Trent Reinsmith
- Date & Location: Wednesday, November 3 at Staples Center in Los Angeles
- Odds: St. Louis Blues (-131) vs. Los Angeles Kings (+119) via Sportsbetting.
- Prediction: Blues to beat the Kings
The St. Louis Blues bring their Central Division leading 6-1 record to Los Angeles to face the 3-5 Kings on Wednesday night. This is the third meeting of the 2021-22 NHL season for the two clubs. The Blues beat the Kings 7-2 on October 23. The St. Louis club followed that blow out with a 3-0 shutout win two days later.
St. Louis opened the 2021-22 campaign with a 5-0 record. The club’s first loss came on October 28 when the Colorado Avalanche beat them 4-3. The Blues are coming off a 1-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on October 30.
Los Angeles struggled in the early stages of the current season. They put together a 1-5-1 record before winning back-to-back games to close out October. The Kings are coming off wins over the Montreal Canadiens (5-2) and the Buffalo Sabres.
Be sure to check out our NHL betting tips page for tips and advice on how to wager on hockey. Also, be sure to look at the 2022 NHL Eastern Conference, 2022 NHL Western Conference Futures, and the 2022 Stanley Cup Futures as well.
St. Louis Blues Analysis
The Blues offense has been productive this season. Before their 1-0 win over Chicago, the team had not scored less than three goals in a game and had two games of seven goals, one of which came against the Kings. The Blues are currently ranked No. 6 in the NHL in goals scored with 29. The Blues offense has been excellent on the power play, clicking at a rate of 35 %.
On the defensive side of the ice, only one team has allowed fewer goals than the Blues, who have let in 15, and that is the Carolina Hurricanes with 12 goals against. The team has also been excellent on the penalty kill. St. Louis has been short-handed 23 times this season and given up just two power play goals for a penalty kill percentage of 91.30%. The Blues have one short-handed goal this year.
David Perron is leading the Blues in scoring this season with six goals and three assists for nine points.
Jordan Binnington has played in the net for six of the Blues games. He has posted a 2.52 goals against average and a .926 save percentage to go with one shutout. His record is 5-1.
Blues to beat the Kings -131 via Betonline.
Los Angeles Kings Analysis
The Kings offense is average this season, The team is 14th in scoring with 24 goals for. They opened the 2021-22 season with six goals against the Vegas Golden Knights, but only scored more than two goals in one of their following six games. The club has been outscored this season, giving up three more goals than they have scored. Los Angeles is doing okay on the power play. They have scored eight goals with the man advantage and are clicking at a 23.53 % success rate.
Los Angeles needs to shore up its defense at even strength and when it is a man down. The Kings penalty kill is operating at 69.23%, only three teams have a lower penalty kill percentage than L.A. The club has not scored a short-handed goal this season.
Anze Kopitar is a bright spot for the Kings. He leads the team in points with 13 (7G,6A) and ranks fifth in the NHL in scoring. Only one player, Alexander Ovechkin, has more goals that Kopitar’s seven. Ovechkin leads the NHL with nine goals.
Both netminders are struggling for the Kings. Calvin Petersen has a 3.28 GAA and .895 SV% this season and Jonathan Quick has a 2.60 GAA and a .908 SV%.
Kings to beat the Blues +115 via Bovada.
MyTopSportsbook’s Final Pick
With the Blues already up 2-0 in the season series with the Kings, it’s hard to pick against the St. Louis club and we will not do that. The Blues will win this game.
Expect a high-scoring affair as Binnington has let the puck into the St. Louis net three or more times in four of his six starts this season. With that, the Kings, who lead the league in shots, will get their opportunities. On the other side of the ice, the Blues have the highest goals scored per game average at 4.14.
Blues to beat the Kings -131 via Sportsbetting.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
