NHL Betting: Blues vs Avalanche Game 5 Player Props – 05/25/2022

The St. Louis Blues’ season is over. The Colorado Avalanche just haven’t finished them off yet. The second-round series between the teams heads back to Colorado for Game 5 with the Avs leading 3-1. There’s still plenty of value left in player props, and this betting guide will deliver some insight as to the best value bets based on trends throughout the series.

Nazem Kadri Anytime Goal Scorer (+195)

The St. Louis Blues were obsessed with Nazem Kadri in Game 3. He rewarded that obsession by putting on a show. Kadri scored the first playoff hat trick of his career and added an assist on Mikko Rantanen’s empty netter while clamoring for his fourth goal. He now has six points in the series, all of them coming in the last two games.

Nazem Kadri Colorado Avalanche
Nazem Kadri, Colorado Avalanche (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

After scoring just one goal through his first six playoff games this season, Kadri has four goals in his last two. When the Blues pushed him, Kadri pushed back. The Blues may be done antagonizing him, but he didn’t look like he was finished. He’s a streaky player who’s getting on a good one, and getting nearly two-to-one odds for him to score another goal (+195) is a very good value play for Game 5.

Cale Makar Assists (Over 0.5, -145)

It took Cale Makar a little bit to get his swagger back in the second round. After an electrifying first round where he scored 10 points in four games, Makar didn’t score a point in the first two games of the second round against the Blues. He’s ditched the shoot-first mentality, and it’s resulted in assists in back-to-back games.

In the first two games of the second round, Makar racked up a total of nine shots on goal and was held off the scoresheet. Since then, Makar has returned the focus to his vision and has been very good on the passing front. He has an assist in each of the last two games, and while his odds to get at least one assist (-145) could be better, there’s still plenty of value there for Game 5.

Vladimir Tarasenko Shots (Under 2.5, -110)

Vladimir Tarasenko has been snake-bitten this entire series. Now that the Blues are back on the road, things aren’t going to be easy for him. Tarasenko has one point in the series, coming in St. Louis’ victory in Game 2. His offensive game has been scattered and wildly inconsistent, and he’s been having trouble even getting shots on target throughout the series.

Vladimir Tarasenko St. Louis Blues
Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Tarasenko has just nine shots on goal through the four games combined, and six of those came in Game 3. He had just two shots on goal in the pair of games in Colorado, and none of those came in the Blues’ overtime loss in Game 1. Colorado has done well to neutralize him, especially with the last change, and that’s the circumstance for Game 5. There’s good value in playing him to have fewer than three shots on target (-110) on Wednesday.

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

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