The Enterprise Center will be hosting an intriguing showdown as the Nashville Predators pay a visit to the St. Louis Blues. The game gets underway at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, November 23, and you can watch this Central Division matchup live on Fox Sports Tennesse.
Nashville Predators vs. St. Louis Blues Odds
Nashville (-135) is currently the favorite over St. Louis (+115), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 for the under and +100 for the over.
Nashville is 16-6 straight up (SU) and has netted 6.8 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 22 regular season outings, 12 of its games have gone under the total, while nine have gone over and just one has pushed. As the away team this season, the Preds are 8-3 SU.
Nashville has converted on just 14.3 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s ranked 29th in the NHL. Having said that, it has the ninth-strongest penalty kill in the league, and it’s successfully killed off 81.4 percent of all penalties.
Nashville, as a collective unit, has been sent to the penalty box 3.7 times per game overall this season, 4.0 per game over its last five contests total, and 3.2 per game over its last five on the road. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 7.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Sporting a .944 save percentage and 27.3 saves per game, Pekka Rinne (10-3-1) has been the best option in goal for Nashville this year. If Nashville chooses to rest him, however, they may turn to Juuse Saros (7-3 record, .903 save percentage, 2.94 goals against average).
Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Predators. Johansen (20 points) is up to four goals and 16 assists, and has recorded two or more points in seven different games. Forsberg has 14 goals and six assists to his creditand has registered a point in 12 games.
On the other side of the rink, St. Louis is 7-13 straight up (SU) and has lost 8.1 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 11 of its outings have gone under the total, while eight have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 5-7 SU at home this year.
St. Louis has converted on 23.2 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked ninth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
The Blues have been penalized 3.6 times per game this season, and 2.6 per game over their past five match ups. The team’s had to kill penalties just 7.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jake Allen has stopped 26.9 shots per game as the primary selection in the crease for St. Louis. Allen has five wins, 10 losses, and three overtime losses to his name and has registered a fairly-weak .896 save percentage and 3.31 goals against average this year.
Ryan O’Reilly (10 goals, 13 assists) will lead the attack for the Blue Notes.
Nashville Predators vs. St. Louis Blues Betting Predictions
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Notes
Betting Trends
The total has gone under in each of St. Louis’ last five outings.
The Predators are 8-2 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 12-4 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
St. Louis is ranked 15th overall this season with 7.4 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended higher recently, as it has created 8.3 takeaways over its last 10 games and 8.0 takeaways over its last five.
Nashville has scored 4.0 goals per game (while giving up just 2.0) over the team’s three-game winning streak.
Nashville skaters have managed 6.0 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 8.1 takeaways per game (ranked 11th in the league).
Nashville may hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 6-4 in one-goal games, while St. Louis is only 0-7 in such games.
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