by Chuck Sommers
Friday, May 20, 2022Western Conference Second Round, Game 3 -- Series tied 1-1
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO
Where to watch: TNT
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Avalanche -170, Blues +150
BetMGM: Avalanche -165, Blues +145
Caesars: NL
Al McMordie has reeled off a strong 20-8-0 run over the last month in the NHL. Man, what a start to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Did you enjoy all those Game Sevens? Because we sure did. You think all that fun in Round 1 was great? How about these next four matchups? It’s going to be a wild ride. You need to be tuned in here to find out all the expert analysis. Catch Al’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
David Perron remains good. It's that simple. And because of that, the St. Louis Blues found a way to even this series at a game apiece, and we're starting to see a little deja vu from last year for the Colorado Avalanche.
Ultimately, it's hard to think that the Avalanche find a way to lose this series, but the Blues have put the fear of doubt in the top-seeded Avs after winning 4-1 in Denver on Thursday night. Game 3 is Saturday with the series shifting to St. Louis after Perron scored twice to give him 11 points through eight playoff games.
"That's playoffs right there for you, a big roller coaster," Perron said. "Obviously, we didn't feel good about ourselves that last game. We probably had two or three players that had good games. That was it. Tonight we had a lot more guys, and it was important to find a way to win one here on the road, just like we did last time against Minnesota (in the first round)."
It's fair to say that, with that last game, the Blues should be up 2-0 in this series. Jordan Binnington did all he could in Game 1 to keep the Blues in it, but it's hard to do when Colorado outshoots you 13-0 in the extra frame.
St. Louis answered back with not just great goaltending from Binnington, making 30 saves, but Perron scoring twice and the defense playing strong in front of Binnington made the difference.
"We did a good job, and we forechecked hard tonight," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "We put pucks to good areas and were on it. We had numbers on it all night and made them play in their own end and did a good job. When the puck turned over or they get their possession, we reloaded well, and I thought that we did a good job coming back in our own zone, protecting the middle ice, and our 'D' did a hell of a job of defending the rush, defending in our zone.
"We played good hockey all year. It's a good group of guys that want to win. They know in Game 1 they didn't do well enough, and all year they've responded when things [get hard]. You go over things and you tell them why and you show them why, and they respond."
The Blues have found a new sense of life since switching from Ville Husso to Binnington, winning four of the last five games. Binnington's presence in the crease has given St. Louis a chance to not just win the series, but make them the favorites the rest of the way.
And I know it seems crazy to think that way, but it's hard to blame the Avalanche anymore until they get past the second round. Colorado was up 2-0 last season on the Vegas Golden Knights before losing four straight and being eliminated in the second round for the third straight year.
"No. 1, we got out-worked and out-skated, so that makes everything more difficult," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "It's one game. We knew this was going to be a long, hard series. This is a really good team. They answered back after a bad night in Game 1. Now the onus is on us. We have to do the exact same thing."
Right now, it's a matter if Darcy Kuemper can have one of those strong games that can win a game by himself. He has to play better than Binnington, and so far, that's not been the case. Kuemper saw 28 shots but did not fare well on the high-danger chances.
Colorado is going to need the big names to show up. Gabriel Landeskog cut the lead to 2-1 early in the third and Colorado seemed to have the momentum, but that didn't last long once Perron scored a 2-on-1 later in the period to make it 3-1.
"We still had a chance to tie it up. Gabe scored that goal, we were feeling good," Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon said. "It felt like the building was back in it. We had our legs back a little bit, and just a little miscommunication, that kind of sums up our night, in the third there off the face-off. They ended it, but got to move on."
Move on is right, but the pressure is on the Avs now to respond and make this a series.
Ultimately, it's hard to think that the Avalanche find a way to lose this series, but the Blues have put the fear of doubt in the top-seeded Avs after winning 4-1 in Denver on Thursday night. Game 3 is Saturday with the series shifting to St. Louis after Perron scored twice to give him 11 points through eight playoff games.
"That's playoffs right there for you, a big roller coaster," Perron said. "Obviously, we didn't feel good about ourselves that last game. We probably had two or three players that had good games. That was it. Tonight we had a lot more guys, and it was important to find a way to win one here on the road, just like we did last time against Minnesota (in the first round)."
