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The St. Louis Blues (1-0-0) take on the San Jose Sharks (0-0-0) Thursday. Puck drop from SAP Center is set for 10:30 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Blues vs. Sharks odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: First meeting; Sharks won 3-0 last year
The Blues showed good signs and bad in their season-opening, 3-2 road win over the Seattle Kraken Tuesday. They started quick, hit a goal post and looked lively in the first couple of minutes. However, they were dominated for much of the first 2 periods. G Jordan Binnington stood on his head as the team was routinely pinned in its D-zone. And then things got physical. Down 2-0 in the 2nd period, RW Nathan Walker and C Radek Faksa stirred the pot, got the Blues on the power play, and RW Jordan Kyrou took the game over. The Blues scored 3 goals in 1:55, 2 by Kyrou, and cruised to a 3-2 win.
The Sharks made some waves this offseason drafting C Macklin Celebrini 1st overall and signing C Alex Wennberg and RW Tyler Toffoli and trading for D Jake Walman. The Sharks also punched the Blues in the mouth last year, winning all 3 games against them. It’s something the Blues are talking about in the locker room as they seek to turn the tables on some of the bad losses from a year ago.
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Blues at Sharks odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NHL odds. Lines last updated at 1:05 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Blues -160 (bet $160 to win $100) | Sharks +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Blues -1.5 (+145) | Sharks +1.5 (-175)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Blues at Sharks projected goalies
Jordan Binnington (1-0-0, 2.00 GAA, .938 SV%) vs. MacKenzie Blackwood (10-25-4, 3.45 GAA, .899 SV%, 2 SO in ’23-24).
How good was Binner in the season opener? He saved 1.7 goals above expected and really kept the team in it long enough for it to find its stride. He only faced the Sharks once last season, and he was good in relief, stopping 13 of 14 in a 5-1 game that was never competitive.
Blackwood faced the Blues once last season, and it was a 35-save shutout that really kicked the Blues’ playoff chances in the junk. He allowed 4 goals on 35 shots in a 4-2 defeat while with New Jersey in his only other start against them in ’22-23.
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Blues at Sharks picks and predictions
Prediction
Blues 4, Sharks 3
Moneyline
There has been a lot of talk in St. Louis media about how the Blues played down to their competition last year and got embarrassed by teams like San Jose. Should they win this game? Absolutely. Am I willing to risk -160 on it? Absolutely not.
Instead, I’m going with PAVEL BUCHNEVICH OVER 0.5 POINTS (-150). Buchy is centering the line that Kyrou is on, and he’ll be on the top power play unit. He had a point in 2 of 3 games against San Jose last year, which is saying something considering the Blues scored 3 freakin’ goals combined in the 3 games.
Puck line/Against the spread
I’m willing to juice it up with the SHARKS +1.5 (-175). They outscored the Blues 12-3 in last season’s 3 meetings. The Blues are still mixing in new parts that need to gel, and they weren’t very close to parking an empty-netter in Game 1.
Over/Under
While the bulk of this handicap has been on the recent futility from the Blues in this matchup, they have still won 7 of the last 10 meetings. All of those 7 wins were by 2+ goals, and the Over is 4-5-1 in that stretch. The Over was 0-2-1 in this matchup last year, but I don’t expect St. Louis to take this team lightly. The OVER 6 (-110) is cashing.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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