NHL Betting: Blues vs Avalanche Second Round Series Bets

The Colorado Avalanche were the only team not to drop a game in the first round. The St. Louis Blues dumped a pesky Minnesota Wild squad in six games. The second round has been a dangerous place for the Avs, but they did win two of three against the Blues this season. This betting guide will deliver some of the best value bets for betting on the overall series.

Series Total Games: 5 Games (+220) or 6 Games (+225)

There’s little value in Colorado’s odds to win the series outright (-350), especially since they haven’t advanced past the second round since the 2009-10 season. History lesson aside, the Avalanche are still enormous favorites here and are still the odds-on favorite to win the Stanley Cup (+200). The Blues are a risky play to win the series (+275) since the Avs looked invincible in the first round and have beaten St. Louis twice this season.

Nathan MacKinnon Colorado Avalanche
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

At the current odds, there’s little value in betting either of these teams to win, unless you’re a big-time Blues fan. The real value is betting the number of games. Even though the Avs swept the Blues in last year’s playoffs, this is a different St. Louis club. Colorado will likely win the series, but a sweep probably isn’t in the cards. Taking a chance on the series going five games (+220) or six games (+225) looks like a solid play with solid odds. Besides, if St. Louis pulls the upset, there’s a solid chance that happens in six games, too.

Parlay: Avalanche to Win Game 1 and Series (-160)

Colorado hasn’t played in a week, but this is a team bent on making a statement. The Avs are huge favorites to win the series, and they are certain to come out flying. They likely won’t score five first-period goals, as they did in the first game against the Nashville Predators, but the rested Avalanche should come out with plenty of juice.

Related – 3 Keys to Blues Overcoming Avalanche in Round 2

The odds on them to win the first game and series (-160) could be better, but their recent performance makes this a pretty good play. Colorado won two of three against St. Louis in the regular season, and the lone loss was all the way back on Oct. 16 in the second game of the season. Pairing these two bets is a good way to get some value out of some otherwise steep odds.

Series Total Goals: Over 33.5 (-110)

In Colorado’s four games against the Predators, 30 goals were scored. Colorado was responsible for 21 of them. In the Blues’ six games against the Minnesota Wild, 38 goals were scored, and 15 of those were scored by St. Louis in the final three games. In the three games between Colorado and St. Louis this season, 23 goals were scored. All those numbers point toward a high-scoring series in the second round.

David Perron St. Louis Blues
David Perron, St. Louis Blues (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

The danger here is a Colorado sweep, which is what happened when these teams squared off in the first round last season. But this is a different Blues team, and Colorado isn’t guaranteed to win anything no matter how favored they are. The games between these two teams have featured a lot of goals, and both offenses are clicking. This is a good number for there to be more than 33 goals scored in the series (-110).

Odds via FanDuel and BetMGM

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