The St. Louis Blues visit the Ball Arena in Denver to take on the Colorado Avalanche in Game 1 of their second-round NHL Playoffs series. The Blues dispatched the Minnesota Wild in six games in the opening round, while the Avalanche swept the Nashville Predators.
The Blues are looking to avoid a sweep by the Avalanche for the second consecutive year. They certainly have the goal scorers to keep up with Colorado, but the defense will need to step up and stop the best offensive attack in the playoffs. We dig deeper with our NHL betting picks and predictions for Blues vs. Avalanche on Tuesday, May 17.
Blues vs Avalanche Game 1 odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Avalanche came out as heavy favorites, opening at -244, but have come down from that number as low as -213 at DraftKings at the time of this writing. The Blues hit the board at +195 and that also has fallen to anywhere between +181 to +190. The total started at 7.0 but has slid to 6.5 with the Over at -125 and the Under at +110.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Blues vs Avalanche Game 1 predictions
Predictions made on 5/17/2022 at 6:55 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Blues vs Avalanche Game 1 info
• Location: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
• Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2022
• Puck drop: 9:30 p.m. ET
• TV: TNT
Blues vs Avalanche series odds
Blues: +275.
Avalanche: -350.
Blues vs Avalanche Game 1 betting preview
Key injuries
Blues: Marco Scandella D (Questionable), Torey Krug D (Out).
Avalanche: Ryan Murray D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Blues vs Avalanche head-to-head record (2021-2022)
Blues: 1-2 SU, 11 goals for.
Avalanche: 2-1 SU, 12 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Blues are 1-6 straight up in their last seven against the Avalanche. Find more NHL betting trends for Blues vs. Avalanche.
Blues vs Avalanche Game 1 picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Puck line analysis
The Colorado Avalanche steamrolled their first-round opponent, the Nashville Predators, and are looking to sweep the St. Louis Blues, just like they did in last year's playoffs.
While the Blues are not the Predators, exacting revenge might be a difficult goal to attain.
Colorado leads the playoffs in two offensive categories. They are first in goals for — averaging 5.25 per game — and power-play conversion at 43.8%.
The top three lines for the Avalanche have been impressive. All but Nicolas Aube-Kubel has a point, and nine different players have already potted goals in just four games.
As impressive as Colorado’s scoring has been, St. Louis might be able to keep up with them. The Blues' first two lines impressed against the Wild. David Perron and Ryan O’Reilly have nine and eight points, respectively, while linemate Brayden Schenn has three more.
The second line of Pavel Buchnevich, Robert Thomas, and Vladimir Tarasenko has a combined 13 points.
There was concern that the long layoff for the Avalanche would be detrimental, but they don’t show rust when they return from a break. They are 4-0 when playing on three or more days rest.
In the two regular-season wins the Avalanche picked up against the Blues this year, one of them was by more than two goals. In last year’s playoff sweep with the Blues, they won all four games by at least two goals. Despite St. Louis' superior offense compared to Nashville, we like that trend to continue in Game 1.
Prediction: Avalanche -1.5 goals (+110 at WynnBet)
Over/Under analysis
The Over is 6-0 in the last six meetings between the Blues and Avalanche and both teams have the offense to score bunches of goals.
The Blues are 13-2-1 on the Over in their last 16 road games. They are also 6-1 during that span when listed as an underdog. The Over is also 38-13-1 in their last 52 games against a team with a winning record.
In the Blues’ previous series against the Wild, the Over was 4-2.
Colorado seems to be just as proficient in going over the total. The Avalanche are 5-1 in their last six games as the favorite. In their first-round series against Nashville, the Over was 3-1. The Avalanche outscored the Predators 21-9.
The scoring for both teams should push the total to the Over for most of this series. David Perron is leading the way for St. Louis as the first-line winger has tallied five goals and four assists.
He is far from the only player to find the back of the net. Linemate Ryan O’Reilly has five goals and three assists while second-line forward Vladimir Tarasenko also has five goals and a helper.
As gifted as St. Louis' scoring attack can be, the Avalanche are simply the more complete club.
Defenseman Cale Makar is on another level, with three goals to go along with his team-leading seven assists. Gabriel Landeskog (three goals, three assists), Nathan MacKinnon (five goals, one assist), and Devon Toews (three goals, two assists) are the other main pieces in the Avalanche’s offensive success.
Prediction: Over 6.5 goals (-125 at Caesars)
Best bet
St. Louis forward David Perron was outstanding in the first round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Wild, and he'll need to maintain his production if the Blues have even a remote chance of upsetting heavily favored Colorado.
Perron leads the Blues in points after six postseason games with nine and is tied in goals with five.
Playing on the first line with center Ryan O’Reilly — who also has five goals — has boosted his numbers.
The Blues are fifth among playoff teams in scoring, averaging 3.67 goals per game. The power play will also produce chances for Perron. He is on the first unit and the Blues are converting at a fourth-best 30.8% of the time.
The Avalanche defense is better than the Wild’s, averaging 2.25 goals against compared to Minnesota's 3.67.
Still, Perron will get his chances, and if it is anything like the Minnesota series, he will convert.
Pick: David Perron anytime goal (+175)
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