Nod to the Blues over the Wild in a pick ‘em game
April 16, 2022
Wild at Blues
Enterprise Center – St. Louis, MO
3:00 PM ET
St. Louis -105
As the NHL season heads into the home stretch, the battle for second place in the Central Division is up for grabs today in St. Louis. Both the Blues and Wild enter today’s matchup tied at 98 points, good for second place and with little shot of catching division leading Colorado (114 points).
And while the Wild, winners of three straight are hot, the Blues are scorching hot, winning seven in a row.
There’s good reason that the odds for this game are set at dead even, but there are a few reasons to lean ever-so-slightly toward St. Louis.
First, the Blues are at home. The Wild played in Dallas on Thursday night in an overtime thriller, while the Blues cruised to a 6-2 road win against the Sabres on Thursday. If nothing else, the Blues should be slightly fresher, while there could be a bit of a hangover effect for the Wild.
Second, the Blues have a slight edge in goal. The combination of Marc-Andre Fleury and Cam Talbot has been outstanding for the Wild, as their 2.88 and 2.77 goals against and .910 and .912 save percentage respectively are impressive. But in St. Louis, Ville Husso has been even better with 2.37 goals against and a save percentage of .925.
On the season the Blues have a 4-3 edge in the series. As slight as that is, the trend will continue today in St. Louis.
Norm LaChatlier’s Pick: St. Louis M/L (-105)
Saturday’s NHL Quick Picks
Vegas M/L (+107)
Dallas -1.5 (+135)
Friday’s NHL Winners
Florida Panthers -1.5 (+100)
