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Blues vs. Penguins Prediction and Odds: Tale of Two Streaking Teams

By Matt De Saro

The Blues and Penguins are two of the hottest teams in the NHL right now and are going head-to-head tonight in Pittsburgh.
The Blues and Penguins are two of the hottest teams in the NHL right now and are going head-to-head tonight in Pittsburgh. / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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The St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins, two of the hottest teams in the East, are set to do battle tonight at the PPG Paints Arena. The Blues have won seven of their last nine games while the Penguins are riding an eight-game win streak. 

Pittsburgh is coming off a big game from its offense that saw them total eight goals in a win over the San Jose Sharks. The fact that they were without their best goalie, Tristan Jarry, makes the win even that much more impressive.

It doesn’t seem to matter much which players are out or in COVID protocols. The Penguins just keep finding ways to win. Jarry is off protocols and was back at practice yesterday. 

The Blues, on the other hand, have not had the season-long success that the Penguins have enjoyed. After coming out of the gate with an 8-3 record in their first 11 games, the Blues followed up by losing seven of their next nine games. However, since then they have been on fire. The Blues are one of the best teams in the NHL in terms of scoring, defense, and power-play points during that time. 

Here are the odds for tonight’s Eastern Conference matchup, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

Blues vs. Penguins Odds, Spread and Total

Moneyline:

  • Blues +115
  • Penguins -135

Puck line:

  • Blues +1.5 (-210)
  • Penguins -1.5 (+170)

Total:

  • 6.0 (Over -120/Under +100)

Blues vs. Penguins Betting Trends

  • The Blues are 4-1 straight up (SU) in their last five games. 
  • The Blues are 6-2 SU in their last eight road games against the Penguins. 
  • The OVER is 4-1 in the Blues’ last five road games. 
  • The Penguins are 8-0 SU in their last eight games. 
  • The OVER is 6-3 in the Penguins’ last nine games against the Central Division. 
  • The UNDER is 11-5 in the Penguins’ last 16 games against the Western Conference. 

Blues vs. Penguins Prediction and Pick

While the Penguins have all the talent in the world, they are still struggling against the spread. Pittsburgh has a 15-16 ATS record overall and is just 6-10 in home games. On the flip side, the Blues are the second-best ATS team in the NHL this season behind the Anaheim Ducks. STL is 21-12 ATS and 9-7 on the road. The Blues have five players with at least 10 goals on the year and manage to balance their offense and defense very well. 

I think that I’m going to take a shot here on the Penguins’ league best eight-game win streak that comes to an end tonight. Sure, the Penguins are the hottest team in the league right now, but all good things must come to an end. Jarry’s return is concerning, but he hasn’t played in weeks and might take a while to get into the groove. The Blues have won seven of nine and make for a great moneyline underdog on the road. 

Pick: STL Blues +115 to win

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