The St. Louis Blues are clinging to their playoff lives and will face a stiff challenge when hosting the Boston Bruins tonight. The Blues have won four of their last five games and sit three points back of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. St. Louis opened as a +105 dog and is 9-5 SU at home in 14 games this season vs Eastern Conference teams.
As if it wasn’t already hard enough to beat the Bruins, the Blues will be without top goal scorer Vladimir Tarasenko for this tilt. St. Louis ranks in the bottom 10 in goals per game since the all-star break (2.52) and has been shut out on three occasions in its last 11 games. The Blues could be approaching fade territory at this point of the season as they’ve gone 5-10 SU in their last 15 games. They also haven’t performed well with the Bruins in town, going 2-5 SU in their last seven games at home vs Boston.
On the flip side, the Bruins have been a mixed bag over the last week and a half, going 2-3 SU in their last five games. But while Boston has had a hiccup here or there, what’s been most impressive is how the team responds in defeat as the Bruins have only lost consecutive games once since mid-December and are 10-1 SU in their last 11 games after a loss.
The total opened at 5.5 goals and trends are pointing to an UNDER. The Blues have not been great on offense lately and the UNDER has hit in five of their last six games at home with an average combined score of 4.8 goals. When you factor in that the UNDER has hit in four of the Bruins’ last five games on the road, it could be a snoozefest in the River City.
Boston Bruins vs St. Louis Blues Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Boston Bruins will look to vanquish their hosts on Wednesday, as they are 45-17-9 this season, while the Blues are 39-28-5. Boston is 33-37-1 against the total, while St. Louis is 29-43 versus the number. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and St. Louis vs Boston injuries news.
This game puts the Blues, most recently No. 22 in the OddsShark NHL Power Rankings, up against the Bruins, who rate No. 8 in the latest survey.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up the St. Louis Blues' No. 23-ranked offense (2.79 goals per game) against a Boston Bruins defense that ranks No. 3 at 2.59 goals per game allowed. The Blues power play has clicked at a 16.37% rate while the Bruins have a 82.11% rate on the penalty kill.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Boston was a 5-4 loser in its last match at home against the Blue Jackets. They lost as favorites, while the total score of 9 made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors.
St. Louis was a 5-4 Sportsbook in its last match on the road against the Blackhawks. They won as -107 underdogs, while the total score of 9 made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors.
Next Betting Matchups
Boston at Dallas, Friday, March 23
St. Louis home to Vancouver, Friday, March 23