After their 5-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong held a presser to publicize the firing of head coach Ken Hitchcock. It was common knowledge that Mike Yeo was going to get the gig in the offseason but with the Blues struggling to hold on to a playoff spot and with the worst team save percentage in the league, something had to change. Yeo will get his first opportunity as lead bench boss of the Blues tonight when his team takes on the hottest road team in the NHL.
Trends are essentially useless for this game because as we’ve seen with recent firings, switching up head coaches can lead to immediate drastic changes on the ice. Take the New York Islanders, for example; they fired Jack Capuano back on January 17 and since then they’ve won five of six games and their only loss came in overtime. I’m not saying the Blues will do that as they still have some goaltending issues, I’m just saying to expect a boost in energy – if only for a few games.
The young snipers on the Leafs will be licking their chops to get a chance to fire away on Jake Allen tonight if he gets the start. He’s been one of the worst starting goalies in the league and Toronto is the sixth-highest scoring team in the league.
I like the OVER tonight and I like it a lot. I’ve written in a lot of places how the all-star break and the newly instituted bye weeks are leading to higher scores and that’s evident by the 13-2-2 OVER/UNDER record since NHL action resumed on Tuesday. Additionally, the Blues had a 9-3-1 O/U record in the month of January.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
Betting fans looking to back the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs before puck drop in this match found them as 109 moneyline underdogs at Sportsbook. They saw an Sportsbook total of 6, according to Sportsbook.
Odds Shark computer prediction formulas pick a 3.2-2 win for the Maple Leafs on Thursday. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NHL matchups here.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs St. Louis Blues Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
This season the St. Louis Blues are 24-21-5 overall while the Toronto Maple Leafs are 23-16-9. As for the totals, St. Louis is 24-18-8 on the OU, and Toronto is 22-26. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and St. Louis vs Toronto injuries news.
This game puts the St. Louis Blues, most recently No. 19 in the Odds Shark NHL Power Rankings, up against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who rate a No. 4 in the latest survey.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up the St. Louis Blues No. 11-ranked offense (2.82 goals per game) against a Toronto Maple Leafs defense that ranks No. 21 at 2.9 goals per game allowed. The Blues Sportsbook has clicked at a 22.08% rate while the Maple Leafs have a 85.62% rate on the penalty kill.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Maple Leafs were a 6-3 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Stars. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Dallas at -104 on the moneyline, while the total score (9) was good news for OVER bettors.
In their last action, St. Louis was a 5-3 loser at home against the Jets. Bettors on Winnipeg at +124 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (8) sent OVER bettors home happy as well.
Next Betting Matchups
Toronto at Boston, Saturday, February 4th
St. Louis home to Pittsburgh, Saturday, February 4th