The Scottrade Center will be hosting an East-West clash as the New Jersey Devils visit Missouri to face the St. Louis Blues. It’s the final time that these two clubs will meet in the regular season. The action gets going at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 2, and you will be able to catch it live on MSG Plus 2.
New Jersey Devils at St. Louis Blues Odds
St. Louis enters the contest as the heavy favorite with a moneyline of -155. The line for New Jersey sits at +135, and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals (-140 for the under, +120 for the over).
Earning moneyline bettors 2.5 units, St. Louis is 24-17 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, ranked second in the Central Division so far this season, hasn’t moved much from what the team posted during last years regular season (46-36). Of its 41 games this season, 16 have gone under the total, while 16 have gone over and none have pushed. The teams 13-8 SU at home this year.
The Blues have converted on just 15.5 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that places them in the bottom-5 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 10th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 82.7 percent of all penalties.
The Blues, as a collective unit, have been penalized just 3.6 times per game overall this season, 3.6 per game over their past five contests total, and 3.4 per game over their last five home outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties for just 7.8 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Averaging 25.7 saves per game with a .913 save percentage, Jake Allen (18-15-2) has been the primary option in goal for the Blue Notes this year. If the Blue Notes choose to give him the night off, however, head coach Mike Yeo might go with Carter Hutton (7-5-5 record, .946 save percentage, 1.68 goals against average).
Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko will each lead the way for the Blues. Schenn (41 points) is up to 17 goals and 24 assists and has recorded two or more points on 10 different occasions this year. Tarasenko has 16 goals and 22 assists to his name and has recorded a point in 23 games.
New Jersey is 22-16 straight up (SU) and has earned 9.2 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 38 regular season contests, 21 of its games have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under and just one has pushed. The Devils are 10-8 SU as the road team this season.
The Devils have converted on 21.1 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked eighth overall and it’s successfully killed off 83.5 percent of all penalties.
New Jersey’s skaters have been penalized 4.0 times per game this season, and 3.2 per game over their last five road outings. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays just 6.8 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Cory Schneider (29.5 saves per game) has been the main option in the net for New Jersey. Schneider has 18 wins, 12 losses, and five overtime losses to his credit, while registering a .920 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average this year.
Taylor Hall (12 goals, 24 assists) has been one of the primary offensive facilitators for the visiting Devils.
New Jersey Devils vs. St. Louis Blues Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Six of St. Louis last ten contests have been decided by two or more goals, and the club is 2-4 overall in those games.
- Power plays and penalty kills may have a key role in the outcome of this one. The Devils are 6-6 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 9-11 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Blues are 11-7 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 16-11 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- New Jersey (3-2 in shootouts) has more experience this season in games decided by shootout. St. Louis, on the other hand,is undefeated in two shootouts this year.
- The total has gone under in four of St. Louis’ last five outings.
- St. Louis is ranked 1st this season with just 5.4 giveaways per game. That figure has regressed recently, as the teams averaged 6.5 giveaways over its last 10 games and 6.6 giveaways over its last five.
- New Jersey has averaged 7.4 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 7.7 giveaways per game (ranked sixth in the league).
- The Blue Notes this season have handed the 12th-most hits in the league (22.3 per game).
