Blues vs Avalanche Game 1 Odds, Pick & Prediction – Colorado Heavily Favored in NHL Playoff Odds

Blues vs Avalanche Game 1 Odds, Pick & Prediction

(Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire)

After a 4-0 sweep and a full week off, the Colorado Avalanche take on the St. Louis Blues in Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs. The Blues snuck by the Wild winning in six games despite being the betting underdog. They’ll look to do the same as Colorado are resounding favorites in the Blues vs Avalanche Game 1 odds and series lines. Game 1 is set for Tuesday, May 17th, 2022 at Ball Arena in Colorado at 9:30 PM EST. The Avalanche are still favored in the updated Stanley Cup odds as we head into the Conference Semifinals. Let’s take a look at the Blues vs Avalanche Game 1 odds from BetMGM Sportsbook.

Blues vs Avalanche Game 1 Odds

      Odds are courtesy of BetMGM

For bettors looking at Colorado online sports betting markets, the Avalanche are priced at +110 to win by two or more goals. The Blues vs Avalanche series price is outrageous. Unless you are betting a series handicap or exact amount of games line, the NHL betting value lies with the Blues.

2:45New bettors can use the BetMGM bonus code below to get a risk-free wager of up to $1,000 when they bet on Blues vs Avalanche.

Avalanche Favored in NHL Playoff Odds After Dominant First Round

The Avalanche had one of the more dominant NHL Playoff series performances I’ve witnessed in the last three years. There’s a reason why the Blues vs Avalanche Game 1 odds are so lopsided. Sure, they swept a Nashville team without their superstar goalie. But even if Saros was in nets, I don’t think it would have changed much. The Avalanche had a 4.59 Expected Goals For per 60 rate against the Predators. Not to mention, they averaged 44 shots per game and converted on the powerplay at a 43.8% rate (7-for-16). This series was pure domination from Colorado. The only close matchup was Game 2 when Conor Ingrahm made 49 saves and posted a 2.38 Goals Saved Above Expected rate, and the Predators still lost 2-1. Binnington, the Blues’ current starter, had just one game in the first round where his Goals Saved Above Expected rate was higher than 1.0 (1.05 in Game 4)

Projected Starting Goalies

Both these goalies have been great, but again both are small sample sizes. Binnington’s GSAE in the regular season was -8.2, while Kuemper’s was 21.0. One player I expect to really step up his play in the offensive end in this series is Mikko Rantanen. Despite their domination against Nashville, Rantanen didn’t have a single goal. He had five assists and just six shots on goal. Rantanen had 36 goals this season and had an Expected Goals For per 60 rate of 1.17. To say “he’s due” is an understatement. Look for him to be a much bigger factor in this series after flying under the radar in the first round of the NHL Playoffs.

Blues vs Avalanche Game 1 Pick & Prediction

The one thing that St. Louis has and Nashville didn’t was solid special teams. The Blues scored 30.8% of the time on the powerplay against the Wild. They were also one of the stingier penalty kills in the regular season, stopping teams 84.1% of the time. The second round has not been kind to Colorado. This is usually the point in the NHL Playoffs where the Avalanche start to waiver. This franchise has not made it past the second round since 2002. They’ve made the second round six times since then and have failed to push past this barrier. But hey, the Panthers won their first NHL Playoff series since 96′ why can’t the Avalanche carve some more history into this great franchise?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckxdA8cbqsk Here are relevant trends for this Blues vs Avalanche Game 1 matchup:

• Blues are 3-7 in their last 10 playoff games as an underdog
• Blues are 4-10 in their last 14 games playing on 3 or more days rest
• Avalanche are 8-20 in their last 28 Conference Semifinals games
• Avalanche are 21-8 in their last 29 playoff games as a favorite

I like Colorado to win this in regulation at -140 in the Blues vs Avalanche Game 1 odds at BetMGM. If you’re feeling dangerous, take -1.5. I think Binnington regresses in Game 1, but the in regulation wager is the safety net in case he does continue his elite play. Mikko Rantanen will surely have an impact in Game 1, which is why I’ll also be on him to score at +145 at Caesars Sportsbook.

Picks: Avalanche In Regulation (-140) 1 unit, Rantanen Anytime Goalscorer (+145) 0.5 units

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