Colorado Avalanche vs St. Louis Blues Betting Picks

The Avs get a chance for quick revenge after losing 3-2 at home to St. Louis on Sunday night. That game evened the season series for these two division rivals at 1-1, but Colorado holds a sturdy 26-14 (.650) edge overall since 2019. The Avalanche (110 points) is comfortably in line for the top seed in the West, eight points up on Dallas (102), but they still need a few more wins to fend off the hard-charging Canes (104) and secure the Presidents' Trophy. Cale Makar has missed the past three games, but there's a chance he could return tonight (check status), as could Valeri Nichushkin. The Blues are holding onto razor-thin playoff hopes, and the effort has been commendable, but realistically, the team has been playing over its head. The Avs are 26-7-5 on the road this season, which is better than their home record, and with revenge, I'm on them to grab a win tonight. Take Colorado. 

As good as the Avalanche are—and they are the best team in hockey—they are not going to go the rest of the season unbeaten. This is a dangerous spot for the Avalanche, playing at home on New Year's Eve against a Blues team that knows how to beat them. The Blues have underachieved all season. They are better than their 15-17-6-2 record. A monster upset victory here could jump-start St Louis, and the Blues know it. St. Louis has won three straight meetings against Colorado. They are 2-1 in their last three games in Denver. The Avalanche conclude 2025 having won eight consecutive games. So a letdown is a real possibility. Colorado has come tantalizingly close to losing in two of its last three games. The Avalanche came from behind to nip the Golden Knights, 6-5 in a shootout, and edged Utah, 1-0, at home. St. Louis is 3-2 in its last five road games with victories against the Panthers, Canadiens, and Senators. The Blues were underdogs in all three of those games. Take the Blues. 

St. Louis won the last meeting, 3-1 on Feb. 23, and enters this game riding an eight-game win streak after defeating Nashville 3-2 on Thursday. Dylan Holloway scored twice for the Blues, who overcame a 2-0 deficit, and Joel Hofer stopped 16 of 18 shots. Jordan Binnington is expected back in net today and he has won his past four starts while stopping 93 of 100 shots, including a 6-1 win over Montreal on Tuesday. Binnington owns a 2.73 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. St. Louis will attempt to snap Colorado's four-game win streak. The Blues are 4-0 UNDER their past four games against Central Division teams and 4-1 UNDER versus the Western Conference. St. Louis has won 11 straight playing with one day of rest and six in a row after allowing two or fewer goals their previous game. Take the Blues and the UNDER.