Avalanche minus 1 1/2 goals plus $1.55 (puck line) at Blues
Colorado had a rare sloppy performance in its last game, a 5-3 road loss to the Blues two days ago. Colorado blew a quick 2-0 lead perhaps by being too overconfident.
The Avalanche are a much superior team to the Blues. I’d be surprised if the Avs didn’t win this time around and I’m willing to lay 1 1/2 goals on the puck line to get a nice plus price.
Colorado was 10-1 in its previous 11 games before Saturday’s defeat. Thanks in large part to MVP candidate Nathan MacKinnon, who is hot with 24 points in his last 13 games, the Avalanche leads the NHL in scoring at 3.6 goals a game.
St. Louis ranks 22nd defensively and is 29th in killing penalties. Colorado has scored on 12 of 34 power plays for 35.3 percent against the Blues this season. The Avs have won five of the past six meetings this season against St. Louis.
The Blues could be especially vulnerable if key defensemen Colton Parayko and Vince Dunn can’t play due to injuries suffered in Saturday’s game.
If you toss out the Blues’ freak 9-1 win against the Wild, St. Louis has scored just 25 goals in its last 13 games for an average of fewer than two per game. Colorado gives up the fourth-fewest goals in the NHL at 2.3 per game.
Sometimes laying 1 1/2 goals on the road isn’t a good idea. St. Louis, however, is 8-21 during its past 29 home games.
(My Monday card is headed up by MLB Total of the Month. If you’re interested in my sports service please email me at scriber26@gmail.com, or message me via Twitter. All of my plays come with my signature in-depth analysis and come via e-mail well ahead of game-time. )
