Two teams that have put themselves squarely in the playoff hunt, the St. Louis Blues and the expansion franchise Vegas Golden Knights take the ice at the Scottrade Center in a Western Conference matchup. The opening face-off is at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 4, and fans at home can view it live on Fox Sports Midwest.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. St. Louis Blues Odds
St. Louis heads into the contest as the favorite with a moneyline of -120. The line for Vegas sits at +100, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting that total stand at -120 over, +100 under.
Vegas is 27-11 straight up (SU) and has netted 20.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 38 regular season matches, 22 of its games have gone over the total, while 14 have gone under and just two have pushed. The Knights are 10-8 SU on the road in 2017-18.
Vegas has converted on 19.5 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 15th out of 31 teams, and it has successfully killed off 81.2 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Vegas has been called for penalties just 3.4 times per game overall in the 2017-18 season, and 2.6 per game over its past five outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 6.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 25.5 saves per game with a .922 save percentage, Malcolm Subban (11-2) has been the primary option in goal for Vegas this year. If it decides to rest him, however, head coach Gerard Gallant may turn to Maxime Lagace (7-7-1), who has a .872 save percentage and 3.79 goals against average this year.
Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson will both be relied on to facilitate things for the visiting Golden Knights. Marchessault (37 points) is up to 15 goals and 22 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 11 different games. Karlsson has 20 goals and 13 assists to his nameand has registered a point in 22 games.
On the other side of the ice, St. Louis is 25-17 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 3.5 units this season. 26 of its outings have gone under the total, while 16 have gone over and none have pushed. It’s 14-8 SU at home this year.
St. Louis has converted on just 15.1 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that places it in the bottom 5 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 12th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.2 percent of all penalties.
St. Louis players have been penalized only 3.5 times per game in total this season, 3.4 per game over their last five games total, and 3.0 per game over their last five at home. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays 8.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jake Allen has stopped 25.7 shots per game as the primary option in goal for St. Louis. Allen has 18 wins, 15 losses, and two overtime losses to his name and has recorded a 2.57 goals against average and a .913 save percentage this year.
The Blue Notes offense will be led by Brayden Schenn (17 goals, 24 assists).
Vegas Golden Knights at St. Louis Blues Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
The under has hit in four of St. Louis’ last five outings.
Penalties and power plays could be key tonight. The Golden Knights are 11-4 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 19-8 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes. The Blues are 12-7 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 17-11 in games where their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
St. Louis is 3-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Vegas is 2-2 in shootouts.
St. Louis is ranked 11th in the NHL this season with 7.8 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower recently, however, as it has averaged 6.5 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.8 takeaways over its last five.
Vegas has allowed 2.8 goals per game overall this season, but is allowing just 1.5 per contest over their eight-game winning streak.
One of the top teams when it comes to creating pressure on opposing offenses, Vegas is ranked first overall this season with 12.2 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward recently, as it’s forced 15.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 14.8 takeaways over its last five.
