Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson, and the New York Islanders are set to do battle against David Perron, Ryan O’Reilly, and the St. Louis Blues at the Enterprise Center in an East-West showdown. The match gets started at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 27, and fans at home will be able to see it live on Fox Sports Midwest.
New York Islanders at St. Louis Blues Odds
With a moneyline of -170, St. Louis enters the game as the obvious favorite. The line for New York sits at +150, and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 for the under and +100 for the over.
St. Louis is 37-27 straight up (SU) and has earned 2.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, the third-best in the Central Division in this young season, isn’t too far off from to the 45-37 record the team managed during last year’s regular season campaign. Among the team’s 64 games this season, 32 have gone over the total, while 30 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team’s 21-11 SU at home this year.
The Blues enter the matchup with the third-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as the team has converted on 24.1 percent of their extra-man chances this season. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 18th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 80.0 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 26.2 saves per game with a .911 save percentage, Jordan Binnington (28-18-7) has been the most dependable goalkeeper for St. Louis this season. If St. Louis decides to rest him, however, the team may turn to Jake Allen (9-12-12 record, .923 save percentage, 2.29 goals against average).
New York has earned moneyline bettors 4.5 units this year and is currently 35-27 straight up (SU). A total of 34 of its outings have gone under the total, while 25 have gone over and just three have pushed. The Islanders are 15-15 SU as the away team this season.
The Islanders have converted on 17.8 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 16th overall and it’s successfully defended 80.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Semyon Varlamov (2.51 goals against average and .918 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for New York. Varlamov is averaging 26.2 saves per game and owns a 20-21-5 record.
New York Islanders vs. St. Louis Blues Betting Predictions
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
Over St. Louis’ last ten outings, four of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 3-1 in those games).
Power-play chances could prove to be key in this matchup. The Islanders are 6-9 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 23-18 when they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, in total. The Blues are 15-7 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 29-18 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
St. Louis is 1-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while New York is 3-2 in shootouts.
The total has gone under in four of New York’s last five outings.
New York is ranked 32nd this season with 14.1 giveaways per game. That figure’s trended down recently, however, as the team’s averaged 10.3 giveaways over its last 10 games and 12.6 giveaways over its last five.
St. Louis skaters have averaged 6.8 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 7.6 giveaways per game (ranked 3rd in the NHL).
New York skaters have dished out the league’s third-most hits per game (28.2).