The 2022 Stanley Cup betting action goes on Saturday, May 21, with Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals between Colorado and St. Louis, so we have prepared the best Avalanche vs. Blues betting pick and odds.  

The series is tied after a couple of contests in Colorado and it shifts to Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The Avs open as -170 road favorites for Saturday night’s clash, while the Blues are +145 moneyline dogs with a total of 6.5 goals on Bookmaker Sportsbook. 

The Avalanche slowed down in Game 2                         

The Colorado Avalanche won the opening clash of this series in overtime, 3-2, but it was a dominant performance, especially on the offensive side of the ice. They took a thumping 54 shots toward Jordan Binnington, who enjoyed a tremendous night between the pipes. 

The Avs came short in Game 2 last Thursday, playing as huge -250 home favorites. Gabriel Landeskog converted one of two of Colorado’s power-play opportunities, but that was all we saw from the Avs in a 4-1 defeat. 

Darcy Kuemper yielded three goals on 31 shots in the second game of the series, suffering his first loss of the postseason. The 32-year-old goalie now has a 1.98 GAA and .923 save percentage and will almost certainly patrol the crease in Game 3 against St. Louis. 

The Blues bounced back in style            

The St. Louis Blues were awful in Game 1, but they stepped up last Thursday and outplayed the Avs in Colorado. David Perron scored a pair of goals, Jordan Kyrou and Brandon Saad found the back of the net each, while Pavel Buchnevich had a couple of assists. 

The Blues outshot the Avalanche 32-31 and won 13 faceoffs more than their rivals (37-24). Their blue line played at a high level and blocked 18 shots on the night, while Jordan Binnington posted 30 saves in another dominant performance. 

Binnington started the 2022 Stanley Cup as a backup. He got the call in Game 4 of the first-round series against the Minnesota Wild, and the 28-year-old netminder boasts a 4-1 record, 1.75 GAA, and .948 save percentage. 

Trends:

Colorado: 

  • 2-4 in the last six games on the road  

St. Louis:

  • 8-3 in the last 11 games at home 
  • 4-1 in the last five games overall 

Colorado Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues Pick 

The Blues are still without a couple of defensemen (Torey Krug and Marco Scandella), but Jordan Binnington has been outstanding since his first start against the Wild. Binnington had ridiculous 51 saves in the opening clash against the Avs, so the Blues certainly stand a chance of upsetting the Avs once more. 

I’m expecting the Avalanche to improve following a tough loss in Game 2 at home, but the Blues would keep it close should Binnington continues with his terrific performance. St. Louis’ offense is certainly capable of scoring against this Colorado team. 

Pick: Take St. Louis Blues +1.5 at -175             

The Total:

Both Colorado and St. Louis have plenty of dangerous weapons. Jordan Binnington and Darcy Kuemper are top-notch goalies, but I’m expecting a high-scoring affair after a couple of five-goal contests in Colorado. 

Each one of their three regular-season encounters produced seven or more goals in the total. St. Louis ranked third in the NHL in goals scored per game (3.77), while the Avs sat right behind the Blues, tallying 3.76 goals per contest. 

Pick: Go over 6.5 goals at -113