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The St. Louis Blues (29-27-6) take on the LA Kings (31-20-8) Wednesday. Puck drop from Crypto.com Arena is set for 10 p.m. ET. (ESPN+) Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Blues vs. Kings odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: Blues lead 1-0 after 4-1 home win Saturday.
The Blues’ 4-game winning streak was snapped in Dallas Sunday with a 6-3 defeat. Four of the 6 goals against them came on the PK, though, as they continue to struggle there. LW Dylan Holloway scored his 20th goal of the season Sunday. The Blue Notes sit 3 points behind the Calgary Flames for the final Wild Card spot. According to Tankathon.com, the Blues have the weakest remaining strength of schedule in the entire league.
The Kings return home after losing all 3 games on the road, 6-2, 4-1 and 5-1. Vancouver beat them 3-2 in overtime just before that dry road trip so the Kings have lost 4 straight. The Chicago Blackhawks punked the Kings 5-1 Monday. C Anze Kopitar had the lone tally, which was his 14th of the campaign.
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Blues at Kings odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:22 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Blues +140 (bet $100 to win $140) | Kings -165 (bet $165 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Blues +1.5 (-190) | Kings -1.5 (+155)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)
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Blues at Kings projected goalies
Jordan Binnington (18-20-4, 2.81 GAA, .899 SV%, 3 SO) vs. Darcy Kuemper (18-8-6, 2.38 GAA, .911 SV%, 2 SO)
Binner came on in relief of Joel Hofer after the first period Sunday and allowed 3 goals on 12 shots. Two of those came on the power play. He thwarted the Kings in his last start Saturday, stopping 25 of 26. He was also great in his 2 previous starts against Seattle and Colorado, stopping 53 of 56.
Kuemper allowed 4 goals on 18 shots in his last start against Chicago Monday. He allowed 6 goals on 31 shots at Dallas in the start before that. He has been solid against the Blues in his career, though, seeing them often while with the Colorado Avalanche. He is 9-6-0 with a 2.54 GAA and .912 SV%.
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Blues at Kings picks and predictions
Prediction
Blues 3, Kings 2
Moneyline
This is a tough one to handicap. The Blues have won 3 straight meetings, but all of those were in St. Louis. The Kings have won the last 4 meetings at home, and they’re 19-3-3 at home overall. Their problem is they have scored just 6 goals in the last 4 games, and the Blues have been doing great at goal suppression – at least at even strength. The Blues need this one more – they just HAVE to stay out of the box.
Take the BLUES +140.
Puck line/Against the spread
I’ll double up and take the BLUES +1.5 (-190) here to serve as a bit of an insurance policy in case they can’t get over the hump. Half of those 4 losses in LA were by a single goal.
Over/Under
The Kings are 7-3 O/U in their last 10, and the Blues are 5-5. We have gone south of this number in 2 straight meetings, but they went north in the previous 5. LA is a tight defensive team, and the Blues have played that style of hockey since the Four Nations break. It’s iffy, but I’m taking the UNDER 5.5 (-120).
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