A couple of teams that’ve positioned themselves squarely in the playoff hunt, the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues clash at the Scottrade Center for a divisional matchup. The puck drops at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 6, and it’s being televised live on NBC Sports Network.
Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues Odds
St. Louis (-150) is currently favored over Minnesota (+130), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -140 for the under and +120 for the over.
The Blues are 32-22 straight up (SU) and have earned 3.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, ranked fifth in the NHL in this young season, isn’t too far off from to the 46-36 record the team produced during last years regular season campaign. Of its 54 regular season outings, 34 have gone under the total, while 20 have gone over and none have pushed. This year, the teams 18-10 SU at home.
St. Louis has converted on just 16.3 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that puts the team 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 81.9 percent of all penalties.
St. Louis, as a collective unit, has been penalized just 3.4 times per game overall this season, and 2.6 per game over its last five games. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays for just 8.1 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, overall.
Averaging 26.3 saves per game with a .911 save percentage, Jake Allen (18 wins, 19 losses, and two OT losses) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Blues this season. If they choose to give him a rest, however, the team may go with Carter Hutton (15-8-8 record, .947 save percentage, 1.61 goals against average).
The Blue Notes will continue relying on leadership from Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko. Schenn (51 points) has tallied 21 goals and 30 assists and has recorded multiple points 12 times this year. Tarasenko has 21 goals and 26 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 31 games.
Over on the other bench, Minnesota is 28-24 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 2.2e-16 units this season. A total of 27 of its contests have gone over the total, while 23 have gone under and just two have pushed. As a road team so far, Minnesota is 10-16 SU.
Minnesota has converted on 20.8 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 18th overall and it’s successfully killed off 80.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
Minnesota’s skaters have been penalized 4.1 times per game in total this season, and 2.9 per game over their last ten contests. The teams had to kill penalties just 6.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Devan Dubnyk (27.0 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Minnesota. Dubnyk has 21 wins, 14 losses, and three OT losses to his credit, and has registered a .916 save percentage and 2.66 goals against average this year.
Eric Staal (22 goals, 24 assists) will lead the offensive counter for the visiting Wild.
Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues Free Picks
Free Pick: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- St. Louis is 3-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Minnesota is 3-1 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in each of St. Louis’ last five games.
- Six of Minnesota’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 4-2 in those games.
- The Blues this season have tallied the 12th-most hits per game (22.4).
