St. Louis Blues vs Colorado Avalanche

Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche come into New Year’s Eve riding an eight-game winning streak and a dominant home run at Ball Arena, where they’ve yet to lose in regulation and are fresh off a 5-2 dismantling of the Kings, while the Blues just dropped a 4-2 decision to a surging Sabres team and sit below .500 with a negative goal differential. With Colorado’s roster fully loaded at the top — MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Martin Necas and Brock Nelson all active — they present far more firepower than a St. Louis lineup missing key forwards Pius Suter, Nick Bjugstad and Dylan Holloway, and also down depth winger Nathan Walker, forcing Brayden Schenn, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou to shoulder an outsized load at altitude. Historical matchup data tilts this even further toward Colorado, as MacKinnon has been a long-term problem for the Blues with well over a point per game against them in both regular season and playoffs, although Jordan Binnington has stolen games in Denver before, including a 28-save win last season that’s the main reason to be cautious about full-unit exposure. Given Colorado’s league-best record, elite underlying talent, strong penalty kill and home-ice advantage versus an injury-thinned Blues team on the wrong side of the playoff bubble, the Avalanche moneyline at -350 is a high-probability but low-reward play that I’d grade as a B value — very likely to cash, but best used as a parlay anchor or small straight stake rather than a heavy single-game investment. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 31/12/2025 09:33.([nhl.com](https://www.nhl.com/avalanche/news/game-preview-12-31-25?utm_source=openai))

Colorado’s recent scoring form and the matchup profile both lean toward goals, even with some risk, making the Over 6 at -115 my preferred total: the Avalanche have outscored opponents roughly two-to-one during their current eight-game heater and sit atop the league in offense behind MacKinnon, Necas, Makar and a deep supporting cast, while St. Louis allows 3.38 goals per game with a below-average penalty kill and is coming off another four-goal concession to Buffalo. The Blues’ own attack has been inconsistent at just 2.50 goals per game and is now further compromised by injuries down the middle and on the wing, but Schenn’s mini hot streak, plus finishing talent like Thomas, Buchnevich and Kyrou, gives them enough punch to contribute a couple at five-on-five or on the power play against an Avalanche group whose own man-advantage has strangely lagged despite all that talent, creating some swingy game scripts. Add in Colorado’s relentless pace at home, their multi-line scoring depth confirmed on the active roster, and the fatigue tax St. Louis pays defending wave after wave in Denver, and the most common paths to an Avalanche win land in the 4-2, 5-2, or 5-3 range that pushes or clears this number, though a B- grade reflects the possibility that Binnington and Colorado’s still-stingy structure combine to stall the total at exactly six. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 31/12/2025 09:33.([nhl.com](https://www.nhl.com/avalanche/news/game-preview-12-31-25?utm_source=openai))

Given Colorado’s dominant home profile and St. Louis’ current form, the Avalanche -1.5 at -125 is the most attractive way to back the favorite, as their New Year’s Eve matchup features an elite, deep roster that has been regularly winning by multiple goals in Denver against a banged-up Blues squad still searching for consistency. Colorado’s home win streak has been built on territorial control and depth scoring — with MacKinnon driving the top line and secondary threats like Necas, Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin supplementing the attack in front of steady goaltending from Mackenzie Blackwood — and they’ve been outscoring visitors comfortably even when the power play sputters, which increases the likelihood of an empty-net cover when leading late. St. Louis, by contrast, just lost again after never fully solving Buffalo’s pressure, and they arrive in Colorado without Suter, Bjugstad, Holloway and Walker, hollowing out the middle six and putting immense pressure on Schenn, Thomas and Buchnevich to generate offense while Binnington faces another high-volume night against a team that has historically carved up the Blues when MacKinnon gets rolling. With Colorado leading the division and tracking toward a top playoff seed while St. Louis fights just to stay in the wildcard conversation, motivation and talent both favor a decisive home result, so I grade Avalanche -1.5 (-125) as a B+ play: not quite “lock” territory thanks to Binnington’s upset potential, but offering a much better risk-reward profile than laying a heavy moneyline price. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 31/12/2025 09:33.([nhl.com](https://www.nhl.com/avalanche/news/game-preview-12-31-25?utm_source=openai))