The Scottrade Center is the site for an East-West showdown as the Montreal Canadiens visit Missouri to take on the St. Louis Blues. It’s the final time that the two clubs will meet in the regular season. Reseau Des Sports will air the matchup, which gets underway at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 30.
Montreal Canadiens at St. Louis Blues Odds
The Blues are 30-21 straight up (SU) and have earned moneyline bettors 2.5 units this season. That winning percentage, ranked 2nd in the Central Division in this young season, is fairly close to the 46-36 record the team managed during the 2016-17 season campaign. Of the team’s 51 regular season contests, 31 have gone under the total, while 20 have gone over and none have pushed. The team is 17-10 SU at home this year.
St. Louis has converted on just 16.2 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s ranked 26th overall in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated 11th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.2 percent of all penalties.
As a team, St. Louis has been penalized just 3.5 times per game overall this season, 3.0 per game over its last five games total, and 3.0 per game over its last five at home. The team has been forced to defend opposition power plays for just 7.6 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, overall.
Averaging 25.8 saves per game with a .909 save percentage, Jake Allen (18-18-2) has been the top option in goal for the Blues this year. If head coach Mike Yeo chooses to give him the evening off, however, the team may turn to Carter Hutton (13-8-8 record, .943 save percentage, 1.74 goals against average).
Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko will both lead the offensive attack for the Blues. Schenn (50 points) has tallied 21 goals and 29 assists and has recorded multiple points on 12 separate occasions this year. Tarasenko has 21 goals and 25 assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 30 contests.
On the other side of the rink, Montreal is 20-29 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far. Through 49 regular season matches, 26 of its games have gone under the total, while 21 have gone over and just two have pushed. Montreal’s 8-14 SU as the visiting team this season.
Montreal has converted on 19.7 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 24th overall and it’s successfully killed off 78.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
Montreal’s skaters have been penalized 3.8 times per game this season, and 3.1 per game over their last ten games. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays just 6.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Carey Price (27.6 saves per game) has been the primary choice in the net for Montreal. Price owns a 14-21-4 record, while registering a .905 save percentage and 3.02 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive attack for the visiting Canadiens will be Max Pacioretty (16 goals, 15 assists) and Alex Galchenyuk (12 goals, 16 assists).
Montreal Canadiens vs. St. Louis Blues Free Picks
Free Pick: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
Two of Montreal’s last ten games have been decided by a shootout. The team is 1-1 in those games and 2-2 overall in shootouts this season.
The total has gone under in four of St. Louis’ last five games.
This game features two teams that put the puck on goal a lot. Montreal has taken the league’s eighth-most shots on goal (33.8) while St. Louis’s attempted the eighth-most (33.5).
This game features two of the more physical defenses in the league. Montreal skaters have accounted for the league’s second-most hits per game (25.6) and the Blue Notes have recorded the 11th-most (22.2).
