In their second head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Arizona Coyotes and the St. Louis Blues collide at the Scottrade Center in a Western Conference matchup. The opening face-off takes place at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 20, and it will be showcased live on Fox Sports Arizona.
Arizona Coyotes vs. St. Louis Blues Odds
St. Louis (-230) is currently favored over Arizona (+190), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -130 for the under and +110 for the over.
The Blues are 28-20 straight up (SU) and have netted 2.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, ranked 2nd in the Central Division in this young season, hasn’t moved much from the 46-36 record the team produced during last year’s regular season campaign. 29 of the team’s 48 games have gone under the total, while 19 have gone over and none have pushed. The team’s 15-9 SU at home this season.
St. Louis has converted on just 14.6 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s ranked 30th overall in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated 15th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.8 percent of all penalties.
As a team, St. Louis has been penalized just 3.5 times per game overall this season, 3.8 per game over its last five matchups total, and 3.0 per game over its last five home outings. The team’s had to defend opposition power plays for just 7.6 minutes per contest over its last five home games.
Sporting a .908 save percentage and 25.7 saves per game, Jake Allen (18-17-2) has been the primary option in goal for the Blues this year. If they choose to rest him, however, the team could turn to Carter Hutton (11-7-7 record, .943 save percentage, 1.72 goals against average).
The Blue Notes will continue looking for offensive production via Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko. Schenn (46 points) has put up 18 goals and 28 assists and has recorded two or more points 10 times this year. Tarasenko has 20 goals and 25 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 28 games.
Arizona is 10-37 straight up (SU) and has lost 24.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of 26 of its outings have gone under the total, while 20 have gone over and just one has pushed. Arizona’s 5-20 SU as a road team this season.
Arizona has converted on just 16.1 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s ranked 25th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 18th overall and it’s successfully defended 80.3 percent of all penalties.
Arizona’s skaters have been penalized only 3.0 times per game in total this season, and 1.6 per game over their last five on the road. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 7.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Antti Raanta (2.64 goals against average and .917 save percentage) has been the main option in goal for Arizona. Raanta is averaging 25.6 saves per game and owns a 6-19-5 record.
Clayton Keller (14 goals, 20 assists) will pace the offensive counter for the visiting Coyotes.
Arizona Coyotes vs. St. Louis Blues Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
The total has gone over in three of St. Louis’ last five outings.
Arizona has managed 26.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while St. Louis is averaging 31.4 shots per game over its last five at home.
Power-play chances could be even more key than usual in the outcome of this matchup. The Coyotes are 5-18 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 8-29 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, total. The Blues are 15-7 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 19-13 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
Three of Arizona’s last ten games have been decided by a shootout. The team is 0-3 in those games and 1-4 overall in shootouts this season.
St. Louis is ranked 12th in the NHL with 7.8 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower recently, however, as the team has forced 7.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.2 takeaways over its last five.
Arizona has allowed 3.6 goals per game (while scoring just 2.4 goals per contest) over its last five games (0-5 SU over that span).
Arizona is ranked 29th in the league with 5.4 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher recently, as the team has created 6.2 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.8 takeaways over its last five.
St. Louis could have an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 12-8 in games decided by one goal, while Arizona is 7-15 in such games.
