In their first head-to-head matchup of the regular season, the St. Louis Blues and the Vancouver Canucks meet at Rogers Arena in a Western Conference showdown. CBC Sports will air the matchup, and the puck drops at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 18.
St. Louis Blues at Vancouver Canucks Odds
Vancouver (+115) is playing the role of underdog to St. Louis (-135), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-140 under, +120 over).
St. Louis is 14-6 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 7.1 units this season. Through 20 regular season outings, 10 of its games have gone over the total, while another 10 have gone under and none have pushed. This 2017-18 Blues team is 7-4 SU on the road.
St. Louis has converted on 16.9 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 24th overall, and it has successfully killed off 78.1 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Blue Notes have been called for penalties just 3.8 times per game during the 2017-18 season, 4.0 per game over its past five outings total, and 3.8 per game over its last five on the road. The team has had to kill penalties just 7.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .912 save percentage and 27.1 saves per game, Jake Allen (10-6-1) has been the top option in goal for St. Louis this year. If head coach Mike Yeo decides to rest him, however, St. Louis might roll with Carter Hutton (4-1 record, .943 save percentage, 1.71 goals against average).
The visiting Blues have relied on Jaden Schwartz and Brayden Schenn heavily this season. Schwartz has 25 points on 10 goals and 15 assists, and has recorded two or more points in seven different games. Schenn has seven goals and 18 assists to his creditand has registered at least one point in 13 games.
Vancouver is 9-10 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 1.3 units this year. 11 of its matches have gone under the total, while eight have gone over and none have pushed. It’s 3-7 SU as the home team this season.
The Canucks have converted on just 15.8 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that places them in the bottom 10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 23rd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.3 percent of all penalties.
Canucks players have been penalized 4.2 times per game in total this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five home outings. The teams been forced to kill penalties just 5.2 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Jacob Markstrom (26.1 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for the Canucks. Markstrom has five wins, 10 losses, and two OT losses and has maintained a fairly-weak .910 save percentage and 2.63 goals against average this season.
The Nucks will be led on offense by Brock Boeser (six goals, 10 assists).
St. Louis Blues at Vancouver Canucks Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Canucks, O/U – Over
Betting Trends:
- The total has gone under in three of Vancouver’s last five outings.
- Eight of St. Louis’ last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 5-3 in those games.
- St. Louis skaters have accounted for the league’s fifth-most hits per game (24.8).
