Welcome to a Sunday edition of NHL Predictions! It is a busy Sunday in the NHL. There are ten games on the schedule for us to enjoy to close out the weekend. Our prediction looks at the Central Division matchup between the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche.
NHL Predictions
St. Louis Blues vs. Colorado Avalanche
Time: 6:00 P.M. Eastern Time
TV: FanDuel Sports Midwest, Altitude Sports
Head-to-Head: Avalanche Lead 1-0
The two rivals met in Colorado on the last day of January. Behind a four-goal first period, the Avalanche cruised to a 5-0 victory. Jonathan Drouin scored two goals and added an assist. Mackenzie Blackwood made 19 saves in goal for the Avs and picked up the shutout.
The season series shifts to St. Louis, where the Avalanche have had success. The Avs have won 10 straight games in St. Louis, including the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2021 and 2022.
Blues Coming Off Heartbreaking Loss
The Blues had an opportunity to win on Saturday against the league’s best, Winnipeg Jets. The Blues grabbed a late 3-2 lead after a power play goal by Pavel Buchnevich. The goal ended a 13-game goalless drought for the forward. Furthermore, the goal came in the first half of a double minor. When the second penalty expired, there was only a minute left for the Jets to score. Well, they did. The Jets would win in a shootout, sending Blues fans to the exits disappointed.
With the rumours surrounding the Blues possibly trading some key players, it seems the Blues do not expect themselves to be a playoff team. However, it still would have been great to resume the season by beating the league’s top team. That loss stings. The good news is the Blues get back at it on Sunday.
Avs Enter Sunday Following Saturday Loss As Well
The Avalanche lost to the Nashville Predators on Saturday, 2-1. Like the Blues, the Avalanche must be frustrated with that loss. The Predators have not been a good hockey team this year and are likely to trade some pieces at the trade deadline.
However, the Avs should give themselves some grace. Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar played in the 4 Nations Face-Off, so two key players did not get a break like the rest of the team. Furthermore, the team put 32 shots on goal, but Juuse Saros was outstanding between the pipes for the Predators. Yes, the Predators are not a good team. However, Saros is still one of the best goalies in hockey. The Avalanche should tip their hat to Nashville and be on their way.
Prediction
With both teams having played yesterday, we will see some different lineups from both teams. The Avalanche can expect to see Blackwood in net, and the Blues can expect to see the 4 Nations hero Jordan Binnington.
Unlike the Blues, the Avalanche have to travel for the game. Furthermore, they are coming from Nashville, so the team has traveled quite a bit since the season resumed. Given that this is the second game in two days for both teams, the team without travel may be more rested. As a result, we are picking the home team.
Blues win, 3-1.
Prop Bets
The over/under is set at 5.5 goals. We are taking the under with four goals.
For prop bets, we like Drouin as an anytime-scorer for the Avalanche. For the Blue Note, we will pick Ryan Suter, who will be honoured before the game to commemorate his 1,500th NHL game.
Main Photo: Christopher Hanewinc- Imagn Images
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The post NHL Predictions: February 23rd St. Louis Blues Vs. Colorado Avalanche appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.