Top NHL Picks and Predictions Today (Expected a More Tightened Up Game 6 for Avalanche vs. Blues)
By Ben Heisler
With Iain MacMillan out today, I'm in between the preverbal pipes this Friday with one game on the board to wager on.
The Colorado Avalanche got shell shocked by the St. Louis Blues in Game 5 in Denver, scoring four goals in the final period and three-plus minutes into overtime to stun the Stanley Cup favorites at WynnBET Sportsbook; forcing a Game 6 back in St. Louis tonight.
Should Colorado win on the road, they'll advance to the Western Conference Finals to take on Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, who knocked out the Calgary Flames in five games Thursday night; dominating the Battle for Alberta.
Our guy Iain got back to .500 with a 2-0 night on Thursday; bringing his playoff betting record to 33-33-1 so far.
No pressure to keep it going, right?
Let's dive in, with all odds courtesy of WynnBET.
Colorado Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues Game 6 Prediction and Pick
Turns out, we both are in unison on our best bet for Game 6, bucking the trend in this series of overs hitting in the last three games.
Game 5 was well on its way to going UNDER 6.5 before a figurative avalanche of scoring came from the St. Louis side late in the game. Via The Athletic, Avalanche goalie Darcy Kuemper allowed just under three goals than expected down the stretch of the game. Unless it's all in his head as the series continues, I don't see another outlier happening again tonight.
As for St. Louis, their comeback was an outlier of its own. Via ESPN Stats and Info, the Blues are the first team to score two game-tying goals in the final five minutes of an elimination game.
On Wednesday, the Blues became the first team to score 2 game-tying goals in the final 5 minutes of regulation when facing elimination. pic.twitter.com/B8ekwwi29P
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 26, 2022
It's been 20 years since Colorado advanced to the Western Conference Finals. If they get off to a lead, I expect much more emphasis on taking care of the puck and not forcing bad turnovers for the Blues to get the crowd back on their side.
It should be a close, intense game throughout, and for the first time since Game 2, the under is back in play.
PICK: UNDER 6.5 (+100)
Follow all of Ben Heisler's betting plays in real-time HERE