Tempers flared as the Colorado Avalanche took a 2-1 series lead over the St. Louis Blues in Game 3 on Saturday night.
Notorious Avs forward Nazem Kadri was involved in a collision with Blues netminder Jordan Binnington just 6:45 into the contest with Binnington suffering a series-ending knee injury as a result. The goalie threw a water bottle at Kadri in retaliation.
Now, the teams will take the ice at the Enterprise Center once more in Game 4 tonight. Can Colorado keep the momentum on their side? Find out in our free NHL picks and predictions for Avalanche vs Blues on Monday, May 23.
Avalanche vs Blues Game 4 odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Avalanche opened as consensus -159 favorites, and have remained within a five-cent range of that number at the majority of sportsbooks. The total once again opened at 6.5 and has remained there, with no indication that the number will change.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Avalanche vs Blues Game 4 predictions
Predictions made on 5/23/2022 at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Avalanche vs Blues Game 4 info
• Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO
• Date: Monday, May 23, 2022
• Puck drop: 9:30 p.m. ET
• TV: TNT
Avalanche vs Blues series odds
Avalanche: -800.
Blues: +500.
Avalanche vs Blues Game 4 betting preview
Key injuries
Avalanche: Andrew Cogliano C (Probable), Darcy Kuemper G (Probable).
Blues: Torey Krug D (Questionable), Marco Scandella D (Questionable), Jordan Binnington G (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Avalanche vs Blues head-to-head record (last 10 games)
Avalanche: 8-2-0, 41 goals for.
Blues: 2-7-1, 26 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Avalanche are 56-18 in their last 74 games as the betting favorite. Find more NHL betting trends for Avalanche vs. Blues.
Avalanche vs Blues Game 4 picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
A door has opened for the Avalanche to take a commanding series lead over the Blues, and they should walk right through it tonight.
St. Louis netminder Ville Husso began the postseason as his team’s No. 1 goalie, but consecutive poor performances against the Minnesota Wild earned him a demotion in favor of Jordan Binnington. The 2019 Stanley Cup hero put forth one vintage performance after another between the pipes despite a rocky regular season, but he’s now sidelined with a knee injury.
Husso did not inspire confidence in relief in Game 3, allowing four goals on only 23 shots. He can’t expect his defense to play much better in front of him, as Colorado’s 27-shot total in Game 3 was their lowest in a tilt against the Blues in a six-game span dating back to May of 2021.
Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog (two goals, two assists) has pointed in each of the first three games of these semifinals, so look for him to lead this Colorado offense that was fourth in goals per game in the regular season.
Not only do the Avalanche look like an unstoppable machine, but they’ve also owned St. Louis of late. The Avs are 50-18 in their last 68 overall, and 23-9 in their last 32 playoff games as the betting favorite. Colorado boasts a 16-5 record in its last 21 tilts against the Blues with a 4-0 mark in its last four affairs in the Gateway City.
Trend bettors should also note that the road team is 6-2 in the last eight meetings between these two squads and the betting favorite is 38-14 in their last 52 meetings.
Prediction: Avalanche moneyline (-155 at DraftKings)
Over/Under analysis
The Avs are not the only team that can score goals in this series, so look for the Blues forwards to help Over bettors cash in Game 4.
Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron, and Jordan Kyrou haven't been napping on the job this series. Each member of the trio has notched two goals, with team captain O’Reilly also tallying two assists. O’Reilly, Perron, and Kyrou have proven difficult to contain throughout the playoffs, recording 19 of their club’s 30 goals.
But the Colorado attack is far more dynamic as they had seven 20-goal scorers in the regular season. Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Nazem Kadri were three of them, yet only the latter has found the back of the net through three semifinal contests. Rantanen and MacKinnon have combined for seven assists and 22 shots on goal, so it feels as though both of them could break through at any time.
Neither team scored on the power play in Game 3, which was surprising despite there being only three opportunities in total. The Avs’ man-advantage unit clicked at 24% in the regular season — seventh in the NHL — and the Blues were second at 27%. Colorado had cashed in on eight of their first 21 postseason power-play chances (38.1%) before Saturday, and St. Louis went 10-for-29 (34.5%), scoring at least one power-play goal in each of their first eight playoff contests.
Recent head-to-head trends favor the Over, as the teams have exceeded the total in seven of their last nine meetings overall, and in each of their last four games at the Enterprise Center.
Prediction: Over 6.5 (-105 at DraftKings)
Best bet
The Avs haven’t just been getting by with offense in these playoffs. They’re arguably the most well-rounded team of the eight remaining.
Colorado has one of the league’s top defensemen in Cale Makar patrolling the blue line, and it also possesses one of the NHL’s better goalies in Darcy Kuemper. So far this postseason, Kuemper has a 1.99 GAA and a .926 save percentage.
These players have helped flummox one of the Blues’ top goal-scorers in Vladimir Tarasenko, who’s been held to a lone assist through three games.
Six of the Avs’ last eight wins over St. Louis have been by multiple goals. That trend should continue on Monday night.
Pick: Avalanche -1.5 (+160 at bet365)
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