Via NHL.com

Just when game five looked all but over and the Colorado Avalanche were going to celebrate their trip to the Western Conference Finals, the St. Louis Blues had other plans. They stormed back and ended up taking game five in overtime to get back into this series and send it back to St. Louis for game six. It was the kind of win that teams can use to push them over the hump and possibly come back to win the series entirely. That remains to be seen as they still need to beat the Avalanche two more times in a row, but the momentum seems to all be with the Blues at the moment. They did drop both games at home so far in this series but now have a chance to send this series to a game seven, in front of their rowdy crowd. Can the Blues seize the moment? Or will the Avalanche finally fall and have St. Louis singing the blues?

How Colorado can win: Colorado did everything they could to pit themselves into position to win game five. However, they choked and now will have to travel to play another game in this series. It was a gut-wrenching defeat for the home team, but this is a talented and experienced group. They want no part of a game seven and surely will come out with some energy and focus to start the game. They need to try and take the Blues crowd out of the game early on and show that they won’t be defeated. Creating strong scoring chances and being physical from the point of attack are two ways that the Avalanche can help their cause.

How St. Louis can win: St. Louis showed fight and heart in their game five comeback win. They could have held their heads down and accepted defeat, but they never gave up and earned a huge victory. Now heading back home, the Blues will need their fans to get loud and try to force the Avalanche out of the game. Of course, the Blues themselves need to come out strong and try to get their first win at home this series. They were flat in the two games in St. Louis earlier and now need to use their home ice to their advantage. If they can have some energy to start and keep the crowd in the game, they’ll have to like their chances.

The Spread Via FanDuel:

Moneyline: COL: (-172) | STL: (+142)
Spread: COL: -1.5 (+136) | STL: +1.5 (-164)

Final Prediction: Blues 3 Avalanche 2

-This Blues team showed a lot in the game five win to extend the series. Now, let’s get weird and send things back to Colorado for a win or go home game seven. Give me the home team to hold serve and win tonight.