Back the Blues at Home

Six NHL games are scheduled to be played today but the focus of this article will be on the Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues game. The home team Blues have value as a small underdog and we’ll be going over why they could be the smart play tonight.

Why Take the Blues?

The St. Louis Blues are 8-2 in their last 10 games and enter tonight with a lot of momentum due to their huge comeback win against the Florida Panthers. It’s been a season of streaks for the Blues but right now they’re on a hot streak and currently +102 against the Stars tonight. Based on the last 10 games I think the Blues are in a better place and should be the play for this game.

The Stars have been getting off to slow starts in games as of late and have dropped two straight. Dallas has been playing for behind a lot recently and that isn’t conducive to long-term winning success, especially against a team playing as well as the Blues.

After their slow start to the season, especially defensively the Blues have played a bit better on that end, and goaltender Jordan Binnington has really stepped up over the last 10 games. Binnington has a .910 save percentage over the last ten games so if the Blues can get ahead in this one they should be able to hold a lead with Binnington in the net.

The opposite can be said for Stars goalie Jake Oettinger who started off the season really strong but has a .898 save percentage over his last 10. Look for Jordan Kyrou who has scored three goals in the last two games to be a big factor. It might not be long term but for right now these teams are heading in different directions so I think the Blues are worth a look as the underdog.

Game Preview

Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars has recorded a point in the last 15 games, in that span he’s buried 16 goals and dished out 12 assists. Despite this high-level play, the Stars were only able to score one goal in their last game against the Avalanche. Dallas has allowed 16 goals to be scored in their last four games but overall on the season, they have had an impressive penalty kill.

I mentioned it previously but St. Louis was able to complete a huge comeback in their last game. The comeback was completed in the last 12 minutes of the game, the Blues went from being down 4-1 to winning 5-4. The ability to complete this comeback and break a two-game losing streak shows impressive resilience.

St. Louis might be without Brayden Schenn tonight so Ryan O’Reilly and Jordan Kyrou will need to step up even more in order to make it two wins in a row.