In their third and final head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the St. Louis Blues and the Los Angeles Kings meet at the Staples Center for a Western Conference tilt. The action will get underway at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 10, and it can be watched live on Fox Sports West.
St. Louis Blues vs. Los Angeles Kings Odds
Los Angeles is 37-30 straight up (SU) and has earned 3.8 units for moneyline bettors this season. That winning percentage, the second-best in the Pacific Division in this young season, is a welcome improvement over the 39-43 record from last years regular season campaign. Of the teams 67 games this season, 30 have gone under the total, while 30 have gone over and just three have pushed. This season, the teams 17-15 SU at home.
The Kings have converted on 20.2 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated second overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 83.6 percent of all penalties.
The Kings, as a collective unit, have been penalized 4.0 times per game overall this season, and 3.4 per game over their last five at home. The teams had to kill penalties for just 6.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings, overall.
With a .921 save percentage and 27.3 saves per game, Jonathan Quick (26-26-2) has been the best goalkeeper for Los Angeles this season. If the Kings decide to give him a rest, however, the team could turn to Darcy Kuemper (10-9-9 record, .932 save percentage, 2.10 goals against average).
Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown will both spearhead the attack for the Kings. Kopitar (72 points) has tallied 27 goals and 45 assists and has recorded multiple points on 20 different occasions this year. Brown has 19 goals and 26 assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 32 games.
On the other bench, St. Louis is 35-32 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of 41 of its games have gone under the total, while 25 have gone over and just one has pushed. The Blues are 15-18 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Blues have converted on just 15.4 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s ranked 30th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 15th overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.1 percent of all penalties.
St. Louis skaters have been penalized 3.5 times per game this season, 3.4 per game over their last five contests total, and 3.6 per game over their last five on the road. The team has been forced to kill penalties 8.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jake Allen (25.0 saves per game) has been the main choice in the net for St. Louis. Allen owns a 19-26-2 record, while registering a .906 save percentage and 2.79 goals against average this year.
Brayden Schenn (24 goals, 33 assists) and Vladimir Tarasenko (26 goals, 30 assists) have been the top playmakers for St. Louis and will lead the attack for the visiting Blues.
St. Louis Blues vs. Los Angeles Kings Free Picks
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- St. Louis is 3-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Los Angeles is 2-0 in shootouts.
- St. Louis has managed 26.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Los Angeles has been attempting 34.4 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- Five of St. Louis last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 0-5 in those games.
- This game features two of the more aggressive defenses in the league. St. Louis skaters have accounted for the 10th-most hits in the league (22.6 per game) and the Kings have registered the fourth-most (25.5).
