Colorado Avalanche at St. Louis Blues Game 3 Betting Preview
The Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues come into Game 3 following Thursday night 4-1 Blues win to tie the series 1-1. This game, now in St. Louis, is set to be another great one as the Avalanche look to find their goal-scoring ways again while the Blues hope to use home ice to their advantage and take the series lead.
The Avalanche are the moneyline favorite at -170 over the Blues with moneyline odds of +145. The over/under is currently listed at 6.5 total goals.
Avalanche Hope to Find Offense Again
The Colorado Avalanche came into the second round scoring 21 goals in four games to scoring just four goals in the last two games. Yes, efficiency was due to come down but look for a boost in their offense as some impact guys have been lacking lately, too. The Avalanche are averaging 4.17 goals scored per game this playoffs.
Defenseman and team points leader Cale Makar has been quiet so far this series as he has been held without a point through the first two games. Makar still leads the team with seven assists and ten points.
The Avalanche’s leading goal scorer, Nathan MacKinnon, has been held without a goal so far this series following a Round 1 series where he scored five goals in four games. He has helped with an assist in each of the first two games so far in Round 2, but he is due for a goal.
Mikko Rantanen and Nazem Kadri are also on the list of players due for a goal. Rantanen is scoreless throughout the entire playoffs, and Kadri has one goal this playoffs and without a goal this series.
Goalie Darcy Kuemper allowed three goals in Game 2, which is the most he has allowed this postseason. He has a 1.98 GAA and a SV% of .923 and hopes for a bounce back in Game 3.
St. Louis Blues Look to Keep Up Goaltending Success
It is not often you keep the Avalanche to one goal, but the Blues did just that in Game 2, where they pulled off a 4-1 win in Colorado. Now back on home ice, the Blues look to keep going on their strong goaltending after allowing just four goals in the first two games.
Goalie Jordan Binnington has been solid since he stepped into the net in Game 4 of Round 1. Binnington is 4-1 in his five starts this playoffs and has a GAA of 1.75 and a .948 SV%.
Binnington hopes to stay hot heading into Game 3. In his three regular-season starts against Colorado, he went 1-2 with a 3.78 GAA and a .897 SV%.
David Perron has continued to light the lamp with a team-leading seven goals and eleven points in eight games. Behind him in points and goals is captain Ryan O’Reilly who has six goals and ten points and now has a six-game point streak.
Both Vladimir Tarasenko and Jordan Kyrou are tied for third on the Blues with five goals. Tarasenko is still looking for his first goal of the second round, while Kyrou has scored a goal in each of the first two games of this series.
As a team this postseason, St. Louis has scored 28 goals and averages 3.50 goals scored per game. On defense, they have allowed 20 goals for a GAA of 2.50.
Avalanche/Blues Betting Prediction
Now in a tied 1-1 series, the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues go into Game 3 looking to come out with a 2-1 series lead. The Avalanche offense has been quieter than normal lately, scoring just four goals in the last two games compared to an average of 5.25 goals scored per game in Round 1. The Blues’ goaltending has something to do with that, as Binnington has a GAA of 1.75 in his five playoff starts.
MacKinnon looks to pick up where he left off in Round 1 and get his first goal of this series, while Rantanen hopes to get his first of the entire playoffs. Makar will also be itching to get in the mix as he has been held pointless in the last two games following ten points in the first round.
The Avalanche will need to shut down the heavy offense led by Perron and O’Reilly, who have eleven and ten points each this playoffs. Kuemper allowed his most goals this playoffs last game and will be looking to bounce back as well.
With the Avalanche due to find their scoring groove again, they are the team to back in this one. Guys like MacKinnon, Makar, and Rantanen are just a few of the names who are due to get on the scoring sheet.
An offense getting together matched with strong goaltending is a recipe for success. Take the Avalanche ML (-170).
