Happy Monday, hockey fans! Boy, do we have a treat for you! The St. Louis Blues will put their road ways to the test as they travel up north to take on the Winnipeg Jets. It is time to check out our NHL odds series, where our Blues-Jets prediction and pick will be revealed.
One of four teams that remains undefeated to start the season, the Blues have overwhelmed their opposition by playing smart hockey in every facet on the ice. Whether it's making the right pass in finding an open skater offensively, being in the right position when guarding their own net, or even getting the best out of their goaltending through three games, the Blues are no joke. After giving the Avalanche their toughest challenge during the postseason, St. Louis is confident it has what it takes to take that next step in being true contenders.
As for Winnipeg, the Jets were in unfamiliar and uncharted territory a year ago when they missed out on postseason play for the first time in nearly five seasons. With the sour feeling festering inside of them all offseason long, the Jets are eager to show that they belong as one of the more premier teams in the playoff picture. As it stands, Winnipeg hasn't gotten off to a great start at 2-3, but there is still plenty of season left to prove themselves.
Here are the Blues-Jets NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Blues-Jets Odds
St. Louis Blues: +1.5 (-280)
Winnipeg Jets: -1.5 (+220)
Over: 6 (-120)
Under: 6 (-102)
Why The Blues Could Cover The Spread
Coming into this one at 3-0 and fresh off an impressive 2-0 shutout victory over the Edmonton Oilers, the Blues are simply a very scary team to have to deal with. Last season, St. Louis was a tough team to go up against, finishing the regular season at 49-22-11 and even upsetting the Minnesota Wild before giving the Colorado Avalanche in a second-round exit. Fast forward only a few months later, and St. Louis looks to be the real deal.
When it comes to covering the spread against the Jets, the Blues will no doubt need another masterful goaltending performance from one of the best net-minders in the entire league in Jordan Binnington. Standing on his head thus far, Binnington has started all three games and is a perfect 3-0 with a fabulous .940 save percentage. Not to mention the 29-year-old goalie also ranks fourth among qualifying goaltenders in goals allowed at 1.65. Simply put, whenever Binnington is in net, the Blues' chances of covering the spread and winning increase dramatically.
In addition, watch out for this ferocious defense to get after some of Winnipeg's top skaters out on the rink. Through three games, St. Louis has only allowed five goals. This unit is led by skilled defenseman Nick Leddy, who was lockdown when going up against speedy skaters Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. If the swarming Blues defense can have a repeat of their dominant play later this evening, then St. Louis should have no trouble in covering the spread.
Why The Jets Could Cover The Spread
Even though Winnipeg hasn't gotten off to an ideal start to the regular season, the Jets have still shown glimpses of what they are capable of out on the ice. However, Winnipeg appears to be still trying to find an identity only a few games in, which has resulted in them starting off sluggish offensively.
In the team's three losses in the last four games, the Jets have only come up with four goals, which has put them at an obvious disadvantage. While Winnipeg has suffered with the absence of top-line winger Nikolaj Ehlers who remains on injured reserve, the Jets still need to find a way to generate more offense. With that being said, be on the lookout for a defenseman in Neal Pionk to be Winnipeg's source of offense as he has three goals already on 13 shots on net when at the top of the blue line offensively. Clearly, Pionk is far from the Jets' most dynamic player with the skates, but he is also been one of their best players out on the ice and they will need to feed his hot stick to create some scoring chances.
Last and certainly not least, this one is going to come down to whether or not goalie Connor Hellebuyck can go toe-to-toe with the likes of someone like Jordan Binnington. On paper, Hellebuyck definitely has what it takes to play the role as an equalizer, as he has over 200 wins throughout his career and is a veteran presence Winnipeg may need to cover the spread.
Final Blues-Jets Prediction & Pick
With these two Western Conference squads clashing, an entertaining showdown should be in store. However, fellow bettors would be smart to put their money on the Blues to take care of business since they are on fire and are playing great hockey to start the season.
Final Blues-Jets Prediction & Pick: Blues +1.5 (-280)
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