The Colorado Avalanche take their six-game winning streak into St. Louis on Tuesday evening to face a Central Division rival in the Blues. The puck is scheduled to drop at 8 PM ET at the Enterprise Center. Colorado just beat the Edmonton Oilers in OT on Saturday and now sits in a three-way tie with the Winnipeg Jets and the Dallas Stars for first place. As for St. Louis, they’ve also won four in a row but still, sit just outside of the Wild Card picture in the Western Conference. They just took down the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. Continue reading for the Avalanche vs Blues picks.
Before diving into the NHL picks, check out our top hockey betting sites and the Vegas odds for the NHL in the 2023-24 season.
The Avs are favored at -205 odds for an implied win probability of 67.21% on Tuesday on the road. The Blues come back at +182 and have a 35.46% chance of taking this one. The total in goals is set at 6.5. Colorado has won five of the last six against St. Louis, most recently beating them 2-1 at the end of 2023.
The Avalanche have been a very consistent team all season but they’re hitting their stride at the best time with just about a month left in the regular season. As previously mentioned, Colorado is riding a six-game winning streak and owns an 8-2-0 record in their last 10 contests. That includes wins over some very good teams such as the Red Wings, Canucks, and Stars. The Avs are 43-20-5 overall and have the best offense in the entire NHL.
Colorado is scoring 3.71 times per night, much in part to Nathan MacKinnon. The superstar leads the league in points with 116, including 42 goals and 74 assists. Mikko Rantanen also has 90 points, while defenceman Cale Makar has put up 74. Eight different players have tallied a minimum of 40 points on the Avs roster. That’s what you call balance. It was an unlikely hero on Saturday against Edmonton though, with Sean Walker scoring both goals in regulation before Artturi Lehkonen netted in overtime. Lehkonen finished the game with three points.
The Avalanche are clearly going to be a Stanley Cup contender. The divisional title is in reach, but the ultimate goal is a Cup. Valeri Nichushkin also just returned to the lineup, which makes Colorado even stronger. The sky is the limit for this team. Games like Tuesday are very important though because it’s against a Central Division opponent.
St. Louis isn’t quite out of the playoff picture yet, but it will be an uphill battle. The Blues are seven points behind the Nashville Predators who hold the final Wild Card spot in the Central. Regardless, a four-game winning run certainly helps their case. The Blues hammered a very good Bruins team 5-1 last Monday before also taking down the Kings. A couple of victories over the Wild and the Ducks followed.
Robert Thomas played hero against Anaheim, scoring two power-play goals in the third period to help his squad grab the win. Kevin Hayes and Jake Neighbours also found the back of the net. In between the sticks, Joel Hofer made 26 saves. The Blues aren’t exactly known for their offensive prowess but Thomas in particular is putting together a tremendous campaign, leading the team with 73 points. Pavel Buchnevich is also sitting on 52 points. Jordan Kyou is part of the 50-point group, too.
St. Louis has shown at times they can compete with the best, it’s just a matter of consistency. With a bit of a gap between them and Nashville, it’ll be crucial they play their best hockey in this last month if the playoffs are going to be a reality. Luckily, the Blues’ remaining schedule isn’t all that difficult. Anything is possible.
Although Colorado is barely above .500 on the road this season, they’re in great shape and tend to dominate St. Louis in recent memory. That’s enough for me to take the Avalanche moneyline.
See below the top Las Vegas betting sites where you can wager online and choose the best one for you. Most of them also offer amazing casinos, like the BetOnline Casino. Check them out!
