An exciting inter-conference duel is on tap for this Tuesday evening as the St. Louis Blues face off with the Toronto Maple Leafs in what should be an intriguing bout. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Blues-Maple Leafs prediction and pick will be revealed.

Getting ready for play in what will be their first official game of 2023, the St. Louis Blues have struggled mightily to the tune of four losses in their previous five games overall and enter play with a dead-even 17-17-3 record. Alas, the Blues need an energizing win over a quality opponent and tonight could serve as a major opportunity for that to come true.

We last saw the Maple Leafs when they were disposing rather easily of the shorthanded defending champion Colorado Avalanche by a score of 6-2. The impressive victory marked Toronto's fourth in five games and enter this one on the opposite spectrum of things as St. Louis when it comes to finding a winning formula out on the ice.

Here are the Blues-Maple Leafs NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NHL Odds: Blues-Maple Leafs Odds

St. Louis Blues: +1.5 (-108)

Toronto Maple Leafs: -1.5 (-112)

Over: 6 (-114)

Under: 6 (-106)

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Why The Blues Could Cover The Spread

Unfortunately, to make matters worse for an already scuffling Blues team, St. Louis discovered that they will be missing some key players moving forward after it was learned that Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko both suffered devastating injuries on Saturday versus the Wild. O'Reilly was placed on injured reserve by the team after breaking his foot while Tarsenko is dealing with a nagging hand ailment. Both are expected to miss out on a significant amount of time.

While things appear to be extremely gloomy for a Blues franchise that did have lofty expectations after being a playoff threat a season ago, St. Louis now must find other ways to win and ultimately cover the spread with two of their biggest stars unable to suit up for action. First things first, the Blues have to figure out a way to not miss out on as many shots on goal and find a way to be aggressive in driving to the net offensively. This will all start with center Jordan Kyrou who is in the midst of putting together a fairly impressive campaign. At the moment, Kyrou leads the club with 17 goals to go along with 35 points and will no doubt be asked to do even more with O'Reilly and Tarasenko both sidelined.

Most importantly, this game's outcome may indeed fall on the shoulders of goalie Jordan Binnington. Throughout last year's postseason, the St. Louis net-minder was dominant, but he has appeared lackluster thus far this season. In fact, Binnington has posted a measly .896 save percentage and is giving up 3.16 goals per contest. Obviously, the Blues are relying on their 29-year-old goalie more than ever.

Why The Maple Leafs Could Cover The Spread

Unlike the Blues, the Maple Leafs have done a tremendous job in reminding everyone why they enter Tuesday as one of the NHL's top units overall. Not only has Toronto been streaking of late with an abundant amount of wins, but now their defense is buying into their hefty expectations to win almost every night out. Against the Avalanche, the Maple Leafs held Colorado in check defensively and only surrendered a total of seven shots on goal during the third period.

Above all else, the Maple Leafs have remained atop the statistical leaderboard when it comes to their ability to play unselfish hockey. At first glance, Toronto excels at spreading around the puck when in the opposition's zone. With 224 assists on the season, the Maple Leafs are not afraid to make that extra pass that more than often results in goals galore. With incredible ice vision on each line, Toronto's key to covering the spread will find the soft spot in the Blues' defense and not get overly selfish when presented with an open shot. Teamwork makes the dream work, and getting everyone involved should be the game plan for Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe.

In addition, Toronto's defense may be even more elite than their offense this season. On paper, the Leafs only give up 2.51 goals per game and a big reason for that has been in large part due to the excellence of Ilya Samsonov. Possibly overlooked by many in the race for the title of “best goalies in the NHL”, the 25-year-old Russian should not be taken for granted ever again. Despite allowing 12 goals in his last three starts, he remains a strong fixture in Toronto's winning ingredients.

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Final Blues-Maple Leafs Prediction & Pick

With all of the bad news that is coming out of St. Louis, it is hard to imagine that the Blues have enough firepower to compete with Toronto tonight. Hammer the Maple Leafs and spend no time looking back.

Final Blues-Maple Leafs Prediction & Pick: Maple Leafs -1.5 (-112)

How To Watch Blues vs. Maple Leafs

TV: ESPN+

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 7:00 ET/4:00 PT