Two clubs that split their head-to-head series 1-1 last year, the St. Louis Blues and the Ottawa Senators clash at Canadian Tire Centre for an East-West tilt. This one gets started at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 18 and it’ll be shown live on Fox Sports Midwest.
St. Louis Blues at Ottawa Senators Odds
St. Louis (-120) is currently favored over Ottawa (+100), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under). After they initially opened at -110 for either, those lines have shifted.
St. Louis is 27-20 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 1.9 units this season. Through 47 regular season contests, 28 of its games have gone under the total, while 19 have gone over and none have pushed. As an away team this season, the Blue Notes are 12-11 SU.
St. Louis has converted on just 14.8 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s ranked 30th in the NHL. Its penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.6 percent of its penalties.
St. Louis, as a collective unit, has been called for penalties just 3.5 times per game this season, 3.2 per game over its past five total, and 3.6 per game over its last five games as the visiting team. The team’s had to kill penalties just 8.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 25.7 saves per game with a .908 save percentage, Jake Allen (18-17-2) has been the primary option in goal for St. Louis this year. If St. Louis decides to rest him, however, head coach Mike Yeo may roll with Carter Hutton (10-7-1 record, .942 save percentage, 1.78 goals against average).
Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko will both look to continue their strong seasons for the visiting Blues. Schenn has 44 points via 17 goals and 27 assists, and has recorded two or more points 10 times. Tarasenko has 19 goals and 25 assists to his credit, and has notched at least one point in 28 games.
On the other side of the rink, Ottawa is 15-27 straight up (SU) and has lost 13.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 42 regular season matches, 23 of its games have gone over the total, while 19 have gone under and none have pushed. This season, the team’s 9-13 SU as the home team.
Ottawa has converted on just 15.2 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s ranked 29th in the NHL. Its penalty kill is also ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Ottawa players have been penalized 3.7 times per game in total this season, and 5.4 per game over their last five home outings. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays 8.8 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Craig Anderson (26.8 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for Ottawa. Anderson has 13 wins, 19 losses, and five OT losses and has maintained a pedestrian 3.22 goals against average and a subpar .899 save percentage this year.
The home team offense will be led by Mark Stone (18 goals, 24 assists).
St. Louis Blues vs. Ottawa Senators Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Trends
St. Louis is 3-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Ottawa is 1-5 in shootouts.
The total has gone over in four of Ottawa’s last five outings.
Four of St. Louis’ last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 1-3 in those games.
This game features two of the more aggressive defenses in the league. St. Louis skaters have accounted for the 11th-most hits in the league (22.0 per game) while the Sens have handed the 10th-most (23.3).
