Friday’s game between the Vegas Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues features two teams trying to end losing streaks during their first game of 2026. Vegas enters as the favorite on the road, but looking to end a losing streak brought on by poor defending. St. Louis has dropped two games in a row and will try to get back into the win column themselves. Before the puck drops in St. Louis, continue reading to get my Golden Knights vs Blues prediction on the ice.
Our Golden Knights vs Blues Pick
Pick: | Over 5.5 |
Confidence: | 4/5 |
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Vegas Golden Knights vs St. Louis Blues
- Date & Time: Friday, January 2, 2026, 3:00 PM ET
- Venue: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO
- Broadcast: ESPN+
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Key Storylines
Recent form
- The Golden Knights have been above average with a record of 17-10-11, coming into this contest as slight favorites and in second place in the Pacific Division. But the Knights have lost three straight games, allowing 15 goals over that span.
- St. Louis sits under .500 at 15-18-8 and has struggled to maintain consistency, losing two straight games and allowing 10 goals in those two contests.
Goaltending
- Vegas is expected to go with Carter Hart as their starter in goal. His GAA has risen to 3.19 and he will try to hold down the fort amid some goaltender injuries for the Knights.
- St. Louis typically turns to Jordan Binnington, but Joel Hofer has better individual numbers than Binnington so far this season. We could see Hofer in net again in this game as he is playing better hockey heading into 2026.
Key skaters
- For Vegas, Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner have been key drivers of offense, combining for 60 assists. Vegas also ranks near the top of the league in power‑play success rate.
- The Blues offense has struggled, ranking near the bottom of the NHL in scoring with limited power‑play efficiency. Robert Thomas leads St. Louis forwards in point production with 29.
Best Player Props
Player | Prop |
|---|
Jack Eichel (VGK) | Over 1.5 Points |
Mitch Marner (VGK) | Over 0.5 Assists |
Betting Trends & H2H
- Vegas defeated St. Louis 4-1 in their first meeting of the season in St. Louis.
- Vegas is 20-17 to the over so far this season.
- The Golden Knights are 10-27 on the puckline entering Friday afternoon.
- St. Louis has stayed under the total in 21 games and they have gone over the total 20 times.
- The Blues are 19-22 in the puckline market this year.
Golden Knights vs Blues Model Projection
Score Projection: Vegas Golden Knights 4 – St. Louis Blues 2
Win Probability: VGK 61%, STL 39%
Final Thoughts
The Vegas Golden Knights should get a win on the road here. But I prefer the over to anything related to either side in the betting markets here. These defenses have both struggled mightily of late. And while we might not see the same outrageous numbers on the scoreboard as these teams have been allowing of late, we should get to at least six goals between the two squads.
Jay Sanin
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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