St. Louis Blues at Colorado Avalanche - 1/13/21 NHL Picks and Prediction
Photo by Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Colorado Avalanche (0-0) vs St. Louis Blues (0-0)
Game Info: Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 10:30 pm (Ball Arena)
Betting Odds: Colorado Avalanche -145 / St. Louis Blues +118 --- Over/Under: 5.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche meet Wednesday in NHL action at the Ball Arena.
The St. Louis Blues won 42 games last season, but they had zero success in the bubble and watched things end rather quickly in the first round. Former captain Alex Pietrangelo is no longer with the squad, Torey Krug is the big money addition and Ryan O’Reilly will now take over as the new leader of the team. On paper, the Blues are still a legit Stanley Cup contender, and you have to like their chances even more if goalie Jordan Binnington can bounce back from what he showed in the NHL bubble. A full season of Vladimir Tarasenko would certainly go a long way as well, while the addition of Mike Hoffman could be a sneaky move the pays off. The St. Louis Blues have potential, it’s just a matter of things coming together in what’s sure to be an odd, shortened season.
The Colorado Avalanche have improved their win total the last two seasons and have to be thinking bigger and better this year after back-to-back second round exits. Outside of Nikita Zadorov and Anton Lindholm, the Avalanche are the same team they were a year ago, and you can argue they’re slightly better with the additions of Brandon Saad and Devon Toews. Players such as Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are near the top of their positions and Jared Bednar is finally coming into his own at head coach. The Avalanche have to be thinking Stanley Cup this season, and they also have a chance to make the playoffs for four straight seasons for the first time since 2001-05. It’s a good time to be a fan of the Avs.
The Blues are 7-3 in their last 10 road games and 2-7 in their last 9 overall. The Avalanche are 20-8 in their last 28 Wednesday games. The under is 5-1 in Blues last 6 road games. The over is 9-1 in Avalanche last 10 overall. The Blues are 15-6 in the last 21 meetings. The home team is 36-16 in the last 52 meetings.
You can make a case for either one of these teams that have big hopes for this season. However, we're getting the Blues at plus money, a spot that's hard to turn down. The St. Louis Blues are on the short list of legit title contenders this season and you likely won't get this price with them often. The Blues have also won six of the last nine meetings against the Avs. I understand why the Colorado Avalanche are favored, but the value is with the Blues and the plus money.
Randy’s Pick St. Louis Blues +118
AUTHOR: Randy Chambers
Mitch's Take...
