The St. Louis Blues and Carolina Hurricanes meet Thursday in NHL action at the Lenovo Center. Here’s a Hurricanes vs. Blues prediction. This article will include a Hurricanes vs. Blues pick.
St. Louis Blues Betting Preview
The St. Louis Blues lost to the Islanders and beat the Ducks, and they play the Oilers next. The Blues have won 5 of their last 7 games.
The St. Louis Blues are averaging 2.63 goals per game and are scoring on 17.1 percent of their power play opportunities. Robert Thomas leads St. Louis with 15 goals, Pavel Buchnevich has 25 assists, and Jordan Kyrou has 139 shots on goal. Defensively, the St. Louis Blues are allowing 3.33 goals per game and are killing 74.3 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Jordan Binnington has allowed 112 goals on 851 shots faced, and Joel Hofer has given up 89 goals on 926 shots.
Carolina Hurricanes Betting Preview
The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Penguins and lost to the Flames, and they play the Lightning next. The Hurricanes have won 8 of their last 10 games.
The Carolina Hurricanes are averaging 3.5 goals per game and are scoring on 22.4 percent of their power play opportunities. Seth Jarvis leads Carolina with 28 goals, Sebastian Aho has 43 assists, and Andrei Svechnikov has 165 shots on goal. Defensively, the Carolina Hurricanes are allowing 2.88 goals per game and are killing 79.4 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Frederik Andersen has given up 83 goals on 648 shots faced, while Brandon Bussi has allowed 72 goals on 706 shots.
Why the Carolina Hurricanes will win
- The Hurricanes have won each of their last 11 games as favorites after coming off a shootout.
- The Blues have lost 10 of their last 11 night games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Hurricanes have covered the puck line in seven of their last eight games against the Blues following a home win.
- The Hurricanes have won the second period in each of their last seven games against Western Conference opponents when trailing after the first period.
Why the St. Louis Blues will win
- The Blues have won each of their last four games on the road as underdogs.
- The Hurricanes have lost two of their last three games as favorites against Central Division opponents.
- The Blues have covered the puck line in each of their last seven road games.
- The Hurricanes have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight home games.
- The Blues have won the first period in each of their last four road games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
Total Goals Facts
- Each of the Hurricanes’ last seven night games at Lenovo Center has gone OVER the total goals line.
- Each of the Blues’ last four road games has gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Eight of the last nine Thursday games at Lenovo Center have gone OVER the total goals line.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in eight of the Hurricanes’ last nine games following an overtime win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in 13 of the Blues’ last 14 games.
Carolina Hurricanes Player Prop Facts
- Sebastian Aho has scored a goal in four of the Hurricanes’ last five home games.
- Sebastian Aho has recorded at least one assist in each of the Hurricanes’ last four games.
- Sebastian Aho has recorded a faceoff win percentage of 80.0% against the Blues this season—the most against any opponent.
St. Louis Blues Player Prop Facts
- Robert Thomas has scored at least one goal in four of his last five appearances in road games.
- Cam Fowler has recorded an assist in each of the Blues’ last four games.
- Alexei Toropchenko has recorded seven hits against the Hurricanes this season—the most against any opponent.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Carolina Hurricanes rank 6th in the league for goals per game this season (3.50).
- The Carolina Hurricanes are one of six teams to rank in the top 10 for both goals scored and goals conceded per game this season.
- The St. Louis Blues rank 29th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (74.30%).
- The St. Louis Blues rank 28th in the league for goals per game this season (2.63).
Hurricanes vs Blues Prediction
The Blues have nothing to play for in terms of postseason hopes, but they’re still competing and putting together decent results lately. The Hurricanes are obviously the better team and fighting for the top seed in the East. Still, we’re getting more than two times our money with a Blues side that’s still fighting and playing hard. The Blues also shut out the Hurricanes back in January, cashing a nice underdog ticket. You can do worse than taking a shot in the dark with the Blues.