The Colorado Avalanche will be well rested when they open their second-round playoff series against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night.  Colorado, who has been off since completing a sweep of Nashville on May 9, was the only first-round team to win their series in less than six games.  St. Louis last hit the ice on Thursday when they ended their series against Minnesota in Game 6.  The Blues are looking for a better showing this year after being swept by the Avalanche in the first-round last year.

Colorado is a -235 favourite on the NHL odds to win Game 1, while the total is set at 6.5.

#NHL Round 2 – Betting w/ Bastl#GoBolts Vs. #TimeToHunt#stlblues Vs. #GoAvsGo#NYR Vs. #LetsGoCanes #LetaGoOilers Vs. #Flames

All series predictions, play McDavid vs. Gaudreau player

Market: https://t.co/mSXjBhLDZW pic.twitter.com/oyYyybP2BP

— Sports Interaction (@SIASport) May 17, 2022

Blues vs. Avalanche NHL Playoffs Betting Odds

Colorado took two of three games during the regular season, including a 5-3 home win the last time these teams met on April 26.  Counting last year’s playoff series, the Avs have won seven of the last 10 head-to-heads.  The total has gone Over in six straight meetings.

St. Louis has won nine of their last 11 road games, including two of three in Minnesota during the first-round of the playoffs.  They’re 11-3 against the spread in their last 14 road games, but it’s worth noting that they have failed to cover in five of their last seven games against Colorado.  The total has gone Over in seven of the Blues’ last 10 games overall and five of their last six on the road.

The Avalanche finished the regular season with one of the best home records in the NHL and come into Tuesday with wins in nine of their last 11 games in Denver.  They’ve completely dominated St. Louis, winning six of the last seven head-to-heads.  This could be a high scoring contest as Colorado hit the Over in three of four first-round games.

The Avalanche enter Game 1 as heavy -400 favourites to win the series.  The Blues sit as +300 series underdogs.  The favoured exact series result is for Colorado to win in five games at +260.  The biggest long shot is a St. Louis sweep at +3305.

St. Louis Blues

A goaltending switch turned the tide for the Blues in the first-round of the playoffs.  Jordan Binnington replaced Ville Husso in Game 4 against Minnesota and won three straight games, allowing just five goals on 88 shots.  Binnington was the starter for all three regular season games against Colorado, going 1-2-0 with a 3.78 goals-against average and .897 save percentage.

David Perron, Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko carried the offence in the first-round, scoring five goals each.  With the series and game both tied 2-2 heading into the third period of Game 5, Tarasenko scored a natural hat trick.  He has 57 points (40G, 17A) in 84 career playoff games.  St. Louis’ power play was hot against Minnesota.  The Blues scored eight power play goals, the most in the first-round.  They had at least one power play marker in all six games.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avs are looking to exorcise some demons against St. Louis following three straight second-round exits.  Defenceman Cale Makar led the team with 10 points (3G, 7A) in the first-round.  Nathan MacKinnon (5G, 1A) and Gabriel Landeskog (3G, 3A) were tied for second with six points.  MacKinnon has 75 points (33G, 42A) in 54 career playoff games.  His 1.39 points per game average leads all active NHL players and is third all-time, trailing only Wayne Gretzky (1.84) and Mario Lemieux (1.61).  The Avs have averaged 5.25 goals per game in this year’s playoffs, the best among the 16 qualified teams.  They finished the regular season fourth in the NHL with 3.76 goals per game.

Darcy Kuemper will return to the net for Game 1 on Tuesday.  Kuemper was 2-0 in the first-round, allowing four goals on 61 shots before leaving Game 3 with an eye injury.  Backup Pavel Francouz stepped in and finished the series with a .902 SV.  With Makar on the back-end, it’s easy to overlook Devon Toews, but he is a big part of this team.  Toews averaged 24:45 of ice time per game in the first-round, recording five points (3G, 2A).  His 15 shots was tied for fourth on the team and he features heavily on both the power play and penalty kill.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Blues vs. Avalanche?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Blues Team Leaders

STL

Points	Vladimir Tarasenko 82
+ / -	Justin Faulk 41
Shots	Vladimir Tarasenko 230
Penalty Mins	Niko Mikkola 55
Wins	Ville Husso 25
GAA	Charlie Lindgren 1.22

