Facing each other for the third and final time this year, the St. Louis Blues and the Anaheim Ducks take the ice at the Honda Center. NBC Sports Network will air this Western Conference matchup, and the action gets underway at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 6.
St. Louis Blues vs. Anaheim Ducks Odds
Anaheim (+135) is currently the underdog to St. Louis (-155), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -140 for the under and +120 for the over.
St. Louis is 34-31 straight up (SU) and has netted 1.9 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 65 regular season matches, 35 of its games have gone under the total, while 26 have gone over and just four have pushed. As a road team this season, the Blue Notes are 17-15 SU.
St. Louis has converted on 18.7 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 13th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.0 percent of all penalties.
St. Louis, as a collective unit, has been penalized 3.6 times per game overall during the 2018-19 season, and 2.2 per game over its past five match ups. The team has had to kill penalties just 6.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .901 save percentage and 24.7 saves per game, Jake Allen (17-23-5) has been the best option in goal for St. Louis this season. If it chooses to give him a rest, however, St. Louis could turn to Jordan Binnington (15-6-1), who has a .933 save percentage and 1.68 goals against average this year.
The visiting Blues have relied on Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko this year. O’Reilly has 63 points via 24 goals and 39 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 18 different games. Tarasenko has 27 goals and 27 assists to his credit (and has registered a point in 38 games).
On the other bench, Anaheim is 26-41 straight up (SU) and has lost 13.0 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 67 regular season contests, 41 of its games have gone under the total, while 22 have gone over and just three have pushed. This season, the team is 13-19 SU as the home team.
Anaheim has converted on just 15.8 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that places it in the bottom 10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.5 percent of all opponent power plays.
The Ducks have been penalized 3.7 times per game this season, and 3.1 per game over their last ten match ups. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
John Gibson has stopped 28.5 shots per game as the primary option in goal for Anaheim. Gibson has 19 wins, 29 losses, and eight OT losses to his name and has registered a .916 save percentage and 2.87 goals against average this season.
The Ducks will be led on offense by Ryan Getzlaf (11 goals, 28 assists).
St. Louis Blues at Anaheim Ducks Free Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- The under has hit in four of Anaheim’s last five outings.
- Power plays and penalty kills could have a critical role in this matchup. The Blues are 17-15 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 23-19 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Ducks are 5-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 15-29 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Anaheim (3-2 in shootouts) has more experience this season in games decided by shootout. St. Louis has only participated in two shootouts this year, winning one and losing the other.
- Anaheim has managed 7.4 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 6.6 takeaways per game (ranked 25th).
- St. Louis has created 7.0 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 8.2 takeaways per game (ranked 10th).
- Anaheim could have an advantage if it’s a close one late. The team’s 16-14 in games decided by one goal, while St. Louis is 11-14 in such games.
