Two of the NHL’s most-lethal teams on the power play, the Vegas Golden Knights and the St. Louis Blues collide at the Enterprise Center. AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain will air this Western Conference matchup, and the puck drops at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 12.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. St. Louis Blues Odds
St. Louis (-120) is tabbed as the favorite over Vegas (+100) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. If gamblers want to play this matchup’s total, they’ll be looking at odds of -115 for the over and -105 on the under.
The Blues are 18-14 straight-up (SU) and have earned 0.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, ranked 3rd in the Central Division in this young season, is right in line with the 45-37 record the team produced during last year’s regular season campaign. Through 32 regular season contests, 18 of its games have gone under the total, while 14 have gone over and none have pushed. The team is 8-7 SU at home this year.
St. Louis has been able to convert on 23.2 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked ninth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.6 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, STL has been called for penalties just 3.2 times per game overall this season, 2.8 per game over its past five contests total, and 3.2 per game over its last five home outings. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays for just 6.9 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, overall.
Boasting a .921 save percentage and 27.7 saves per game, Jordan Binnington (13-10-4) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Blues this season. If they decide to give him the night off, however, St. Louis could turn to Jake Allen (5-5-5 record, .925 save percentage, 2.33 goals against average).
David Perron and Ryan O’Reilly will both look to continue their strong seasons for the Blues. Perron (30 points) has put up 12 goals and 18 assists and has recorded multiple points on five different occasions this year. O’Reilly has six goals and 21 assists to his name and has notched a point in 16 games.
In the other locker room, Vegas is 16-17 straight up (SU) and has lost 10.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 17 of its matches have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and just one has pushed. Vegas’ 8-8 SU as an away team this season.
Vegas has scored on 22.5 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s good enough for eighth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 12th overall and it’s successfully killed off 83.6 percent of all penalties.
Vegas’ players have been penalized 3.8 times per game this season, 4.0 per game over their last five match ups total, and 3.4 per game over their last five road outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 7.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Marc-Andre Fleury (.921 save percentage and 2.46 goals against average) has been the main option in goal for Vegas. Fleury is averaging 27.8 saves per game and has 12 wins, nine losses, and two OT losses to his credit.
Max Pacioretty (11 goals, 16 assists) and William Karlsson (nine goals, 17 assists) have been the top playmakers for Vegas and will lead the offensive counter for the visiting Golden Knights.
Vegas Golden Knights at St. Louis Blues Betting Predictions
Free Pick: SU Winner – Golden Knights, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- For both of these clubs, the game went over the total in three of their last five outings.
- Vegas has attempted 33.6 shots per contest overall this season (the second-most in the NHL), and 33.0 in its last 10 games.
- Penalties and power plays could prove to be extremely important in tonight’s game. The Golden Knights are 5-6 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 11-11 when they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, total. The Blues are 10-3 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 14-9 when total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Vegas is 3-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while St. Louis is 0-3 in shootouts.
- St. Louis skaters have forced 9.4 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 7.3 takeaways per game (ranked 17th in the league).
- Vegas skaters have managed 8.2 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 10.0 takeaways per game (ranked first overall).
- St. Louis could hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 9-6 in games decided by one goal, while Vegas is 6-8 in such games.
