In their third and last head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the St. Louis Blues and the Los Angeles Kings clash at the Staples Center for a Western Conference tilt. The action will get underway at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 10 and it is being shown live on Fox Sports West.
St. Louis Blues at Los Angeles Kings Odds
Earning moneyline bettors 3.8 units, the Kings are 37-30 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, the second-best in the Pacific Division in this young season, is a welcome improvement over the 39-43 record from the 2016-17 season campaign. 34 of its 67 outings have gone under the total, while 30 have gone over and just three have pushed. The team’s 17-15 SU at home this year.
Los Angeles has converted on 20.2 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked second overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.6 percent of all penalties.
Los Angeles, as a collective unit, has been penalized 4.0 times per game overall this season, and 3.4 per game over its last five at home. The team has been forced to kill penalties for just 6.4 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, overall.
Averaging 27.3 saves per game with a .921 save percentage, Jonathan Quick (26-26-2) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Kings this season. If they, however, decide to rest him, Los Angeles may turn to Darcy Kuemper (10-9-9 record, .932 save percentage, 2.10 goals against average).
The Kings will continue looking for offensive production from Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. Kopitar (72 points) has tallied 27 goals and 45 assists and has recorded multiple points in 20 different games this year. Brown has 19 goals and 26 assists to his name and has notched at least one point in 32 games.
St. Louis is 35-32 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.6 units for moneyline bettors thus far. A total of 41 of its outings have gone under the total, while 25 have gone over and just one has pushed. As the visiting team, St. Louis is 15-18 SU.
St. Louis has converted on just 15.4 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that places it in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 15th overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.1 percent of all penalties.
St. Louis’ skaters have been penalized 3.5 times per game this season, 3.4 per game over their last five outings total, and 3.6 per game over their last five games as the visiting team. The team has had to kill penalties 8.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jake Allen (.906 save percentage and 2.79 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for St. Louis. Allen is averaging 25.0 saves per game and has 19 wins, 26 losses, and two OT losses to his credit.
Leading the offensive attack for the visiting Blues will be Brayden Schenn (24 goals, 33 assists) and Vladimir Tarasenko (26 goals, 30 assists).
St. Louis Blues vs. Los Angeles Kings Betting Predictions
Free Pick: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
St. Louis has managed 26.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Los Angeles is averaging 34.4 shots per game over its last five at home.
Power-play chances could be even more critical than usual in the outcome of this matchup. The Blues are 16-12 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 25-20 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Kings are 13-9 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 24-14 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
Los Angeles is 2-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while St. Louis is 3-0 in shootouts.
Los Angeles skaters have averaged 4.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a drop-off from its season average of 5.0 takeaways per game (ranked 32nd in the NHL).
St. Louis is ranked 12th this season with 7.7 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower, however, as it has created 6.7 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.4 takeaways over its last five.
St. Louis might have an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 14-12 in one-goal games, while Los Angeles is 12-15 in such games.
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