TD Garden will play host to an East-West showdown as the Boston Bruins take the ice against the visiting St. Louis Blues. TVA Sports will air the game, which gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 1.
St. Louis Blues vs. Boston Bruins Odds
Boston (-140) is currently favored over St. Louis (+120), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -130 under, +110 over.
St. Louis is 31-21 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 3.5 units this season. Through 52 regular season outings, 32 of its games have gone under the total, while 20 have gone over and none have pushed. As the away team in 2017-18, the Blue Notes are 13-11 SU.
St. Louis has converted on just 16.5 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places them 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 81.9 percent of all penalties.
The Blue Notes, as a collective unit, have been sent to the penalty box just 3.5 times per game this season, 3.0 per game over its past five total, and 4.0 per game over its last five on the road. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 7.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 25.8 saves per game with a .909 save percentage, Jake Allen (18-18-2) has been the primary option in goal for St. Louis this season. If St. Louis chooses to rest him, however, the team could turn to Carter Hutton (14-8-1), who has a .945 save percentage and 1.70 goals against average this year.
Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Blues. Schenn has 50 points on 21 goals and 29 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 12 different games. Tarasenko has 21 goals and 25 assists to his name (and has notched a point in 30 games).
On the other side of the rink, Boston is 29-19 straight up (SU) and has earned 5.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. 26 of its games have gone under the total, while 21 have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 16-10 SU at home this season.
The Bruins have converted on 21.2 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s good enough for eighth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked sixth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
Boston skaters have been whistled for penalties 3.9 times per game in total this season, and 2.8 per game over their last five at home. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 5.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Tuukka Rask (25.3 saves per game) has been the top selection in goal for the Bruins. Rask has 19 wins, 13 losses, and four overtime losses and has maintained a .922 save percentage and a solid 2.16 goals against average this year.
The home team will be led on offense by Brad Marchand (21 goals, 29 assists).
St. Louis Blues vs. Boston Bruins Free Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Boston is 3-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while St. Louis is 3-0 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in four of Boston’s last five games.
- Five of Boston’s last ten outings have been decided by two or more goals, and the team is 4-1 overall in those games.
- This game features two of the more aggressive teams in the league. St. Louis skaters have accounted for the league’s 11th-most hits per game (22.3) and the Bruins have tallied the fifth-most (24.4).
