Blues vs. Avalanche Recap: Four-Goal 2nd Sinks St. Louis, Six Cash

Colorado ran away from St. Louis on Saturday night, winning 6-1 in regulation. The Avalanche scored twice in the 1st, then put four more past Jordan Binnington in the 2nd, including two goals 23 seconds apart late in the period. Colorado outshot St. Louis 36-26, and every goal came at even strength: the Avalanche did not score on four power plays, and the Blues came up empty on two. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 25 of 26 shots, and the only St. Louis goal came early in the 3rd with the game long decided. Six DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game.

What cashed

Nazem Kadri 2+ shots on goal (-320 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Kadri put up 2+ shots in 62 of 77 games last season, about 2.77 a game, and St. Louis was on the second night of a back-to-back. - What happened: Kadri finished with 4 shots on goal in 18:27 of ice time, including 3:01 on the power play. That cleared the 1.5 line by 2.5. - Worth watching: He carried big minutes and steady volume in a game Colorado controlled. At a price this steep, the angle is only worth it when the role and minutes look like this.

Dylan Holloway 2+ shots on goal (-275 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Holloway had 2+ shots in 46 of 59 games last season, about 2.75 a game, while playing 19+ minutes in the Blues' top six. - What happened: He got exactly 2 shots on goal, clearing 1.5 by 0.5. He logged 15:35, with 2:23 on the power play, and finished -3. - Worth watching: This one landed with no room to spare. His minutes came in under the 19+ we leaned on, so check his ice time before trusting the price again.

ALT: Over 4.5 total goals (alt): CASHED - Our read: Colorado scored 3.68 goals a game last season and beat Los Angeles 8-4 in its opener, and St. Louis was on the second night of a back-to-back. - What happened: The game produced 7 total goals, clearing 4.5 by 2.5. Nicolas Roy's wrist shot at 18:02 of the 2nd made it 5-0 and pushed the total over. - Worth watching: The alt line gave us room below the main total of 6.5. With Colorado's offense rolling early, a cushioned over is worth a look when the price fits.

Gabriel Landeskog under 2.5 shots on goal (-140 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Landeskog had 2 or fewer shots in 42 of 60 games last season, about 2.20 a game, and had 1 in the opener. - What happened: He finished with 0 shots on goal in 14:35, and cleared the under by 2.5. He still picked up an assist on Martin Necas' backhand at 18:25 of the 2nd. A longer shot that landed. - Worth watching: He saw 5:09 on the power play and still did not get a shot through. When his volume stays this low, the under can stay in play.

Nathan MacKinnon over 3.5 shots on goal (-150 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: MacKinnon had 4+ shots in 52 of 80 games last season and put 8 on net in the opener. St. Louis came in on a back-to-back after playing in Dallas the night before. - What happened: He landed 4 shots on goal, clearing 3.5 by 0.5, and added 3 assists in 18:16 with 4:59 on the power play. He set up Cale Makar's goal at 4:09 of the 1st, Necas' goal at 13:12 of the 1st and Necas again at 18:25 of the 2nd. - Worth watching: He drove the top unit all night. Shot lines this high can land by a hair, so the price matters.

Robert Thomas under 1.5 shots on goal (-125 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Thomas had 1 or fewer shots in 39 of 64 games last season and had 0 in Dallas the night before, with St. Louis on the second half of a back-to-back. - What happened: He finished with 0 shots on goal in 16:30, including 2:24 on the power play, and cleared the under by 1.5. A longer shot that landed. - Worth watching: He played a lot of minutes without getting pucks on net, and won 7 faceoffs while losing 14. The low-volume under is worth tracking if that pattern holds.

How the game played out

The 2nd period decided it. Colorado scored four times in that frame, from Josh Manson at 5:38, Artturi Lehkonen at 11:40, Roy at 18:02 and Necas at 18:25. Binnington faced 36 shots and stopped 30, including 8 saves while St. Louis was shorthanded. Dalibor Dvorsky's backhand at 2:34 of the 3rd was the lone answer for the Blues.

Trends to watch

• MacKinnon and Necas both played heavy power-play minutes (4:59 and 5:51), and Makar logged 6:01. Colorado's top unit got plenty of looks even without a power-play goal.
• Shot volume tilted to Colorado, 36-26. MacKinnon, Kadri, Necas and Jaden Schwartz each had 4 shots on goal.
• The Blues were on a back-to-back and Binnington went the full 60:00. Watch goalie workload when St. Louis plays on no rest.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. For more, see the NHL board, all NHL recaps, what an alt line is, and our story on the Kings-Avalanche opener.