Western Conference Second Round, Game 6 -- Avalanche lead 3-2
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO
Where to watch: TNT
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Avalanche -175, Blues +150
BetMGM: Avalanche -175, Blues +145
Caesars: Avalanche -175, Blues +150
Al McMordie has reeled off a strong 20-8-0 run over the last month in the NHL. Man, what a start to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Did you enjoy all those Game Sevens? Because we sure did. You think all that fun in Round 1 was great? How about these next four matchups? It’s going to be a wild ride. You need to be tuned in here to find out all the expert analysis. Catch Al’s plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Blues - Avalanche preview and analysis
The St. Louis Blues are weird. There's no other way to put it. This team makes absolutely no sense. I have spent the past two rounds trying to figure out how exactly they're supposed to be this alive, and I have no idea how they're not eliminated.
The law of hockey dictates that the series should've ended after Nathan MacKinnon's ridiculous hat trick goal in the third period. That's how you end things. That's how you send a team home. Robert Thomas and Tyler Bozak didn't get the memo, and the Blues live to fight another day.
Game 6 is on Friday night and if you're the Blues, you suddenly have house money to play with. They escaped with a 5-4 win in overtime. They figured out how to win after the whole Jordan Binnington debacle. They also figured out how to score, which seemed impossible at one point during this series.
But now, the Blues return home and have a chance to push this to a Game 7. And now that they've beaten the Colorado Avalanche twice on their home ice, a win in Game 6 makes this anyone's guess.
"Just got a little bounce up top and saw lane to the net, and in overtime there's definitely no such thing as a bad shot. So just tried to get it through on the traffic and it went in," Bozak said regarding his game-winning goal. "Obviously, feels great. Just a resilient group of guys. Got down and didn't want the season to be over and fought hard. Got some big goals late, and I was lucky enough to be on the end of the one in overtime. But it was awesome. We're excited for our next game."
A couple of things here: No. 1, Ville Husso got a win. Even though he was embarrassed for what MacKinnon did, he got the win. That's one way to build confidence to that extent. And for what it's worth, sometimes that's all goalies need is to have that confidence to go win a game.
Second, if this is a sign of things for Thomas to get going, Colorado might be in trouble. Thomas has been quiet, but he had two goals and looked like he might be getting going. This is a man who was near a 20-game point streak toward the end of the season and might arguably be the Blues' best offensive player. If he gets going, with the goal-scoring of David Perron and Vladimir Tarasenko, this gets interesting.
The Avs, at least I don't think, are in trouble. But the Avs are also the same team that has choked away consecutive chances of reaching the Western Conference Final, and this is another moment in which the mental resolve of Colorado will be tested. We know how great they are, we know what they're capable of. But if they somehow find a way to screw this up, I can't begin to fathom what kind of changes will be coming down the pipeline.
"The first two periods, I thought we played really good," Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "We got tight in third, and obviously they ramped up their desperation level, which is to [be] expected. They're playing for their season, and [we] just didn't get it done."
Prediction
I'm torn by this, but I'm going to stick with the Avalanche. If there was ever a time for this group to show it can get the job done, it's now. They need to win this one in a hostile environment to prove they are no fluke. If they lose this one, St. Louis is winning this series. Mark it down.
Betting trends
Avalanche are 9-12 in Game 6 all-time.
Avalanche are 11-5 the past three seasons when leading in a playoff series.
Blues are 28-34 since 1996 when trailing in a playoff series.
Blues are 13-13 off a road win this season.
Projected lines
Avalanche:
Valeri Nichushkin -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Gabriel Landeskog -- Nazem Kadri -- Artturi Lehkonen
Andre Burakovsky -- J.T. Compher -- Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Darren Helm -- Nico Sturm - Logan O'Connor
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Bowen Byram -- Josh Manson
Jack Johnson -- Erik Johnson
Darcy Kuemper
Blues:
Brayden Schenn -- Ryan O'Reilly -- David Perron
Pavel Buchnevich -- Robert Thomas -- Vladimir Tarasenko
Brandon Saad -- Ivan Barbashev -- Jordan Kyrou
Alexei Toropchenko -- Tyler Bozak
Nick Leddy -- Colton Parayko
Calle Rosen -- Justin Faulk
Niko Mikkola -- Robert Bortuzzo
Scott Perunovich
Ville Husso
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this St. Louis Blues - Colorado Avalanche prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NHL projections and previews.