Blues vs Avalanche Betting Odds

• The St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche play a round-robin playoff seeding game on Sunday, August 2nd
• The game is being listed as a pick’em by online sportsbooks
• Read below for the game preview and best bet

The St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche will faceoff in a round robin game on Sunday, August 2nd to help determine seeding for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Blues are the favorite among the top four Western Conference teams to earn the top seed for the playoffs.

The Blues and Avalanche were separated by just two points in the regular season standings, so sportsbooks are listing this game as a pick’em.

With the game being played in front of no fans, how should you bet on the Blues vs. Avalanche odds?

St. Louis Blues vs Colorado Avalanche Odds

Odds taken July  29

Clash of the Titans

The Blues and Avalanche were the two best teams in the Western Conference this season and posted similar statistics. The Avalanche had the better offensive season, but both teams were among the league’s best when it came to defense. With all the talent on Colorado’s roster, it remains a mystery why their power play struggled this year.

Blues vs Avalanche Stats

Binnington Isn’t Nervous

While these round-robin games don’t have the same stakes as the actual playoffs, there’s still pressure on teams to win so they hold “home ice advantage” and occupy a higher seed in the postseason. Jordan Binnington is one goaltender who doesn’t crumble under pressure.

Binnington was called up from San Antonio of the AHL in January last season and went on to lead the Blues to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Binnington’s .912 save percentage this season isn’t spectacular, but he’s proven just how good he can be when the games matter most.

A question mark for the Avalanche heading into the 2020 postseason is goaltending. Coach Jared Bednar has yet to name his starter for the playoffs as Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz are set to split the round-robin games. Both goalies had strong seasons, but neither one has the confidence and experience that Binnington gained from his 2019 run.

Split Season Series

The Blues and Avalanche split their 2019-20 regular season series, but Colorado took the two most recent meetings in commanding fashion. Hart Trophy contender Nathan MacKinnon and company flexed their offensive muscles by beating St. Louis in two January contests by a combined score of 12-6. Both victories came on home ice, but the Avalanche proved they can score against this stout St. Louis defense.

In the Blues’ two victories earlier in the season, they were able to limit Colorado to just three total goals. When St. Louis is playing to their full potential, they can wear teams down and frustrate elite offenses. The Avs have plenty of offensive firepower, but we might not see it in the opening game with no crowd energy to feed off after a long layoff.

Tarasenko/Rantanen Back to Full Health 

The Blues and Avalanche were both bit hard by the injury bug this season. Blues’ star forward Vladimir Tarasenko underwent shoulder injury in October and will make his return to the lineup against Colorado in the seeding round. The Avs, meanwhile, lost 223 man-games to injury this season, including a combined 57 missed games for stars Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar and Gabriel Landeskog.

And we'll wrap up with the money quote from Tarasenko, on hub city life: "We don't go there like for a resort, where we're expecting unbelievable food service, like five-star summer resort. We've going for playing hockey … I don't need much to live. I just need a bed and food."

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) July 16, 2020

The Avalanche proved throughout the 2019-20 regular season that they have the depth to overcome any injuries. Getting Tarasenko back will be a huge boost for the Blues, as the Russian sniper led the team in goal-scoring for five straight seasons prior to incurring the injury early in the 2019-20 season. With Tarasenko back in the fold, the Blues have a deep offense that can matchup with Colorado’s elite offense.

Betting Advice 

The Avalanche have the offensive talent to do some major damage this postseason, but I don’t expect it to come to fruition right out of the gate. The Blues play a style of hockey that is built for the playoffs and are the safe play here due to experience. With two quality goalies in the game, also consider taking the “Under”.

Pick: St. Louis Blues (-105)