-up.
For the Blues against the Avalanche, the odds on the Avs are therefore also significantly lower and, including overtime and the penalty shootout, are only around 1.65. Bets on under 6.5 goals are therefore the tip of our choice – a number that has not yet been exceeded in the series.
St. Louis Blues – Colorado Avalanche Tip
The further the playoffs progress, the lower the scoring games become. A realisation we haven’t just had since this year (Flames vs. Oilers excepted). Incidentally, we are currently experiencing the same phenomenon in the NBA, where defence is suddenly taking centre stage.
However, since bettors are still somewhat influenced by the Avs’ high-scoring games in Round 1, the total points are still quite high. Therefore, for Blues vs. Avalanche, a bet on under 6.5 goals is our favoured betting option.
The alternative for this matchup also goes in this direction. We don’t expect the Avs to allow four goals again, so we see Under 3.5 goals by St. Louis as a good betting option as well.
