We have loved the action throughout this impressive NHL regular season and first round of the playoffs, but now we are entering the second round, with a spot in the Conference Finals up for grabs. We are sure to see the cracking playoffs continue in Round 2, and with the Lightning still alive, many high quality teams will be looking to stop them from winning the Stanley Cup for a third time in a row. But before we get to the Stanley Cup Final, teams must make it through the second round.
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Look below to find our free NHL picks for the one Round 2 game on today’s schedule!
Colorado Avalanche @ St. Louis Blues – 8.00PM ET
The only game on Saturday night’s slate in the NHL playoffs will see Game 3 of the second round series between the Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues. The Avalanche got a narrow win in Game 1, 3-2 in overtime, but it was the Blues who proved too competitive in the second game, never really giving the Avalanche a chance, winning 4-1.
Marko Nadin
The St. Louis Blues made a huge step towards advancing to the Western Conference finals as they managed to win 4-1 on the road against the Colorado Avalanche to tie the series at 1 win apiece. This was the first loss in the playoffs for Colorado and they are still the favorites to advance. They will definitely go strong tonight to regain the home court advantage and will be able to do that. Colorado has won 5 of the last 7 games against St. Louis and in 5 of their last 7 head-to-head meetings the visiting team has won.
Colorado has won 5 of the last 6 games following a home loss of 3 or more goals, 40 of the last 51 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game and 52 of the last 76 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game. The Blues have won 10 of the 13 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game, 9 of the last 11 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game and the last 4 games played on Saturday.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-170)
Tony Battalio
The Colorado Avalanche will be looking to steal a win on the road and grab a 2-1 advantage in this one against the St. Louis Blues. Colorado got a nice win in Game 1 in overtime, but in Game 2 of the series they looked horrible as St. Louis went on to beat them by three goals. Now they will be looking to bounce back here in Game 3 as the number one seed in the Western Conference will have their hands full in this series.
The St. Louis Blues have a huge opportunity at home here in Game 3 as grabbing a 2-1 lead, or potentially even a 3-1 lead over the Colorado Avalanche before heading back to Denver for Game 5 would be great. They will be looking to capitalize off the momentum they got from their Game 2 win and get the win at home. However, I don’t see that happening as I have the Colorado Avalanche getting the win here in Game 3 of this second round series.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-170)
Jeffery Thomas
This series took an unexpected turn with St. Louis earning an impressive 4-1 win in Game 2 on the road to even up the series. David Perron of the Blues scored twice to help his team beat the Avalanche for the first time in nine playoff meetings. It was also the first loss for Colorado this postseason, so there’s no need to panic, but it could be the wake up call they needed. The most important key to victory for St. Louis in Game 2 though was the play of goalie Jordan Binnington who had 30 saves and never let the Avs back in the game once the Blues went up 1-0.
All signs point to the Avs bouncing back in Game 3 though, as they are 5-1 in their last six games following a home loss of three or more goals. The Avs have also won five of their last seven games in St. Louis against the Blues. I see these trends holding up in Game 3 and with this win, the Avs will move to within 2 games of making it past the second round for the first time since 2004.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-170)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