It's fair to say that, with that last game, the Blues should be up 2-0 in this series. Jordan Binnington did all he could in Game 1 to keep the Blues in it, but it's hard to do when Colorado outshoots you 13-0 in the extra frame.
St. Louis answered back with not just great goaltending from Binnington, making 30 saves, but Perron scoring twice and the defense playing strong in front of Binnington made the difference.
"We did a good job, and we forechecked hard tonight," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "We put pucks to good areas and were on it. We had numbers on it all night and made them play in their own end and did a good job. When the puck turned over or they get their possession, we reloaded well, and I thought that we did a good job coming back in our own zone, protecting the middle ice, and our 'D' did a hell of a job of defending the rush, defending in our zone.
"We played good hockey all year. It's a good group of guys that want to win. They know in Game 1 they didn't do well enough, and all year they've responded when things [get hard]. You go over things and you tell them why and you show them why, and they respond."
The Blues have found a new sense of life since switching from Ville Husso to Binnington, winning four of the last five games. Binnington's presence in the crease has given St. Louis a chance to not just win the series, but make them the favorites the rest of the way.
And I know it seems crazy to think that way, but it's hard to blame the Avalanche anymore until they get past the second round. Colorado was up 2-0 last season on the Vegas Golden Knights before losing four straight and being eliminated in the second round for the third straight year.
"No. 1, we got out-worked and out-skated, so that makes everything more difficult," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "It's one game. We knew this was going to be a long, hard series. This is a really good team. They answered back after a bad night in Game 1. Now the onus is on us. We have to do the exact same thing."
Right now, it's a matter if Darcy Kuemper can have one of those strong games that can win a game by himself. He has to play better than Binnington, and so far, that's not been the case. Kuemper saw 28 shots but did not fare well on the high-danger chances.
Colorado is going to need the big names to show up. Gabriel Landeskog cut the lead to 2-1 early in the third and Colorado seemed to have the momentum, but that didn't last long once Perron scored a 2-on-1 later in the period to make it 3-1.
"We still had a chance to tie it up. Gabe scored that goal, we were feeling good," Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon said. "It felt like the building was back in it. We had our legs back a little bit, and just a little miscommunication, that kind of sums up our night, in the third there off the face-off. They ended it, but got to move on."
Move on is right, but the pressure is on the Avs now to respond and make this a series.
Prediction
Not that last year wouldn't have made this series over had Colorado be up 2-0, but a 1-1 split does put the fear into the Avs for another choke. I've taken Colorado the last two, and I'm going to stick with them this time. If there was ever a time to find out if Colorado has that mental toughness, Game 3 will prove it. Avalanche win 4-3
Betting trends
Avalanche are 0-2 the past three seasons when tied in a playoff series.
Avalanche are 9-1 this season after scoring just one goal the previous game.
Blues are 12-10 this season off a road win by two goals or more.
Blues are 14-10 this season after playing consecutive road games.
Avalanche are 9-1 this season after scoring just one goal the previous game.
Blues are 12-10 this season off a road win by two goals or more.
Blues are 14-10 this season after playing consecutive road games.
Projected lines
Avalanche:
Valeri Nichushkin -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Gabriel Landeskog -- Nazem Kadri -- Artturi Lehkonen
Andre Burakovsky -- J.T. Compher -- Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Darren Helm -- Nico Sturm - Logan O'Connor
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Samuel Girard -- Josh Manson
Bowen Byram -- Erik Johnson
Darcy Kuemper
Blues:
Blues:
Brayden Schenn -- Ryan O'Reilly -- David Perron
Pavel Buchnevich -- Robert Thomas -- Vladimir Tarasenko
Brandon Saad -- Ivan Barbashev -- Jordan Kyrou
Alexei Toropchenko -- Tyler Bozak
Nick Leddy -- Colton Parayko
Calle Rosen -- Justin Faulk
Niko Mikkola -- Robert Bortuzzo
Scott Perunovich
Jordan Binnington
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this St. Louis Blues - Colorado Avalanche prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NHL projections and previews.
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.
