Blues vs. Sharks Prediction and Odds: St. Louis Will Continue to Falter in California

The St. Louis Blues will continue their California road trip when they take on the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.
The St. Louis Blues will continue their California road trip when they take on the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

If your Thursday Night Football bet is a dud, you can always make up for it by betting on the late NHL game. Tonight will feature a Western Conference showdown between the St. Louis Blues and the San Jose Sharks.

The Blues are in the second half of a back-to-back after losing just their second game of the season on Wednesday night when they fell in a shootout to the Los Angeles Kings.

Meanwhile, the Sharks are on a two game win streak after taking down the Jets on Saturday night and then the Sabres on Tuesday.

Here are the odds for the game courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

Blues vs. Sharks Odds and Total

Moneyline:

  • Blues +100
  • Sharks -120

Puck line:

  • Blues -1.5 (+200)
  • Sharks +1.5 (-240)

Total:

  • 5.5 (Over -115/Under -105)

Blues vs. Sharks Prediction and Pick

This game all comes down to the defense, and for that reason I’ll be backing the Sharks as slight moneyline favorites at -120 (bet $120 to profit $100).

The Sharks rank third in the NHL this season in high danger scoring chances against, allowing only an average of 8.32 per 60 minutes of play. The Blues are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, allowing the fourth most high danger scoring chances against at 12.74 per 60 minutes of play.

The Sharks also have the slight advantage in CORSI%, ranking 20th in the stat compared to the Blues at 23rd.

While it hasn’t been confirmed who will be starting in net for the Blues, it’s likely going to be their backup goalie, Ville Husso, since starter Jordan Binnington played in last night’s overtime thriller against the Kings. Husso recorded a shutout in his only start of the season, but don’t expect a repeat performance from the 26-year old.

Pick: Sharks -120


*Note: When writing NHL articles, I refer to two main advanced analytics. CORSI% measures shot differential. All shots on goal, missed shots on goal, and blocked shot attempts count towards CORSI. High danger scoring chances is a measure of shot attempts that take place close to the net and are considered high percentage areas for scoring goals.