On Tuesday, the Colorado Avalanche (55-18-6) will host the St. Louis Blues (49-20-11) in a potential playoff preview.
The Blues are in third place within the Central Division but are tied with the Minnesota Wild (51-21-7) in points (109), though the Wild have a game in hand over St. Louis.
The Avalanche have already clinched the Central Division title and the best record in the Western Conference with 116 points; Colorado has the second-best mark in the NHL, behind only the Florida Panthers (57-16-6, 120 points).
Let’s look at the latest news, stats, injury reports, and NHL odds for Blues vs. Avalanche.
Blues Look to Take Down Conference-Leading Avs; Continue 16-Game Point Streak
On Tuesday, the St. Louis Blues enter their final away game of the regular season, playing some of the best hockey in the entire NHL. The Blues have earned points in 16 straight games (14-0-2).
The Blues were 6-3 winners over the Anaheim Ducks, favored -195 with an over-under of 6.5 goals. It was the fifth time over the last seven games that the Blues had scored five or more goals in a game.
Four players have 70 points or more for the Blues this season, including Vladimir Tarasenko (82), Robert Thomas (77), Pavel Buchnevich (75), and Jordan Kyrou (70). Tarasenko leads the team in goals with 34, followed by Buchnevich with 30 goals. The Blues’ 3.78 GF/G is best in the Western Conference and third in the NHL behind only the Toronto Maple Leafs (3.80 GF/G) and Florida Panthers (4.16 GF/G).
Goaltenders Ville Husso and Jordan Binnington have split the duties between the pipes this season for St. Louis. Binnington has made 36 starts, going 36-18-13, with a .902 SV% and a 3.10 GAA. Meanwhile, Husso has made 37 starts with a 25-6-6 record, .921 SV%, and 2.47 GAA.
Defensively, the Blues allow 2.84 GA/G, fourth-best in the Western Conference behind the Los Angeles Kings (2.83 GA/G), Colorado Avalanche (2.80 GA/G), and Calgary Flames (2.48 GA/G).
Avalanche Look to Snap Season-Long Losing Streak
The Colorado Avalanche return to home ice after dropping three-straight road games to the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, and Seattle Kraken, where they were outscored, 13-6. Overall, the Avs have lost a season-high four games in a row.
In their most recent game, the Avalanche fell to Winnipeg 4-1, despite being favored (-182). Colorado is now 51-21 when favored on the money line.
The Avs have three games remaining to turn things around before the start of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“I think our work is cut out for us here to get our guys back to playing our game, getting back to our identity,” Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said. “It starts with the work, the competitiveness. Moves on to execution, details, the whole gamut now. We’ve seen it all over the last four games.”
Four Avalanche players have 80 points or more on the year, including Mikko Rantanen (91), Nathan MacKinnon (87), Cale Makar (84), and Nazem Kadri (84).
Rantanen, who leads the Avs in goals (36), missed the Avalanches’ previous game against the Jets and is questionable for Tuesday night. MacKinnon (32) is second on the team in goals, while Gabriel Landeskog (30) is third but is out indefinitely after undergoing knee surgery.
Makar (58) and Kadri (58) are tied for the team lead in assists, followed by Rantanen (55) and MacKinnon (55).
Goaltender Darcy Kuemper has 55 starts in net for Colorado this season, going 36-12-3 with a .922 SV% and a 2.51 GAA.
The Avalanche has one of the league’s top defenses, averaging 2.80 GA/G, which is second in the Western Conference and seventh in the NHL.
Blues vs. Avalanche Head-to-Head
In two meetings, the Blues and Avalanche have gone 1-1-0.
Blues vs. Avalanche Game Information
Game: St. Louis Blues (49-20-11) at Colorado Avalanche (55-18-6)
Location: Ball Arena
Day/Time: Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. ET
Blues vs. Avalanche Prediction
St. Louis is still jockeying with the Minnesota Wild for home ice in the first round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, Colorado has their spot locked up, but with losses in their past four games, getting some momentum will be crucial here.
The Avs are 31-5-3 at home this season, best in the Western Conference. Count on Colorado to snap the skid and get back into the win column.
Betting Prediction: Colorado Avalanche moneyline (-170).
