Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and the Colorado Avalanche will do battle against Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, and the St. Louis Blues at the Enterprise Center for a divisional tilt. NBC Sports Network will air the game, and the puck drops at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, April 1.
Colorado Avalanche at St. Louis Blues Odds
St. Louis (-160) is currently the favorite over Colorado (+140), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-120 money on the under, +100 on the over).
St. Louis is 42-36 straight-up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 0.4 units this year. That winning percentage, ranked 3rd in the Central Division in this young season, hasn’t moved much from the 44-38 record the team posted during the 2017-18 season campaign. Of its 78 regular season matches, 41 have gone under the total, while 32 have gone over and just five have pushed. The team’s 21-17 SU at home this year.
The Blues have converted on 20.4 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated ninth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.6 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 24.9 saves per game with a .905 save percentage, Jake Allen (19-26-7) has been the top goalkeeper for St. Louis this year. If St. Louis decides to give him the night off, however, the team could turn to Jordan Binnington (21-8-8 record, .928 save percentage, 1.85 goals against average).
On the other hand, Colorado is 36-42 straight up (SU) and has lost 13.7 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 78 regular season contests, 39 of its games have gone under the total, while 38 have gone over and just one has pushed. The Avalanche are 17-22 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Avalanche have scored on 22.5 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 26th overall and it’s successfully killed off 78.2 percent of all penalties.
Semyon Varlamov (.910 save percentage and 2.86 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Colorado. Varlamov is averaging 27.8 saves per game and owns a 19-28-9 record.
Colorado Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues Betting Predictions
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- The Blues are 1-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while the Avalanche are 2-1 in shootouts.
- For both of these teams, the game went over the total in three of their last five matchups.
- Seven of Colorado’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 5-2 in those games.
- Colorado skaters recorded 20.4 hits per game last season, while the Blues logged 23.1 hits per contest.
