The St. Louis Blues, fueled by David Perron and Ryan O’Reilly, are set to take the ice against Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center in a Central Division showdown. This one will get going at 9:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 2 and it is being shown live on NBC Sports Network.
St. Louis Blues vs. Colorado Avalanche Odds
Colorado comes into the game as the favorite at William Hill with a moneyline of -135. The line for St. Louis sits at +115, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 under, +100 over.
St. Louis is 26-15 straight up (SU) and has netted 7.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. 22 of its games have gone under the total, while 19 have gone over and none have pushed. The Blue Notes are 13-8 SU on the road in 2019-20.
St. Louis has converted on 24.0 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s good enough for sixth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked seventh overall, and it has successfully killed off 83.6 percent of its penalties..
With a .921 save percentage and 27.2 saves per game, Jordan Binnington (19-10-4) has been the primary option in goal for St. Louis this season. If it decides to rest him, however, St. Louis might roll with Jake Allen (7-6-2 record, .930 save percentage, 2.18 goals against average).
On the other bench, Colorado is 23-17 straight up (SU) and has netted 3.1 units for moneyline bettors this season. 20 of its outings have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and just two have pushed. It’s 10-9 SU as the home team this season.
The Avalanche have converted on just 19.0 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 22nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.2 percent of all opponent power plays.
Philipp Grubauer (27.9 saves per game) has been the primary selection in goal for the Avalanche. Grubauer has 11 wins, 12 losses, and three OT losses to his credit and has registered a .911 save percentage and 2.91 goals against average this season.
St. Louis Blues at Colorado Avalanche Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
For both of these clubs, the over has hit in four of their last five outings.
St. Louis has managed 32.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Colorado is averaging 36.6 shots per game over its last five home outings.
Seven of St. Louis’ last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 5-2 in those games.
St. Louis skaters notched 22.5 hits per game last season, while the Avalanche forced 21.9 hits per matchup.
