Vegas Golden Knights vs. St. Louis Blues Prediction, NHL Odds
The top two teams in the Western Division are set to go head-to-head on Friday. The Vegas Golden Knights are in St. Louis to play the first game of a back-to-back with the Blues. It came down to the wire in the only other meeting between these teams this season. St. Louis pulled out a 5-4 shootout win in Vegas on Jan. 26.
This game is a pick’em on the moneyline. Vegas’ -1.5 puckline opened at +220 on the NHL odds with the total for this game set at 5.5.
Golden Knights vs. Blues Betting Analysis
The Golden Knights have the best goalie in the league right now, which is likely a big reason why they have been an Under team in nine of their last 13 games. Vegas is 10-13 against the spread overall, covering in four of 10 road games. Although they have a much better home record, the Knights still have a winning road record at 6-4.
St. Louis has the opposite problem as Vegas when it comes to their record. The Blues haven’t been nearly as good at home as they are on the road. The Blues are 4-6-2 in their own arena, compared to 10-2-2 on the road. St. Louis has been brutal at covering the spread this year, going 6-20 ATS overall. The Blues have actually only covered in one of their 12 home games.
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is looking to get back into the win column after dropping their last two games to Minnesota, ending a six-game winning streak. The Golden Knights were shutout 2-0 by the Wild on Monday and followed that up by being on the wrong side of a 4-3 decision on Wednesday. Breaking free from the taxi squad, rookie Dylan Coghlan scored his first career NHL goal in Wednesday’s loss. Then he scored his second. Then his third. Coghlan’s hat trick were the only goals Vegas managed to score in two games against the Wild. Keep an eye on Mark Stone for this game. The first-ever Golden Knights captain has been on an absolute tear this season with 28 points (6G, 22A) in 22 games and is due to break out after going pointless in Minnesota.
It could be a mad-dash for Vegas to get a proven goalie back in the net. After starting 13 of Vegas’ last 14 games, the NHL’s best goalie this season, Marc-Andre Fleury, was placed in COVID protocols and will miss at least Friday and Saturday’s games. With Robin Lehner missing significant time due to an upper-body injury, Fleury has put together a 12-5-0 record and leads the league with a 1.73 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage (among goalies with at least six games played). Lehner is likely close to returning, as he was sent down to the AHL for a conditioning stint earlier this week, but he likely won’t be ready on Friday. Oscar Dansk and Logan Thompson are the only other goalies to suit up for Vegas this season. Together, Dansk and Thompson have played a combined seven career NHL games.
St. Louis Blues
In a condensed 56-game schedule, every game matters and the Blues aren’t about to get any breaks. St. Louis plays 21 of their remaining 30 games against either the Western Division’s first-place Vegas, third-place Minnesota or fourth-place Colorado. Finally back at home for the first time in six games, the Blues are coming off a six-game West Coast swing, going 4-0-2 and dropping their last two games on OT. St. Louis has been absolutely decimated by injuries lately, missing key forwards like Jaden Schwartz, Robert Thomas, Tyler Bozak and Ivan Barbashev to long-term injuries. The defence hasn’t fared much better as Colton Parayko is out indefinitely and Carl Gunnarsson is done for the year with a knee injury.
On more positive news, the Blues just locked up goaltender Jordan Binnington to a six-year contract extension. No. 2 goalie Ville Husso stopped 17 of 20 shots he faced in St. Louis’ 4-3 OT loss to the Sharks on Monday, but it’s been Binnington who has seen the lion’s share of the work between the pipes this year. The Blues’ No. 1 goalie and former Stanley Cup winner is 9-6-3 on the year with a 2.69 GAA and .908 SV. St. Louis is expected to turn back to Binnington on Friday.
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