St. Louis Blues (16-16-1) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (23-11-1)
The 2022-23 NHL betting action goes on with a huge 12-game Friday card including the Western Conference showdown between the St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
St. Louis and Vegas continue their three-game regular-season series. The Blues, who open as +135 moneyline dogs, aim for their second straight victory over the Golden Knights. Back in November, St. Louis outlasted Vegas 3-2 as a +170 road underdog with a total of 6.5 goals.
The St. Louis Blues put an end to their four-game winning streak this past Tuesday, suffering a 5-2 defeat as +160 road dogs at the Seattle Kraken. Their run started with a 1-0 overtime victory to the Nashville Predators at home on December 12, and their next three showings on the road, the Blues beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in a shootout, the Calgary Flames 5-2, and the Vancouver Canucks 5-1.
St. Louis ran out of gas in Seattle, trailing 4-0 by the end of the second period. The Kraken outshot the Blues 33-24 and fully deserved their victory. Colton Parayko and Pavel Buchnevich found the back of the net for St. Louis in the third period, while Thomas Greiss finished the game with 28 saves.
“We didn’t have the legs tonight, but we’ve got to be smarter then, a nd your puck play has to be really good,” St. Louis coach Craig Berube said.
Pavel Buchnevich joined elite company on Tuesday as one of just eight players in Blues history to record 100 points in his first 100 games or less with the club. https://t.co/jl87bp0ohs pic.twitter.com/mstPLAW9GM
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 21, 2022
The Blues missed Jordan Kyrou (upper-body injury) last Tuesday. The 24-year-old center has led the way for St. Louis so far this season, notching 16 goals and 16 assists in 31 appearances. The Blues rank 23rd in the NHL in goals for (3.00 per game) and 26th in goals against (3.61). They are 14th in power-play percentage (21-for-91) and 28th in penalty-killing percentage (71.2%).
Jordan Binnington is projected to patrol the crease Friday in Las Vegas. The 29-year-old netminder is 12-11-1 with a 3.11 GAA, .897 save percentage, and a co uple of shutouts in 2022-23. He’s emerged victorious in three straight starts, yielding just four goals in the process.