COL

Points	Mikko Rantanen 92
+ / -	Devon Toews 52
Shots	Nathan MacKinnon 299
Penalty Mins	Kurtis MacDermid 89
Wins	Darcy Kuemper 37
GAA	Darcy Kuemper 2.54

STL

Points	David Perron 13
+ / -	Colton Parayko 5
Shots	David Perron 42
Penalty Mins	Brayden Schenn 14
Wins	Jordan Binnington 4
GAA	Jordan Binnington 1.72

COL

Points	Cale Makar 29
+ / -	Bowen Byram 14
Shots	Nathan MacKinnon 110
Penalty Mins	Artturi Lehkonen 20
Wins	Darcy Kuemper 9
GAA	Darcy Kuemper 2.68

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Avalanche Team Leaders

STL

Points	Vladimir Tarasenko 82
+ / -	Justin Faulk 41
Shots	Vladimir Tarasenko 230
Penalty Mins	Niko Mikkola 55
Wins	Ville Husso 25
GAA	Charlie Lindgren 1.22

COL

Points	Mikko Rantanen 92
+ / -	Devon Toews 52
Shots	Nathan MacKinnon 299
Penalty Mins	Kurtis MacDermid 89
Wins	Darcy Kuemper 37
GAA	Darcy Kuemper 2.54

STL

Points	David Perron 13
+ / -	Colton Parayko 5
Shots	David Perron 42
Penalty Mins	Brayden Schenn 14
Wins	Jordan Binnington 4
GAA	Jordan Binnington 1.72

COL

Points	Cale Makar 29
+ / -	Bowen Byram 14
Shots	Nathan MacKinnon 110
Penalty Mins	Artturi Lehkonen 20
Wins	Darcy Kuemper 9
GAA	Darcy Kuemper 2.68

Injuries

St. Louis

Jordan Binnington (G)

Out indefinitely Knee - 21 / 05 / 22

Marco Scandella (D)

Prob Wed Lower Body - 08 / 05 / 22

Torey Krug (D)

Out indefinitely Lower Body - 07 / 05 / 22

Robert Bortuzzo (D)

Ques Tues Head - 05 / 05 / 22

Nick Leddy (D)

Ques Tues Upper Body - 04 / 05 / 22

Marco Scandella (D)

Ques Fri Lower Body - 27 / 04 / 22

David Perron (LW)

Prob Fri Lower Body - 26 / 04 / 22

Robert Bortuzzo (D)

Prob Fri Undisclosed - 25 / 04 / 22

Torey Krug (D)

Prob Tues Upper Body - 23 / 04 / 22

Brayden Schenn (C)

Prob Mon Upper Body - 23 / 04 / 22

Colorado

Valeri Nichushkin (RW)

Ques Sun Lower Body - 26 / 06 / 22

Andre Burakovsky (LW)

Ques Sun Hand - 19 / 06 / 22

Andre Burakovsky (LW)

Prob Wed Lower Body - 12 / 06 / 22

Andrew Cogliano (C)

Prob Sat Hand - 07 / 06 / 22

Andre Burakovsky (LW)

Ques Mon Leg - 02 / 06 / 22

Darcy Kuemper (G)

Ques Mon Upper Body - 31 / 05 / 22

Gabriel Landeskog (LW)

Prob Tues Knee - 30 / 05 / 22

Samuel Girard (D)

out for season Chest - 21 / 05 / 22

Darcy Kuemper (G)

Prob Tues Eye - 07 / 05 / 22

Andrew Cogliano (C)

