by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Apr 26, 2022
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Where to watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Avalanche -165, Blues +145
BetMGM: Avalanche -165, Blues +135
Caesars: Avalanche -169, Blues +145
Season record
Blues: 49-20-11
Avalanche: 55-18-6
Ben Burns has reeled off a strong 24-13-0 run over the last month in the NHL. The last week of the NHL season is here before we get cracking to playoff coverage. Who's going to clinch the last two wild-card spots in the West? Who's going to go into the postseason with all the momentum from the Eastern Conference? We can't wait to find out, and we know you can't wait to get going, either, with our tremendous expert picks. Catch Ben's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Blues - Avalanche preview and analysis
Blues analysis
The St. Louis Blues still have something to play for in this season, and if they keep this play up, they’re bound to get home-ice advantage in the first round at this rate.
St. Louis pushed its point streak to 16 games and won its third straight game with a 6-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, ruining Ryan Getzlaf’s final game as captain of the Ducks before he retires.
Robert Thomas pushed his point streak to 17 games, in which he has 29 points in that span, to tie Connor McDavid for the longest point streak this season.
"We played the right way for the most part," St. Louis coach Craig Berube said. "We did things right."
I mean, when you don’t lose in regulation for a long time, you have to do things right at a contending rate. And for the Blues, it might not be as magical as when they won the Stanley Cup in 2019. It’s not like they came back from last place to first in order to make things happen.
But there’s plenty of talent across the board at the forward group to put a ton of goals on the board, and Ville Husso has become the No. 1 goalie and has surpassed Jordan Binnington at the right time. It should be interesting to see how the Blues answer the bell against one of the top teams in the league who are desperate for a victory.
Avalanche analysis
Things are not fun for the Colorado Avalanche right now but I don’t think it’s gotten to the point where people need to jump off the ship and declare insanity for what could be a potential first-round exit. But losing four straight heading into the final stretch of the season is definitely worthy of a question or two.
One way this could be looked at is a drop-off was needed after winning nine in a row for Colorado. Following a 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, there’s not this DEFCON 1 feeling with the Avs just yet. Even though they should score more than one goal against Winnipeg’s defense, I’m not willing to say the sky is falling yet.
"I think our work is cut out for us here to get our guys back to playing our game, getting back to our identity," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "It starts with the work, the competitiveness. Moves on to execution, details, the whole gamut now. We've seen it all over the last four games."
Shortly after J.T. Compher scored the opening goal, things just went haywire. Keep in mind, that goal came in the third period. The Jets just stampeded through in a short period of time.
"We didn't create enough offensively tonight throughout the game," Compher said. "The effort was just not good enough, and once we put one in they continued to come and they were able to get some good bounces.
"We're trying to make sure when playoffs come around we're doing things the right way. But there's no excuses in our room. It just hasn't been good enough."
Prediction
I personally think the Avs just needed to come back home. Hitting the road after that tough loss to Washington was not a good recipe. I think Colorado just needs to settle down back at home, against a very good team, and right the ship. Avalanche win 3-2
Betting trends
Blues are 19-8 when winning three of four this season.
Avalanche are 16-6 after playing a division game this season.
Avalanche are 74-44 against division opponents the past three seasons.
Projected lines
Blues:
Brandon Saad -- Ryan O'Reilly -- David Perron
Pavel Buchnevich -- Robert Thomas -- Vladimir Tarasenko
Ivan Barbashev -- Brayden Schenn -- Jordan Kyrou
Dakota Joshua -- Logan Brown -- Nathan Walker
Marco Scandella -- Colton Parayko
Nick Leddy -- Justin Faulk
Torey Krug -- Robert Bortuzzo
Ville Husso
Brandon Saad -- Ryan O'Reilly -- David Perron
Pavel Buchnevich -- Robert Thomas -- Vladimir Tarasenko
Ivan Barbashev -- Brayden Schenn -- Jordan Kyrou
Dakota Joshua -- Logan Brown -- Nathan Walker
Marco Scandella -- Colton Parayko
Nick Leddy -- Justin Faulk
Torey Krug -- Robert Bortuzzo
Ville Husso
Avalanche:
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Valeri Nichushkin
Andre Burakovsky -- Nazem Kadri -- J.T. Compher
Nicolas Aube-Kubel -- Nico Sturm -- Alex Newhook
Andrew Cogliano -- Darren Helm -- Ben Meyers
Cale Makar -- Bowen Byram
Samuel Girard -- Josh Manson
Erik Johnson -- Jack Johnson
Darcy Kuemper
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Valeri Nichushkin
Andre Burakovsky -- Nazem Kadri -- J.T. Compher
Nicolas Aube-Kubel -- Nico Sturm -- Alex Newhook
Andrew Cogliano -- Darren Helm -- Ben Meyers
Cale Makar -- Bowen Byram
Samuel Girard -- Josh Manson
Erik Johnson -- Jack Johnson
Darcy Kuemper
Statistical leaders
Blues:
Points: Vladimir Tarasenko -- 82
Goals: Vladimir Taraseko -- 34
Assists: Robert Thomas -- 57
Goalie: Ville Husso -- 25-6-6, 2.47 GAA, .921 SV%
Avalanche:
Points: Mikko Rantanen -- 91
Goals: Mikko Rantanen -- 36
Assists: Cale Makar -- 58
Goalie: Darcy Kuemper -- 36-12-3, 2.51 GAA, .922 SV%
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
