The St. Louis Blues (32-15-4) will face the New York Islanders (20-23-8) Saturday at UBS Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Blues vs. Islanders odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.
St. Louis has been in the Big Apple for a few days. The Blues’ last game was a 5-3 loss at the New York Rangers Wednesday. St. Louis trailed 2-0 but stormed back with 3 goals to take a 3-2 lead at the end of the second period. However, they struggled with puck possession and were outscored 3-0 in the third.
The Isles have lost the last two, and four of five, in a tough stretch for them. They scored 3.0 goals per game during the five-game stretch, but their defense has been paltry. D Zdeno Chara (upper body) and C Mathew Barzal (lower body) are questionable for this one.
Blues at Islanders odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:51 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Blues -150 (bet $150 to win $100) | Islanders +122 (bet $100 to win $122)
- Against the spread (ATS): Blues -1.5 (+165) | Islanders +1.5 (-220)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -105 | U: -120)
Blues at Islanders projected goalies
Jordan Binnington (13-10-3, 3.12 GAA, .904 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Ilya Sorokin (17-12-7, 2.42 GAA, .922 SV%, 5 SO)
After the worst stretch of his career, Binnington has been great in his last two games, allowing just one goal on 56 shots in defeating the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks. He has reduced his GAA from 3.35 to 3.12 during this hot streak.
The 26-year-old Sorokin has been great in the first 58 games of his career the last two seasons. He’s 30-18-10 with a 2.33 GAA and .921 SV%. The Islanders defense, which ranks eighth in the NHL, has let him down of late.
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Blues at Islanders odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Blues 4, Islanders 2
Money line
The BLUES (-150) are just inside my range for money line bets. They looked good at times on offense Wednesday, but they were a tick off on their zone entries and passing. That puck possession ultimately stung them. They have been hanging out in NYC the last couple of days and should have solid footing under them in this one.
Against the spread
The BLUES -1.5 (+165) are at a lavish price, but you may be sweating this one out until the end. The Blues are a good puck-line team at 31-22 this year. Their last 10 wins have all been by 2 goals or more. So, if you’re in on the money line, let’s go all-in on the puck line.
Over/Under
This is a tough one to gauge because Binnington, who is projected to start, has been awesome the last two games. Slightly lean to the OVER 5.5 (-105), or avoid it altogether.
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