Devils vs. Blues Odds
| Devils Odds | +210 |
| Blues Odds | -265 |
| Over/Under | 6 (-120 / +100) |
| Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The New Jersey Devils are in St. Louis for the final game of a three-game road trip against the Blues. This will be the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
A win against the league’s worst team in Montreal ended a seven-game losing streak for New Jersey. The Devils are hoping that'll be the start of something better after a 2-8 stretch in their last 10. A win in St. Louis would certainly help matters.
This will be the Blues’ first game since January 29th, so they will be nice and rested heading into this bout. Before heading into the All-Star break they were 7-3 in their last 10 including a tough loss to Winnipeg in their last game.
Devils Showing Positive Signs
While the Devils have struggled to climb up the standings, they have a solid foundation in place. They’ll be without All-Star Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton, but they’re carried by Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer.
Despite playing a horrid stretch of hockey, the Devils are pretty decent at generating offense for a poor team. They currently rank 17th in expected goals per 60 minutes with a 2.38 xGF/60 and create the third-most high danger chances in the league. The Devils are also below average on the power play, where they score 17.5% of the time with a man advantage.
Their defense holds fairly strong, while allowing the 11th-fewest high danger chances, but goaltending has been a major struggle, allowing the third-most goals.
With Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier both out with injury, that leaves the crease to Nico Daws or Jon Gillies. Gillies had a career night in Montreal, so he may get the nod tonight. In his nine games, he’s been decent given the circumstances with an .902 SV% as well as a -3.8 GSAx (Goals Saved Above Expected).
Blues Trying to Keep Up
St. Louis is one of the more talented teams in the league, but are stuck in a rough Central Division. Carried by All-Star Jordan Kyrou along with Vladimir Tarasenko, Pavel Buchnevich, and Robert Thomas, the Blues should be a shoe-in for the playoffs. While it is close in the West, their chances look good, but they need to keep it up.
The Blues have one of the more efficient offenses in the game. They stand ninth in the league with a 2.71 xGF/60, but surprisingly don’t generate as many high danger chances. On special teams, though, they rank second in the league, scoring on the power play 28.5% of the time.
Goaltending has saved their bacon in many ways, as they give up the eighth most high danger chances, but only allow the sixth-fewest goals.
Jordan Binnington was supposed to be St. Louis’ No. 1 in net for the foreseeable future, but could that be changing? The Finnish netminder Ville Husso has played lights out since coming back from injury, while Binnington has taken a back seat.
The former Cup champion Binnington is posting a .901 SV% as well as a poor -7.2 GSAx. However, Husso is posting a .941 SV% and a stellar 16.2 GSAx. My guess is since Binnington hasn’t played in three weeks, he’ll get the nod, but you never know.
Devils-Blues Pick
I typically don’t like the chances for a team coming off such an extended break, because it can be counterproductive. However, I feel like St. Louis is superior enough for it to matter little. Factor in the Blues’ offensive weapons and the Devils’ struggles in net, this seems like a great match.
I’m backing the Blues tonight.
Pick: St. Louis Blues -1.5 (-105)
