Blues vs. Avalanche Series Odds and Prediction (Avalanche With Overwhelming Talent Advantage)
By Joe Summers
The No. 3 St. Louis Blues take on the No. 1 seeded Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Semifinals; beginning Tuesday, May 17th, at 9:30 PM EST.
This series is a rematch of a 4-0 sweep by the Avalanche in the first round last year. This time around, the Blues are much more formidable
Unfortunately for St. Louis, so is Colorado. The Avalanche easily dispatched the Predators in a sweep and will be well-rested after the Blues needed six games to take out Minnesota. Colorado won the regular season series 2-1 and are heavy favorites to advance to the Conference Finals.
Blues vs Avalanche Series Odds
WynnBET Sportsbook has the Avalanche listed as -425 favorites, while the Blues are +325 to advance.
The odds aren't quite as steep for Game 1, but Colorado is still expected to win. WynnBET has them at -225 to win the first contest of the series and the Blues at +190 to pull off an early upset.
Blues vs Avalanche Series Prediction and Pick
It would take a major collapse for Colorado to lose this series. The Avalanche are no strangers to early playoff miscues though, as they've lost in the second round for three consecutive seasons.
They have the upper-hand at every level in this matchup and were the NHL's best team all season long. They amassed a 56-19 record, including a ridiculous 32-5 on the moneyline at home with an overwhelming amount of talent.
Cale Makar and Devon Toews make up an elite back end for the Avalanche, and Makar, in particular, was brilliant against Nashville. He scored three goals and 10 points in the four-game sweep and combined, the two defensemen provide incredible support to an attack that scored the fourth-most goals per game in the NHL this year.
To their credit, St. Louis has championship pedigree on the roster with Jordan Binnington leading the way in goal, and have been scrappy underdogs all season. They were 13-14 as an underdog and 20-7 on the puck line, so they were excellent at hanging around in games they weren't supposed to.
No one expects the Blues to advance, which puts all the pressure on Colorado to finally get past the second round. But the Avalanche looked downright dominant in their first round sweep and seem ready to roll. They outscored the Predators 21-9 in four games and just have too much talent to ignore.
We can't forget Playoff Nathan MacKinnon, who has 75 points in 54 career postseason games. He scored five goals in the first round sweep and looks like one of the best players in the world.
While St. Louis will put up a fight, sometimes the cards are too stacked against you. Willpower only takes you so far before sheer ability takes over, and the Avalanche have an embarrassment of riches in the ability department.
I think the Blues will be able to steal a game at home, but Colorado gets past them rather easily. I'll pick the Avalanche to advance in five games while displaying the dominance that made them such hefty Stanley Cup favorites all season.
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