Offensive Clicking for the Blues
In what could fall into the too little, too late category, the St. Louis Blues are averaging the third-most goals in the NHL during the month of March. Even with the uptick in offensive production resulting in an 8-5-1 record during the month, the Blues are closer to being eliminated from the playoffs than earning a postseason berth.
The Blues have scored at least six goals in the last three games. Chicago, which has been eliminated from playoff contention, has eight goals in the last seven games.
Chicago’s 14 home wins are tied for the third-fewest in the NHL. St. Louis is at .500 both at home and on the road, so keep that in mind when making NHL picks.
When looking at some of the NHL news, Chicago continues to play without center and team captain Jonathan Toews while fellow forwards Jujhar Khaira and Philipp Kurashev as well as defenseman Jarred Tinordi are out.
Forwards Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas are both out for St. Louis. They are second and third on the Blues with 66 and 63 points, respectively.
According to the NHL playoff odds, the Blues (+50000) are tied for 23rd in the odds to win the Stanley Cup title. Columbus is one of the two Eastern Conference teams eliminated from playoff contention.
Vrana Piling Up Points
Jakub Vrana, a two-time 20-goal scorer during his time with the Washington Capitals, was being written off when a Detroit team in dire need of offensive production, placed him on waivers.
St. Louis took a chance on the 27-year-old former first-round pick and it proved to be a wise decision.
Vrana has eight goals and two assists over his last 11 games. He is coming off a two-goal game that included the game-winning tally in a 6-5 overtime win against Vancouver and has three multi-point games since joining the Blues.
😄 😄 😄 #stlblues pic.twitter.com/xWcOvryZh2
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 29, 2023
The Las Vegas odds total has gone over in eight of the last 10 games played by St. Louis as well as in each of the last six road games.
Power Shortage
Looking back, there might not be a more surprising result than Chicago’s performance against the NHL-leading Boston Bruins.
The Blackhawks not only doubled up the best team in the league, but scored six times with four coming in the third period.
Chicago hasn’t scored more than two goals in a game since. During its current six-game losing streak, the Blackhawks have been outscored 26-7 and are just 1 of 18 on the power play with one short-handed goal allowed.
Lukas Reichel, who came into the season with no goals and one assist in 11 career NHL games, is the only Chicago player with more than one goal during that stretch with defenseman Caleb Jones recording the lone power-play goal.
The NHL betting lines total has gone under in four of the Blackhawks’ last five games.
Blues vs Blackhawks Game Injuries
Blues vs Blackhawks Head-to-Head
St. Louis had won four games in a row and 9 of the last 10 against Chicago before a 5-3 win by the Blackhawks on Jan. 21 as Jason Dickinson had a goal and two assists while Jaxson Stauber made 29 saves in his NHL debut. It was the fifth straight game in a row between the teams to be decided by at least two goals.
The visiting team has won three of the last four meetings. Just two of the last eight games finished over the total.
St. Louis can win the season series for the third straight season with a win.
Blues vs Blackhawks Game Information
- Game: Blues (34-34-6) vs Blackhawks (24-44-6)
- Location: United Center, Chicago, IL
- Day/Time: Thursday, March 30, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Blues vs Blackhawks Live Stream: NHL.TV
Blues vs Blackhawks Betting Lines
Blues vs Blackhawks Picks and Prediction
There was a time when a late March game between the Blackhawks and Blues would have playoff-seeding implications. That is not the case this time. Chicago is out of the playoffs and St. Louis is headed that way.
There were 10 penalties called and six power plays awarded the last time these teams met. Chicago won 5-3 despite being limited to just 18 shots on goal.
St. Louis is 19-18 against the spread on the road while Chicago covering in 18 of the 37 home games.
The Blues are 18-18-1 when listed by the sportsbook as the favorite. Chicago is 10-24-3 as the underdog. This will be the 26th straight game that the Blackhawks are the underdogs.
The St. Louis Blues are listed at -150 in our NHL odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Blues, you have a chance to win $67. Chicago is +130, offering a chance to win $130 on a $100 wager. The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the St. Louis Blues a 60.00% chance to win, with the Chicago Blackhawks at 43.48%
Blues vs Blackhawks Trends
Blues vs Blackhawks Edge
Blues vs Blackhawks Results
Blues vs Blackhawks Game Summary
