New Jersey Devils at St. Louis Blues odds, picks and predictions
The New Jersey Devils (6-2-1) take on the St. Louis Blues (3-4-1) Friday at Enterprise Center. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+/Hulu). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Devils vs. Blues odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Devils are coming off a 5-3 win in Minnesota Thursday night. They’re 3-0-0 on the road, 2nd in the NHL in goals at 4.2 per game and 1st with a 44.7% power play. C Jack Hughes leads the team with 20 points on 5 goals and 15 assists.
The Blues are coming off a 4-1 defeat in Colorado Wednesday night. They are a team struggling to find an identity on offense as they’re 31st with 1.8 goals per game, last with 25 shots per game and last with a 4% power play. They are 1-for-25 with the extra man this season as they lack the one-timer threat, and they really can’t even set up in the o-zone.
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Devils at Blues odds
BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:34 a.m. ET.
Devils at Blues projected goalies
Akira Schmid (1-0-1, 4.08 GAA, .863 SV%) vs. Jordan Binnington (2-3-1, 2.61 GAA, .916 SV%)
Schmid was last between the pipes in a 6-4 loss to the Washington Capitals Oct. 25. He allowed 3 goals on 8 shots before being pulled. He has allowed at least 3 goals in all 3 starts. He faced the Blues Jan. 5 last season in a 5-3 loss, allowing 4 goals on 18 shots.
Binnington allowed 4 goals on 28 shots in the loss to the Avalanche Wednesday night. He stood on his head in his 1st few starts and will have to do the same against the high-octane Devils. He was 2-0-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .953 SV% against them last season.
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Devils at Blues picks and predictions
Prediction
Blues 3, Devils 2
The Blues beat the Devils in both meetings last season 4-2 and 5-3. The victories came after St. Louis began trading pieces away. This feels like a trap game for Jersey, who are playing on the 2nd straight night and running with a leaky backup goaltender. The Blues have talent, but they just haven’t been able to take good enough care of the puck to sustain pressure. Maybe weary legs in front of them will be the key.
Take the BLUES +125.
All of the Blues’ losses have been by multiple goals this year. So when they play connected, it shows, and when they don’t – that shows, too. So I’m going to PASS on the puck line here. Jersey playing on consecutive nights really gives me pause.
I like JORDAN KYROU OVER 2.5 SHOTS (-185). It’s a steep price, but he has at least 3 shots in 4 straight games.
I’ll preface this by saying that because I’m predicting a Blues victory, I’m in on the Under here. Binnington will have to be the difference as the Blues are 1-6-1 O/U this year. The Devils are 9-0. In Binnington’s 2 wins, he allowed a combined 3 goals. This total has cashed just 3 times in the last 10 meetings between the teams.
