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The St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars open their 2023-24 seasons at American Airlines Arena Thursday. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Blues vs. Stars odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Blues vastly underachieved last year and finished 37-38-7, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018. They had some guys that were on expiring deals that didn’t make the locker room the most fun place to be, and the Blues cut bait and began a retool.
General manager Doug Armstrong said a couple of days ago he intends for this team to compete for one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference. They added C Kevin Hayes to add some size in the middle and brought back fan-favorite C Oskar Sundqvist.
The Stars pushed the eventual Stanley Cup Champs Vegas Golden Knights to 6 games in the Western Conference finals last season before running out of gas. C Joe Pavelski had a monster postseason with 9 goals and 5 assists in 14 games. G Jake Oettinger struggled at times but was also a man possessed at other times between the pipes. His presence makes Dallas one of the favorites to win the Central Division.
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Blues at Stars odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:11 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Blues +180 (bet $100 to win $180) | Stars -225 (bet $225 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Blues +1.5 (-135) | Stars -1.5 (+110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)
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Blues at Stars projected goalies
Jordan Binnington (27-27-6, 3.31 GAA, .894 SV%, 2 SO last season) vs. Jake Oettinger (37-11-11, 2.37 GAA, .919 SV%, 5 SO last season)
Binner had his worst season as a pro last year, but the defense in front of him was atrocious. Night after night, they were beaten by backdoor tap-ins, and the team didn’t do a lot to remedy that outside of making changes to the coaching staff.
Binnington is known to be money in the playoffs, but his GAA and SV% have deteriorated over the last 4 years. He was 0-2 with a 2.04 GAA and .930 SV% against the Stars last year.
Oettinger was a dominant force in net last season at just 24 years old. He started 61 games for them and maybe became a little gassed in the postseason. His GAA and SV% ballooned to 3.06 and .895 in the playoffs, and he’ll be chomping at the bit to rectify that. He faced the Blues once last season and stopped all 25 shots in a shutout.
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Blues at Stars picks and predictions
Prediction
Stars 5, Blues 4
Moneyline
The Blues could make some bettors serious money this season because they could be a surprise team contending for a playoff spot. They have good, young talent they’re waiting to take the next step, and there are reinforcements on the way in the next couple of years. However, Dallas is clearly on a level ahead of them. The Stars won all 3 meetings last season, and they should take this one. However, we’re not going to risk -225 on it.
I will take STARS ML + OVER 4.5 GOALS (-131) at a more reasonable rate. Two of the 3 games last season had 5 goals. The Blues are a rush team that will have to outscore teams to win.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Blues allowed a ton of empty netters last season. It was almost a running joke as to how long after they pulled the goalie would the other team score. So I don’t trust them to stay within 1.
PASS.
Over/Under
I generally don’t like betting Over 6.5, and this is one that could definitely eclipse that number. So I’m going to stay away from this total.
There is a prop bet I like, though. JORDAN KYROU OVER 2.5 SHOTS (-155) is a good bet. He had at least 3 SOG in all 3 games against Dallas last year, and his number was generally 3.5. So take advantage of this smaller number while it lasts. The offense will go through him, and he has a shot at 40 goals if he stays healthy.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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