A pair of teams that are squarely in playoff contention, the Nashville Predators and the St. Louis Blues face off at the Scottrade Center in a divisional showdown. The puck drops at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 27, and you’ll be able to catch the game live on Fox Sports Midwest.
Nashville Predators vs. St. Louis Blues Odds
St. Louis (+100) is currently the underdog to St. Louis (-120), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-120 money on the under, +100 on the over).
St. Louis is 23-15 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 3.6 units this season. That winning percentage, ranked third in the league in this young season, isn’t too far off from to the 46-36 record the team produced during the 2016-17 season campaign. Out of the teams 38 regular season matches, 23 of them have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and none have pushed. This year, the team is 12-7 SU at home.
The Blues have converted on just 16.4 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s ranked 25th overall in the NHL. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 14th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.9 percent of all penalties.
The Blues, as a collective unit, have been whistled for penalties just 3.5 times per game overall this season, 4.0 per game over their last five outings total, and 3.2 per game over their last five at home. The team has had to kill penalties for just 7.2 minutes per game over their last 10 matchups, overall.
Averaging 25.8 saves per game with a .913 save percentage, Jake Allen (18 wins, 13 losses, and two OT losses) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Blue Notes this season. If head coach Mike Yeo chooses to give him the night off, however, St. Louis might roll with Carter Hutton (6-4-4 record, .948 save percentage, 1.67 goals against average).
The Blue Notes will continue to look for leadership out of Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko. Schenn (40 points) has tallied 17 goals and 23 assists and has recorded multiple points on 10 separate occasions this year. Tarasenko has 15 goals and 21 assists to his name and has recorded a point in 21 games.
On the other side of the rink, Nashville is 21-14 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 4.7 units this year. A total of 19 of its contests have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under and none have pushed. As the visiting team so far, the Predators are 10-8 SU.
The Predators currently have the third-best power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve scored on 25.8 percent of their extra-man chances this season. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked eighth overall and it’s successfully defended 82.7 percent of all penalties.
Nashville’s skaters have been penalized 5.5 times per game this season, 5.6 per game over their last five contests total, and 5.4 per game over their last five road outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties an unhealthy 15.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Pekka Rinne (.923 save percentage and 2.50 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Nashville. Rinne is averaging 29.2 saves per game and owns an 18-9-3 record.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Predators will be Filip Forsberg (15 goals, 18 assists) and Kyle Turris (seven goals, 19 assists).
Nashville Predators vs. St. Louis Blues Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Over Nashville’s last ten games, seven of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 5-2 in those games).
- Nashville has allowed 2.8 goals per game as a team this year, but has allowed 4.7 goals per contest over its three-game losing skid.
- Power plays and penalty kills may play a key role tonight. The Predators are 7-1 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 9-4 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Blues are 11-7 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 15-11 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Three of Nashville’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 1-2 in those games and 3-4 overall in shootouts this season.
- The under has hit in each of St. Louis last five outings.
- St. Louis has averaged 2.6 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 5.2 giveaways per game (ranked 1st in the NHL).
- Nashville has averaged 6.2 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 9.6 giveaways per game (ranked 15th).
- The Blues this season have handed the 10th-most hits in the league (22.8 per game).
