St. Louis Blues vs Buffalo Sabres Betting Picks & Predictions
The St. Louis Blues will be facing off against the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center in non-conference action. Both teams are coming off recent losses and will be aiming
Game outlook
The St. Louis Blues will be facing off against the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center in non-conference action. Both teams are coming off recent losses and will be aiming to bounce back. The Blues currently hold the fourth position in the Central Division with 54 points, while the Sabres are seventh in the Atlantic Division with 48 points. This will be their second and final game of the season, with the Blues having won the previous encounter on November 30th with a score of 6-4. Buffalo is favored to win, opening at -135 in the betting lines. No changes have been observed in the line so far.
Betting Odds
Moneyline: Blues +116 | Sabres -135
Spread: Blues +1.5 (-220) | Sabres -1.5 (+180)
Total: Over/Under 6 (-110)
Based on the moneyline, the implied probability that Buffalo will win straight-up is 57%.
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues have struggled offensively this season, currently ranking 25th in the league with 141 total goals scored. However, center Robert Thomas has been a standout player with 52 points, including 17 goals and 35 assists. Thomas has also been on a recent hot streak, recording eight points in his last six games. In his previous game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Thomas did not record a point despite playing for 19 minutes and 10 seconds. The Blues have struggled on power plays, converting only 15.17 percent of their attempts, which is well below average. On the defensive side, goalie Jordan Binnington is expected to start in the upcoming game and has been performing fairly well this season with a record of 17-13-2. Binnington has a goals against average of 2.92 and a save percentage of .908. In his most recent game against the Blue Jackets, Binnington allowed only one goal on 22 shot attempts in a losing effort. Defensively, the Blues have been decent, allowing 153 goals which ranks 14th in the league. Their penalty kill has been slightly below average, successfully defending against 78.29 percent of penalties. In terms of rankings, St. Louis is currently ranked 26th in offense, scoring an average of 2.88 goals per game. They are ranked 17th in defense, allowing an average of 3.12 goals to be scored against them per game. Overall, their record for the season is 26-21-2. On the injury front, right winger Kasperi Kapanen, defenseman Scott Perunovich, and defenseman Justin Faulk are all currently sidelined with lower body injuries.