Ottawa Senators vs. St. Louis Blues Prediction, NHL Odds
After St. Louis’ losing streak was stretched to four games in a row Tuesday night, they canned head coach Craig Berube, the same coach who brought them their only Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Drew Bannister will make his NHL coaching debut for the Blues on Thursday when they host the Ottawa Senators for the first time this season.
Both teams are coming off losses and need consistency to jump into a playoff spot.
Puck drop from Enterprise Arena in St. Louis Missouri is set for 8:00 PM EST. Keep updated on our Moneyline, Puckline and Over/Under for Thursday night’s matchup on our NHL odds.
Senators vs. Blues NHL Betting Odds
Like in years past these teams will meet twice this season, wrapping up the season series in Ottawa in March. Last season, one where both teams were just outside the playoff picture, resulted in a split; a 2-1 win on home ice for the Blues and a 7-2 win at home by the Sens. Looking back further, St. Louis has a much better track record in the head-to-head, winning seven of the past 10 meetings.
Listed as the underdog in their most recent loss, Tuesday night versus Carolina, the Senators failed to cover the spread which would have been a season-high five games in a row. After 23 games they sit ninth overall in goals per game, while also giving up over three per game, leading to an 11-9-3 record on the OVER/UNDER.
Not only have they lost four in a row, but the Blues have lost them all by at least two goals, not to mention they lost two bottom-five teams in that stretch. The slide has dropped the team to 12-16 ATS on the year and a 13-14-1 record overall. They scored four goals in their last game, almost double their average for the season (2.82) and played the OVER for the third time in the past four.
Ottawa Senators
Ottawa got on the board first Tuesday night, as Josh Norris (7) opened the scoring seven minutes into the first period. The Sens have scored first in six straight games but have had trouble keeping the momentum, losing half of those contests.
The biggest highlight from Ottawa’s side on Tuesday Night was Captain Brady Tkachuk attempting to fight the Canes goalie after a failed penalty shot attempt, getting himself a 10-minute misconduct penalty.
Carolina would score four unanswered goals, two on the powerplay, taking advantage of a terrible Senators penalty kill (72 percent) for the 4-1 final.
The NHL has seen three coaches fired already this season and Ottawa fans are wondering how long until they will record the fourth. Coach DJ Smith has been on the hot seat since last season and with an underperforming squad again this campaign, the man’s job is definitely in question.
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues held the lead three separate times in Tuesday night’s game against the Red Wings but gave up three unanswered goals in the third, taking a 6-4 loss. Brandon Saad (6) opened the scoring before Detroit scored back-to-back goals before the end of the first. Kevin Hayes (7, 8) scored two goals in thirty seconds to put the Blue Notes back on top, but the Wings would score not long after. The Blues scored their league-leading 8th shorthanded goal this season putting them in front once again heading into the third period.
The chaotic game was the final straw for management though as only a few hours after the game, the most successful coach in franchise history, Craig Berube was relieved of his duties. Perhaps seeing both Edmonton and Minnesota firing their coaches and turning things around inspired GM Bill Guerin to pull the trigger before playoffs were too far out of reach.
OTT
STL