by Ben Perks
After overcoming a slow start to beat St. Louis in Game 1, Vegas oddsmakers have made Colorado -240 favorites to make it in two in a row on Thursday.
Many expect the Avalanche to go 6-0 in the postseason in Game 2. However, as St. Louis has won 17 times in 34 games as underdogs during the regular season and looked close to pulling off an upset on Tuesday, they will fancy their chances.
Get the latest insights and betting lines for this NHL playoffs clash.
St. Louis Blues @ Colorado Avalanche Betting Info
- When: Thursday, May 19 at 9:30 PM ET
- Vegas oddsmakers have made Colorado -235 moneyline favorites in Game 2
- Colorado won the series opener 3-2 in OT
- The Avalanche are +145 favorites to lift the Stanley Cup at MyBookie
- The Blues are +2500 longshots to win the trophy
Avalanche Hot Favorites
In Game 1, Colorado outshot St. Louis 54-25, firing 12 shots at Jordan Binnington in OT before Josh Manson finally got the breakthrough. Although the Avalanche won the game, they looked sluggish after a week-long layoff, falling behind with only six minutes on the clock.
Falling behind so early on jerked Colorado into action, and if not for Jordan Binnington, they would have blown away St. Louis.
The goaltender emulated the form shown during his team’s 2019 Cup run when he became the fourth goalie in NHL history to post a 50+ save performance in the postseason.
The Avalanche have now recorded eight straight playoff wins against St. Louis. If Colorado displays the same level of dominance in possession in Game 1, expect this series to be over quickly.
If you’re thinking of placing a totals bet at an NHL betting site, keep in mind that the Avalanche have combined with its opponent to score more than 6.5 goals in 46 of 89 games this season.
Can St. Louis Avoid Singing the Blues?
Because Colorado is now 35-5-4 at home this season and look miles above other teams in the NHL playoffs, the Blues have got their work cut out for them in Game 2.
The Avalanche had a 70% to 30% advantage in Corsi (shot attempt differential while at even strength play) and created 18 high danger scoring chances – 13 more than St. Louis.
Although Binnington was exceptional in the previous clash, banking on him to hold off the Avalanche is unwise. Another damming stat for St. Louis is that even though they held the Avs top-two players and Hart Trophy odds longshots, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, to a single point in Game 1, they lost the series opener.
So unless Colorado implode in front of their home crowd, expect the Avalanche to chalk up another routine win in Game 2.
View the latest betting lines for upcoming NHL matchups.
Ben is a sports journalist & part-time trader with a passion for finding +EV bets. Ben lives in Madrid, Spain where he enjoys the live poker scene, and sunshine where he covers UFC, MLB, NHL, NBA, as well as tennis betting.
