St. Louis Blues vs. Colorado Avalanche Prediction and Prop Bets

The St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche meet at Ball Arena tonight in what we think will be a hard-fought Central Division showdown tonight.

Colorado is coming into this game as a strong favorite at -210 on the moneyline, while St. Louis sits at +155 looking to pull off the upset. The total is set at a pretty low 5.5 goals, with the over slightly favored at -125.

These 2 teams, despite having fairly decent seasons thus far, are not doing too great as of late. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some great bets for your bet slip.

Blues Aim to Snap Their Slump

The St. Louis Blues are struggling to find any amount of consistency. They’ve dropped 4 of their last 5 games, including a 5-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks in their most recent matchup.

The Blues’ offense continues to sputter as they’re managing just 2.75 goals per game, which ranks just 24th in the NHL. On top of that, their special teams haven’t helped much either. Their PP unit converted only 18.8% of their power plays this season which puts them in the lower half of the league as well.

Goaltending hasn’t been much better, either. Jordan Binnington, with his 2.89 GAA and .897 save percentage, is far from his potential. Backup Joel Hofer has been just a little more reliable as he’s posting a 2.75 GAA and a .906 save percentage.

However, the Blues’ overall defense has been where they’ve lost their games as they’ve allowed 3.02 goals per game which is good for only 17th in the league.

Despite this, it does get a little worse. Injuries to key players like defenseman Nick Leddy and left winger Jake Neighbours have further hampered St. Louis from being overly productive on both sides of the ice.

Their lack of depth makes tonight’s road game against Colorado even tougher.

Avalanche Looking to Rebound

The Colorado Avalanche are also battling their own bout of inconsistencies. With a 1-4 record in their last 5 games, they too are looking to get it together. Their most recent game  — a 5-2 loss to the struggling New York Islanders — simply highlighted some defensive lapses despite an edge in shots on goal.

Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, who has been solid for the better part of the season, has struggled lately. He’s allowed 18 goals in his last 5 starts which puts him at 3.6 goals per game.

If Colorado opts to rest Blackwood, Scott Wedgewood is likely to start. Wedgewood isn’t doing that great this season as he has a 2.84 GAA and .898 save percentage, but the kicker is that he’s given up 14 goals across his last 5 outings; so, he’s been a little better as of late.

The Avs’ defense has been shaky at best. They’ve allowed 3.15 goals per game, but their offense remains solid, sitting 8th in the league with 3.25 goals per game.

Colorado’s offensive core, led by Nathan MacKinnon, is getting a bit of a shake-up as they’ve recently traded Mikko Rantanen for Martin Necas which should still give the Blues plenty of trouble. MacKinnon leads the team with 78 points spanning their 52 games, while Necas has already notched 59 points this season but is unproven with the Avs.

Despite missing winger Valeri Nichushkin, the Avalanche should have enough firepower to outpace the struggling St. Louis Blues.

Prediction and Best Bet

The Avalanche have been far more consistent at home, even if that’s not saying much, and their offense holds a clear edge over the Blues.

St. Louis lacks both the firepower and defensive structure to keep up. This is especially true against Colorado’s dynamic top line even with the recent changes.

To cap all of that off, the Blues’ poor road form — they’ve lost 3 of their last 4 away games and have an overall road record of 12-11-3 — further tilts this matchup in Colorado’s favor.

• HelloRookie’s Prediction: Avalanche 5, Blues 2
• Best Bet: Avalanche to cover the -1.5 puck line at +135

Colorado’s offensive depth and the Blues’ leaky defense make this a pretty decent value play with plus money on the table.

As for the totals bet, OVER 5.5 is looking pretty nice. Both teams have been inconsistent defensively, with Colorado allowing 3.15 goals per game and St. Louis giving up 3.02 goals per game. We Expect a high-scoring game, with Colorado’s offensive edge pushing the total over.

Explosive Prop Bets for the Avs vs. Blues

We all love betting on hockey games, but with this one, there are a few other options you won’t want to miss out on. Given their current form, we’ve found 3 player props you might want to toss onto your bet slip.

1. Arturri Lehkonen Anytime Goalscorer (+185). Lehkonen is riding a 3-game goal streak, and with Colorado’s top-six forwards creating more than enough chances, he’s a great pick to find the back of the net again tonight.
2. Dylan Holloway Over 0.5 Assists (+195). Holloway has notched at least one assist in each of his last 5 road games. Against Colorado’s fairly inconsistent defense, we think that this prop has some great upside.
3. Jonathan Drouin Over 0.5 Assists (+110). Drouin knows how to work the Blues and create plays. He’s had an assist in each of his last 5 home games against the Blues. We think he’ll get another helper tonight.

The Avalanche should take care of business at home and send St. Louis to yet another tough loss. We are expecting Colorado to control the game for all 60 minutes and make it a long night for the Blues’ struggling lineup.