Blues vs Avalanche Game 2 Odds and Picks
- The Blues vs Avalanche odds favor Colorado as -235 moneyline favorites in Game 2 on Thursday (9:30 pm ET)
- Colorado took the series opener 3-2 in OT, and badly outplayed St. Louis
- Read below for the Blues vs Avalanche Game 2 odds, analysis and betting prediction
It took a little longer than expected in Game 1 but the Colorado Avalanche showed the St. Louis Blues why they’re the Stanley Cup frontrunners.
The Avs overcame a slow start in the series opener to claim an overtime victory, but as we’ll dive into later, they completely outplayed the Blues after the opening 20 minutes.
Colorado was a heavy -230 moneyline favorite in Game 1, and oddsmakers are even more bullish on them for Game 2 on Thursday.
Blues vs Avalanche Odds
| Team | Puck Line | Total | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Blues | +1.5 (-125) | O 6.5 (-120) | +185 |
| Colorado Avalanche | -1.5 (+105) | U 6.5 (+100) | -235 |
Odds as of May 18th at Barstool Sportsbook.
The Avs opened up as -235 moneyline favorites, in a contest that features a total of 6.5. Puck drop is set for 9:30 pm ET at Ball Arena in Denver, CO, with TNT providing the broadcast coverage.
As for the series market, Colorado is now -750 to advance to the conference final. If you think they can pull off their second consecutive sweep, they’re available to bet at +275 to win in four games.
Blues vs Avalanche Betting Analysis
The Avalanche, who are overwhelming +170 favorites in the Stanley Cup odds, showed the effects of a week long layoff out of the gate in Game 1. They fell behind just six minutes into the game, but managed to flip the switch shortly after that.
Colorado wound up outshooting St. Louis 54-25, clanking three shots off the post and another two off the crossbar. They fired 12 shots at Jordan Binnington in OT before Josh Manson finally snuck one through.
OT WINNER, JOSH MANSON FOR THE @Avalanche! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/15WPigGKlE
— NHL (@NHL) May 18, 2022
If not for Binnington, the Avalanche would have cruised to victory. He appears to have recaptured the form he flashed during the Blues 2019 Cup run, and became the fourth goalie in franchise history with a 50+ save performance in the postseason.
The Avalanche improved to 3 and 1 against St. Louis this season, and have now reeled off eight straight playoff wins versus them. They swept the Blues in last year’s postseason, outscoring them 20-7.
Blues vs Avalanche Stats
If Colorado maintains the dominant advantage they showed in possession and opportunity in Game 1, this series could be over quick.
This is a blow out game if it weren’t for Binnington pic.twitter.com/sY3J6a43vJ
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 18, 2022
The Avalanche had a 70% to 30% advantage in Corsi, and produced 18 high danger scoring chances compared to only five by St. Louis. That translated into three more expected goals for, but this kind of dominance is nothing new to Colorado.
During the first round, they held the advantage in Corsi in every single game versus Nashville. They would up producing 35 more high danger scoring chances during the series, and at least 1.5 more expected goals in every contest.
Avalanche power play up 2-1
Blues backers: pic.twitter.com/S3Guzk0OYb
— SportsBettingDime (@SBD) May 18, 2022
No team is converting at a higher rate (36.8%) with the man advantage in the playoffs, and while their offense leads the postseason in goals per game, their defense is certainly no slouch. The Avs are yielding only 2.2 goals per game, the second lowest mark of the remaining eight teams.
Blues vs Avalanche Pick
Colorado is now 35-5-4 at home this season and have proven through five games in this year’s postseason that they are head and shoulders above the competition.
The Blues defenders trying to slow down the Avalanche pic.twitter.com/1ifZLjAgJe
— SportsBettingDime (@SBD) May 18, 2022
The only thing that can slow them down is a hot goaltender, and while Binnington was spectacular in Game 1, banking on him to repeat that effort in Game 2 is a lot to ask.
Another reason to be pessimistic about St. Louis is that they held the Avs top-two players, and Hart Trophy odds longshots, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar to a single point in Game 1, and still lost. Keeping them in check for two straight games seems unlikely.
Colorado has won three of its five playoff games by at least two goals, and I like betting on them to win convincingly on Thursday.
Pick: Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (+105)
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As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
