Stars vs. Blues Odds
| Stars Odds | -110 |
| Blues Odds | -110 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 (-115 / -105) |
| Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+, Hulu |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
Three days after the St. Louis Blues defeated the Dallas Stars 4-1 in the Lone Star State, the same two teams will duel again in St. Louis on Friday.
Coach Rick Bowness gave his team a dressing down on Tuesday after the Stars lost their fourth straight game.
Will the tongue-lashing inspire the Stars to successfully avenge their loss, or will the injury-ravaged Blues keep rolling in front of call-up goalie Charlie Lindgren?
St. Louis Blues
Inconsistent for much of the year, the Blues are finally on a roll despite some major lineup concerns. They haven't lost in regulation since Dec. 2 and are 4-0-2 in the meantime.
This uptick came after St. Louis was forced to turn to Charlie Lindgren in net — following COVID concerns for Jordan Binnington and a lower-body injury for Ville Husso.
Called up on Dec. 3, Lindgren has allowed just four goals in total in 186:25 of playing time. He now sits atop the NHL's goalie stats list with a 4-0-0 record, .956 Save Percentage and 1.29 Goals-Against Average. His 1.062 Goals Saved Above Expected per 60 minutes also rank him first among goalies with more than one game played.
Binnington is now off the COVID list, but coach Craig Berube said his starter would probably need a couple more days of practice before getting back into game action. Coming off the win in Dallas, it sounds like Lindgren will get the nod again on Friday.
The Blues' wins are coming despite a long list of forwards being sidelined with injuries. On Tuesday, they beat the Stars without Klim Kostin, Jordan Kyrou, James Neal, David Perron, Brayden Schenn and Robert Thomas.
Dallas Stars
With this week's announcements that Ben Bishop's career has come to an end, and Anton Khudobin has cleared waivers, the Stars have finally clarified their goaltending situation. They'll go forward with Jake Oettinger and Braden Holtby.
Oettinger took the loss on Tuesday against the Blues — the game where Bowness called out some of his players as "complete no-shows."
After winning nine out of 10 games, the Stars are now mired in a four-game losing streak. They've scored just two goals in their last three games.
Compared to the Blues, they're relatively healthy. Miro Heiskanen and Roope Hintz won't play Friday due to illness, and Joel Kiviranta is injured. After missing Tuesday's game due to illness, Alexander Radulov practiced on Thursday and should play on Friday.
The Stars are on a back-to-back, and they will return to American Airlines Center to host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.
Stars vs. Blues Pick
Three years ago, the Blues changed the fortunes of their franchise when they called up a journeyman goaltender named Jordan Binnington, who eventually led them to the Stanley Cup.
At 27, Charlie Lindgren could be on a similar trajectory. Though he has just 28 games of NHL experience to date, his career stats are actually pretty good. He just didn't get much of a chance in the Montreal Canadiens' system before signing as a free agent with the Blues this year.
And while the Blues lineup looks paper-thin up front, their defense corps is still intact. So is a solid top line of Pavel Buchnevich, Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko, while depth forwards like Nathan Walker, Ivan Barbashev and Dakota Joshua have been helping out on the scoring front.
The big question for bettors is whether Bowness' harsh words on Tuesday night will have the desired impact on his underperforming players. Things change fast in the jammed-up Western Conference, and the Stars' current losing streak has already dropped them to 12th place, four points out of a playoff spot.
With a grim road record of 4-8-1, it's unlikely that Dallas will turn things around in St. Louis on Friday night.
Despite the Blues' injury woes, it's worth backing Lindgren and the home favorites, though I wouldn't go any lower than the -130 that DraftKings is offering as of Thursday afternoon. If you shop around, you might be able to find something more favorable as the Blues' lineup woes further impact the wagering market.
Pick: Blues: -130 or better
