In their first head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Anaheim Ducks and the St. Louis Blues take the ice at the Scottrade Center in a Western Conference showdown. The first puck will drop at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 29, and you can catch it live on Fox Sports Midwest.
Anaheim Ducks vs. St. Louis Blues Odds
St. Louis (+175) is entering this one as the underdog to St. Louis (-205), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -120 for the under and +100 for the over.
The Blues are 17-7 straight up (SU) and have earned moneyline bettors 8.7 units this season. That winning percentage, ranked first in the league so far this season, is a solid improvement compared to how the team performed during the 2016-17 season (46-36). Of the teams 24 games this season, 13 have gone over the total, while 11 have gone under and none have pushed. The team is 9-3 SU at home this year.
St. Louis has converted on 18.1 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 27th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 76.4 percent of all penalties.
St. Louis, as a collective unit, has been penalized just 3.5 times per game overall this season, and 2.4 per game over its last five outings home outings. The teams had to stave off opposition power plays for just 7.7 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, overall.
Sporting a .908 save percentage and 26.4 saves per game, Jake Allen (13-6-1) has been the best goalkeeper for the Blues this season. If head coach Mike Yeo chooses to give him a rest, however, the team could turn to Carter Hutton (4-2-2 record, .946 save percentage, 1.59 goals against average).
The Blue Notes will continue seeking offensive production from Jaden Schwartz and Brayden Schenn. Schwartz (32 points) has produced 13 goals and 19 assists and has recorded multiple points eight times this year. Schenn has 10 goals and 20 assists to his credit and has notched at least one point in 16 contests.
On the other bench, Anaheim is 10-14 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.9 units for moneyline bettors thus far. A total of 14 of its contests have gone under the total, while nine have gone over and just one has pushed. Anaheim’s 4-5 SU as the visiting team this season.
Anaheim has converted on 17.1 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 13th overall and it’s successfully defended 81.6 percent of all penalties.
Anaheim’s players have been penalized 5.0 times per game this season, and 4.2 per game over their last five road outings. The teams been forced to defend opponent power plays 10.2 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
John Gibson (31.3 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Anaheim. Gibson has seven wins, 12 losses, and two OT losses to his credit, while registering a .920 save percentage and 3.03 goals against average this year.
Rickard Rakell (eight goals, 10 assists) and Corey Perry (four goals, 13 assists) are the top point-getters for Anaheim and will lead the offensive counter for the visiting Ducks.
Anaheim Ducks vs. St. Louis Blues Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The total has gone over in three of St. Louis’ last five outings.
- Anaheim has managed 27.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while St. Louis is averaging 37.8 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- Penalties and power plays may play a key role tonight. The Ducks are 1-5 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 4-6 when they’re in the box for fewer than 10 penalty minutes, total. The Blues are 7-4 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 11-5 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Two of Anaheim’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 1-1 in those games and 2-2 overall in shootouts this season.
- St. Louis is ranked 6th overall this season with 8.8 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward lately, as it has averaged 11.2 takeaways over its last 10 games and 11.2 takeaways over its last five.
- Anaheim has allowed 3.0 goals per game overall this year, but has allowed 4.3 goals per contest over its last four games (0-4 SU over that span).
- Anaheim skaters have forced 8.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, an improvement over its season average of 6.2 takeaways per game (ranked 24th).
