Tuesday NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: How to Bet Blues vs. Avalanche (April 26)

Blues vs. Avalanche Odds

With their playoff spots secure, two of the top teams from the Central Division will go head-to-head on Tuesday when the St. Louis Blues visit the Colorado Avalanche.

The Blues have been dialed in for the last month, with an incredible record of 14-0-2 since March 28. They're set to face the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but home-ice advantage is still up for grabs.

With the top seed in the Western Conference already locked up, the Avalanche don't have much to play for during these final weeks of the regular-season. Still, it's not a great time for their first four-game losing streak of the year.

Will they be able to flip the switch when playoffs begin next week? Or can they get back on track on Tuesday against a formidable Blues squad?

Here's the latest on both teams, and your best bet for the game.

Can Blues Continue Fine Form?

Remember 2019, when the St. Louis Blues rode an unstoppable wave through the second half of the season and all the way to the Stanley Cup?

That's how they've looked over the last month, with their league-leading .882 points percentage and 4.71 goals per game.

Eight Blues players have cracked the 20-goal plateau — led by 34 from resurgent Vladimir Tarasenko — and 11 players have cracked 40 points.

The power play just saw a seven-game success streak snapped in Sunday's 6-3 win in Anaheim, and the penalty kill has only given up one goal in the last 16 games.

St. Louis has been scoring so much that the goaltending plan for the playoffs remains murky with just two games left in the regular season.

Ville Husso has started more games (39) and has better numbers (2.47 goals-against average, .921 save percentage, 15.0 goals saved above expected), but big-ticket Jordan Binnington has started five of the Blues' last nine games, and has won them all.

Binnington is at a 3.10 goals-against average, .902 save percentage and minus 7.3 goals saved above expected. But his record has now improved to 18-13-4 and perhaps most importantly, he's the goaltender who's under contract for next season and beyond.

Husso's set to become an unrestricted free agent and probably won't fit in the Blues' salary-cap equation.

Husso logged the win in Anaheim on Sunday, and hasn't started back-to-back games since early April. That suggests it'll be Binnington's turn on Tuesday.

Among the skaters, there are two significant injuries to note: forward Brayden Schenn and defenseman Torey Krug both continue to be listed as day-to-day with upper-body issues.

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Avs' Slide Coming at Wrong Time?

Do the Avalanche subscribe to the theory that it's bad luck to win the Presidents' Trophy? Perhaps that explains the four-game losing streak, which has dropped them to four points behind the league-leading Florida Panthers.

Whatever the reason, the Avs have been outscored by a total of 16-8 over the last week, losing on home ice to Washington before blowing a three-game road trip with losses in Seattle, Edmonton and Winnipeg.

Colorado has three games left on its regular-season schedule: at home against St. Louis on Tuesday and Nashville on Thursday, then in Minnesota on Friday.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Avs' current losing streak is that it comes on the heels of a hot stretch that rivaled the Blues'.

From March 13 to April 16, Colorado was 14-1-1. Even with the recent dip factored in, its still in the top 10 in the league in goals for, goals against and power-play efficiency over the last month.

But despite the presence of power-play superheroes Mikko Rantanen, Nazem Kadri and Cale Makar, the Avs are suddenly 0-for-13 with the man advantage over their last four games. When they get hot on the power play again, the wins should come.

Kadri, of course, is just back from an upper-body injury. He has one assist in three games since his return.

Rantanen has missed the last three games with an illness.

And even though Makar hasn't been connecting with the man advantage, he's still getting his points — three goals and seven assists in his last nine games.

Also on the shelf for the Avs is captain Gabriel Landeskog and steady under-the-radar defenseman, Devon Toews. Colorado is 5-9-1 this season when Toews is not in the lineup, but his injury is not believed to be serious.

Following their road trip, the Avalanche took Monday off. We won't know if any of the injured players are returning to action until Tuesday's morning skate.

In net, the Avs have been rotating starter Darcy Kuemper in for two games, then giving a start to Pavel Francouz. If that pattern holds, it should be the backup's turn again on Tuesday.

Their basic stats are similar, but Kuemper has made 55 starts compared to 17 for Francouz. Kuemper has 20.6 goals saved above expected, while his partner is at just 2.5.

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Blues vs. Avalanche Pick

Despite their current struggles, the oddsmakers strongly favor Colorado to get back on track on home ice on Tuesday. And the Avs use their mile-high advantage against their opponents — they're 31-5-3 at Ball Arena this season. 

But one of those losses came against the Blues — a 5-3 defeat in the first week of the season, on Oct. 16. More than a week later, the Avs returned the favor with a 4-3 win at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.

You may want to check the lineup notes from Tuesday's morning skate before laying down a wager on this contest — to confirm the starting goaltenders and see if the Avs are likely to get Toews or Rantanen back into their lineup.

If they do, their chances of a win should improve. If they don't, St. Louis offers great value at plus money.

Pick: Blues moneyline (+135); play down to +100