An intense battle out on the ice is set to take place as the St. Louis Blues head to the “Music City” to take on the winless Nashville Predators. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Blues-Predators prediction and pick will be revealed.
After storming out of the gates to a flawless 3-0 record, the Blues have now endured their first taste of adversity as they have since dropped two consecutive matchups and have only mustered up one goal in their previous six periods of play combined. Despite two poorly played games, this is a Blues squad with an abundance of talent that is surely capable of turning it around.
If you think things in St. Louis have been troublesome lately, the Nashville Predators have yet to be victorious since Oct 7th-8th when they faced off with the San Jose Sharks in Prague. Since then, “Smashville” has been unable to get into a rhythm and is in the midst of a five-game losing streak. Do the Predators have what it takes to send the Nashville crowd home with a smile on their faces by righting their wrongs?
Here are the Blues-Predators NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Blues-Predators Odds
St. Louis Blues: +1.5 (-188)
Nashville Predators: -1.5 (+152)
Over: 6 (-108)
Under: 6 (-112)
Why The Blues Could Cover The Spread
For starters, it is quite obvious that the Blues need to play with a greater sense of urgency, especially on the offensive end of the ice. While they could do no wrong in their first three games that saw them open up the season with a perfect 3-0 mark, St. Louis now needs to prove their resiliency as they are faced with a losing skid for the first time this year.
As a whole, St. Louis struggled offensively have come when both teams are at full strength. With two power-play goals and an empty net score representing the select few of goals that the Blues have been able to muster during their losing streak, it will be vital for this Blues squad to find a way to put the pressure on Nashville's defense when both sides are equipped with five skaters on the ice. Without a doubt, the Blues could capitalize on the Predators' defense which has been suspect at times this year and is surrendering at least four goals per game in four of their seven games played to this point.
With that being said, as long as the offense returns to form later this evening, then St. Louis should be able to boost their chances of covering the spread by implementing a rock-solid goaltending situation that is led by the two-headed monster between Jordan Binnington and Thomas Greiss. With Binnington remaining solid in his last appearance against the Oilers, don't be surprised if St. Louis turns to Greiss in a relief effort after the net-minder stopped 39 of 42 shots in his lone start versus Winnipeg. If the Blues can get a phenomenal effort by whoever is in net, then that would surely take the pressure off of this struggling offensive attack.
Why The Predators Could Cover The Spread
At this point, Nashville surely would love to book their next trip to Prague in the not-too-distant future. A postseason-bound roster a year ago with an overall record of 45-30-7 which ended up being the eighth-best record in the Western Conference, the Predators are confident that the pieces and winning DNA is there to compete for another playoff spot. However, it is obvious that the Predators need to change something up to not only cover the spread this evening but to also save their season before it is too late.
If Nashville is going to put together a stellar performance against the Blues, they will need to continue to show positive signs as they did in their most recent contest with Philadelphia. Against the Flyers, the ‘Preds did a much better job in controlling the puck, spending less time in the defensive zone, and also found a way to win the penalty battle. No question, Nashville is parched to come out victorious as it has been three weeks since they got into the win column, so expect the Predators to pull out all of their tricks and do whatever it takes to take down the Blues.
Not to mention, Nashville should benefit by not playing since last Saturday. With more than five days off since they last suited up for play, the Predators will be extremely well-rested and could have used the scheduling break to regroup and study a little more extra tape on St. Louis and their frequent tendencies.
Final Blues-Predators Prediction & Pick
Even though both sides have hit a fork in the road, one team will have what it takes to get the job done this Thursday evening. With the extended time off and their nearly week-long focus on the Blues, the Predators should prove to be the sharper team in what will result in an impressive spread-covering triumph for Nashville on the road in St. Louis.
Final Blues-Predators Prediction & Pick: Predators -1.5 (+152)
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