Saturday night hockey marches on as the St. Louis Blues and the Anaheim Ducks face-off on the ice with some much-needed pride on the line! Check out our NHL odds series where our Blues-Ducks prediction and pick will be revealed for all to see.
Entering Saturday night with a 32-33-6 overall record, the Blues' playoff chances are hanging by a thread as they trail by 15 points in the Wild Card chase with only 11 games to go.
While the odds of St. Louis making the postseason are slim with each passing game, they have at least played well of late with three victories in their previous four outings.
Unfortunately for the Ducks, Anaheim is even worse off than St. Louis, with 14 fewer total points, as their season has been over for the better part of many months now.
Still, giving credit where credit is due, Anaheim has fought hard down the stretch, even though they are on a current three-game losing streak.
Here are the Blues-Ducks NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Blues-Ducks Odds
St. Louis Blues: -1.5 (+138)
Anaheim Ducks: +1.5 (-166)
Over: 6.5 (-128)
Under: 6.5 (+104)
How To Watch Blues vs. Ducks
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 10:30 ET/7:30 PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Blues Could Cover The Spread
Without a doubt, this season has been a rough one in the city of St. Louis. However, if there is one thing that the Blues absolutely excel in, it is playing a physical brand of hockey that often leaves the opposition bruised and battered.
This has been the case even lately, as St. Louis pounded the Red Wings on the road with 20 hits en route to the 4-3 victory. Give that the Blues aren't flashy by any means on the offensive or defensive side of the ice, standing firm when push comes to shove will need to be a main priority if they are to cover later this evening.
Even a more encouraging sign for those bettors that are planning on putting a wager on St. Louis is that despite possessing a 31-40 record ATS this year, they have been much more improved in this department as of late.
The Blues also defeated the Ducks in their latest two games and have had their number overall this season.
Last but not least, a solid outing from starting goalie Jordan Binnington will need to be in the cards. Clearly, Binnington has taken a step back in productivity this season, but if he can put it all together, his overall talent is difficult to deny.
Why The Ducks Could Cover The Spread
These men are far from the Mighty Ducks teams of the glorious past, and instead have been one of the more underwhelming teams across the NHL this season. Nevertheless, the sport of hockey is an unpredictable one in the sense that even the worst teams in the league can at least cover the spread from time to time.
Statistically, the Ducks are at the bottom of the barrel on both sides of the ice, so there is no question that the margin for error will be minuscule in order to cover the spread. Still, Anaheim, bafflingly enough, has recorded a better record ATS than St. Louis has this far, as the Ducks have found a way to cover in nearly half of their games played.
In addition, despite not having a tremendous home-ice advantage, Anaheim fans will certainly give it their best shot in energizing their squad a possible spread-covering victory over a shaky Blues team.
Most importantly, the Ducks can't allow the Blues to come away with every loose puck that ultimately leads to additional scoring opportunities in the Anaheim zone. Often times, all it takes is a lucky bounce to change the tide of a game- and the Ducks would certainly benefit from catching a much-needed break for once.
For those of you that are feeling confident on wagering upon the underdog Ducks, it will be important to keep your eyes peeled on center Trevor Zegras, who leads the club in nearly every offensive statistical category.
With a total of 58 points, Zegras is more than due for a breakout game as he has gone pointless in his last three games that he has suited up for. If Zegras can return to his usually form on the ice, then watch out!
Final Blues-Ducks Prediction & Pick
Despite both of these squads having endured frustrating and disheartening seasons, expect each team to put everything they've got in coming out on top in this one! At the end of the day, don't be shocked if the Ducks keep this one close the entirety of the way.
Final Blues-Ducks Prediction & Pick: Ducks +1.5 (-166)
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