The NHL is set up with another action packed slate of hockey throughout Saturday. Fourteen games will be up on the board throughout October 16. One of these matchups will be between the St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche. These two teams are coming off solid seasons and will lookf ro a big win in this one. This game will drop the puck at around 9:00 PM Eastern time.
St. Louis finished out last season with a record of 27-20-9, which had them earn the fourth seed in the West division. The Blues were eliminated in four games by the Colorado Avalanche though in the first round. St. Louis will open this season on the road on Saturday night. The Blues will also be looking for a little revenge in this matchup.
The Avalanche put up a record of 39-13-4 a season ago, which had them earn the top spot in the NHL. Colorado cruised through the first round of the postseason, but were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in the next round. The Avalanche won their season opener and will look to keep it going with another huge win in this one.
These two teams have met up plenty of times and will open up another season with this rivalry matchup. The Blues will be looking for some revenge as they play their season opener. Colorado already has a game under their belt to open up the season and will look to gain momentum. I expect an exciting matchup as these two teams meet up.
Game Overview
The following odds are courtesy of BetOnline:
| Teams | Spread | Money Line | Total |
| St. Louis Blues | +1 ½ (-174) | +130 | Over 5 ½ (-111) |
| Colorado Avalanche | -1 ½ (+154) | -144 | Under 5 ½ (+101 |
| Team Data | St. Louis Blues | Colorado Avalanche |
| Overall Record | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 |
| Away/ Home Record | 0-0-0 | 1-0-0 |
| Goals Per Game | – | 4.00 |
| Goals Per Game Away/ Home | – | 4.00 |
| Save Percentage | – | .941 |
| Save Percentage Away/ Home | – | .941 |
Betting Trends
St. Louis Blues
- 71-69 in last 140 games
- 26-15 in the first half of the season
- 15-19 in last 34 Saturday games
- 42-44 in last 86 divisional games
Colorado Avalanche
- 97-55 in last 152 games
- 24-17 in first half of season
- 19-13 in last 32 Saturday games
- 61-35 in last 96 divisional games
- 41-20 after winning by two or more goals
- 41-23 after scoring four or more goals in last game
These two teams met up eight times throughout the regular season last season. The Avalanche earned a record of 5-3 against St. Louis in those matchups. These two teams then met up in the first round of the playoffs. Colorado was able to dominate that series, sweeping the Blues in four games. The Avalanche also outscored St. Louis 20-7 in those matchups.
Blues fans, we have reached our destination. Welcome to the 2021-22 season!!! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/yPoj2eFOhk
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 16, 2021
Special Teams
The Blues were solid on the power play throughout last season. St. Louis scored on 23.2 percent of their man advantages, which was 6th in the NHL. The Blues did not have the same success on the penalty kill though. St. Louis killed off 77.8 percent of the penalties against them, which was 25th in the league.
Colorado was strong on both sides of special teams throughout last season. The Avalanche capitalized on 22.7 percent of their power play chances, which was 8th in the league. Colorado also killed off 83.1 percent of their penalties against, which was also 8th in the NHL.
St. Louis was strong on the power play a season ago, but their penalty kills struggled. The Avalanche were able to get both sides of special teams going. Colorado went 0-4 on the power play in their season opener, while killing off two of three on the penalty kill. The Avalanche will look to put up a better special teams performance in this one.
Goaltending Comparison
Jordan Binnington will likely get the nod in the net for St. Louis on Saturday night. Binnington finished last season with a record of 18-14-8 throughout his 42 appearances. He posted a save percentage of .910 and a 2.65 GAA in those starts. Binnington struggled a bit in the postseason and will look to shut down the Avalanche in this one.
I expect Darcy Kuemper to get the start in the crease for the Avalanche in this one. Kuemper earned a record of 10-11-3 in 27 starts with the Coyotes a season ago. He put up a .907 save percentage and a GAA of 2.56 in those matchups. Kuemper stopped 32 of 34 shots in his debut with Colorado in route to a win against the Chicago Blackhawks.
These two goalies were solid throughout last season and will look for a big win in this one. Kuemper has a new home with Colorado after Philipp Grubauer left. Binnington will look to return to his 2018-19 form where he led the Blues to a Stanley Cup. If either goalie can come out hot in this one, I think it will be enough for the win.
Pick Overview
These two teams met up in the postseason a season ago and Colorado dominated the Blues. I think that St. Louis will come out hot in their season opener as they look for some revenge. If St. Louis can come out with some emotion, I think they can catch the Avalanche off guard. With Binnington in net, if the Blues can grab an early lead, I like their chances to pull off the upset.
BetOnline has Colorado listed as a -144 against the money line in this one. This implies that the Avalanche will win this game around 59 percent of the time. I think that this line should be much closer to even with this being early in the season. St. Louis is going to come out with emotion after being swept a season ago. If the Blues can score a couple early, I like their chances to earn the win.