Prob Tues Upper Body - 04 / 05 / 22

Injuries

St. Louis

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Jordan Binnington (G)	Out indefinitely	Knee - 21 / 05 / 22	2-2	3-1	+ -
Binnington is sidelined with a knee sprain, and there is no timetable for return.
Marco Scandella (D)	Prob Wed	Lower Body - 08 / 05 / 22	6-3	5-4	+ -
Scandella is bothered by a lower-body injury, but it is projected that he will partake in Game 5 of the Western Conference second round against the Avalanche.
Torey Krug (D)	Out indefinitely	Lower Body - 07 / 05 / 22	6-4	6-4	+ -
Krug is hampered by a lower-body injury, and it has yet to be determined when he will return to the lineup.
Robert Bortuzzo (D)	Ques Tues	Head - 05 / 05 / 22	7-4	6-5	+ -
Bortuzzo is dealing with a head injury, and it is unknown if he will be active for Game 5 of the Western Conference first round versus the Wild.
Nick Leddy (D)	Ques Tues	Upper Body - 04 / 05 / 22	7-4	6-5	+ -
Leddy is managing an upper-body injury, and it remains to be seen if he will face the Wild in Game 5 of the Western Conference first round.
Marco Scandella (D)	Ques Fri	Lower Body - 27 / 04 / 22	8-6	9-5	+ -
Scandella is tending to a lower-body injury, and it is unknown if he will suit up for Game 3 of the Western Conference first round versus the Wild.
David Perron (LW)	Prob Fri	Lower Body - 26 / 04 / 22	8-6	9-5	+ -
Perron was held out of the last contest with a lower-body, but it is anticipated that he will face the Golden Knights on Friday.
Robert Bortuzzo (D)	Prob Fri	Undisclosed - 25 / 04 / 22	8-7	10-5	+ -
Bortuzzo missed the previous contest due to an unspecified ailment, but it is likely that he will participate in Friday's showdown with the Golden Knights.
Torey Krug (D)	Prob Tues	Upper Body - 23 / 04 / 22	9-7	10-6	+ -
Krug has sat out the last two games with an upper-body injury, but it is likely that he will partake in Tuesday's matchup against the Avalanche.
Brayden Schenn (C)	Prob Mon	Upper Body - 23 / 04 / 22	9-7	10-6	+ -
Schenn is hampered by an upper-body injury, but it is anticipated that he will be in the lineup versus the Wild for Game 1 of the Western Conference first round.

Colorado

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Valeri Nichushkin (RW)	Ques Sun	Lower Body - 26 / 06 / 22	0-1	0-1	+ -
Nichushkin is tending to a lower-body injury, and it remains to be seen if he will face the Lighting in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Andre Burakovsky (LW)	Ques Sun	Hand - 19 / 06 / 22	2-2	2-2	+ -
Burakovsky is dealing with a hand injury, and it is unknown if he will play in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Lightning.
Andre Burakovsky (LW)	Prob Wed	Lower Body - 12 / 06 / 22	2-4	4-2	+ -
Burakovsky is battling a lower-back injury, but it is anticipated that he will lace up for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final versus the Lightning.
Andrew Cogliano (C)	Prob Sat	Hand - 07 / 06 / 22	2-4	4-2	+ -
Cogliano is managing a hand injury, but it is likely that he will participate in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final versus the Lightning.
Andre Burakovsky (LW)	Ques Mon	Leg - 02 / 06 / 22	5-4	5-4	+ -
Burakovsky is bothered by right leg injury, and it has yet to be determined if he will face the Oilers in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
Darcy Kuemper (G)	Ques Mon	Upper Body - 31 / 05 / 22	5-5	5-5	+ -
Kuemper is tending to an upper-body injury, and it has yet to be established if he will suit up for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals versus the Oilers.
Gabriel Landeskog (LW)	Prob Tues	Knee - 30 / 05 / 22	5-5	5-5	+ -
Landeskog is expected to lace up for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals versus the Oilers despite a knee issue.
Samuel Girard (D)	out for season	Chest - 21 / 05 / 22	7-7	8-6	+ -
Girard suffered a fractured sternum and will miss the rest of the 2021-22 season.
Darcy Kuemper (G)	Prob Tues	Eye - 07 / 05 / 22	9-9	10-8	+ -
Kuemper is tending to a eye injury, but it is likely that he will be active for Game 1 of the Western Conference second round versus the Blues.
Andrew Cogliano (C)	Prob Tues	Upper Body - 04 / 05 / 22	10-10	11-9	+ -
Cogliano is managing an upper-body issue, but it is expected that he will be available against the Blues for Game 1 of the Western Conference second round versus the Blues.