Gila River Arena will be the site for an intriguing showdown as the Arizona Coyotes welcome the visiting St. Louis Blues. Fox Sports Arizona will air this Western Conference matchup, and the opening face-off is at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 31.
St. Louis Blues vs. Arizona Coyotes Odds
St. Louis (-125) is currently the favorite over Arizona (+105), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-135 for the under, +115 for the over).
St. Louis is 26-14 straight up (SU) and has earned 8.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 40 regular season outings, 21 of its games have gone under the total, while 19 have gone over and none have pushed. As an away team in 2019-20, the Blue Notes are 13-7 SU.
St. Louis has converted on 24.8 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. Additionally, it has the fourth-best penalty kill in the league, and it’s successfully killed off 84.7 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, St. Louis has been penalized just 3.3 times per game overall in the 2019-20 season, 3.8 per game over its past five contests total, and 3.8 per game over its last five on the road. The team’s had to kill penalties just 7.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 27.2 saves per game with a .921 save percentage, Jordan Binnington (19-10-4) has been the top option in goal for St. Louis this year. If head coach Craig Berube chooses to rest him, however, the team could roll with Jake Allen (7-5-2 record, .931 save percentage, 2.19 goals against average).
David Perron and Ryan O’Reilly will both lead the way for the visiting Blues. Perron (40 points) is up to 16 goals and 24 assists, and has recorded multiple points in eight different games. O’Reilly has eight goals and 26 assists to his credit (and has logged at least one point in 21 games).
Over on the other bench, Arizona is 21-20 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.1 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 23 of its contests have gone under the total, while 17 have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 8-11 SU as the home team this season.
Arizona has converted on 19.4 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 11th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.7 percent of all penalties.
Arizona players have been penalized only 3.1 times per game this season, 3.2 per game over their past five contests total, and 3.6 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays just 7.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Darcy Kuemper (28.7 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for Arizona. Kuemper has 15 wins, 10 losses, and two OT losses to his name and has recorded a solid 2.17 goals against average and a .929 save percentage this year.
Nick Schmaltz (six goals, 25 assists) will lead the offensive counter for Arizona.
St. Louis Blues at Arizona Coyotes Free Picks
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Coyotes, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- St. Louis is 0-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Arizona is 5-2 in shootouts.
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in three of their last five matchups.
- St. Louis has managed 29.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Arizona has been attempting 39.0 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Arizona has averaged 2.8 goals per game this year, but is averaging 1.7 goals per contest in its last three contests (the team is 0-3 SU over that stretch).
- Seven of St. Louis’ last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 5-2 in those games.
- St. Louis skaters recorded 22.5 hits per game last season, while the Coyotes accounted for 24.7 hits per contest.
