Expect Stingy Kings To Give St. Louis ATS Bettors The Blues

Los Angeles is ninth in the league in goals-against and third in penalty killing, but has also been good offensively while averaging 3.87 goals per contest (third in NHL)..

St. Louis had won three straight before starting its road trip with a 5-1 loss at San Jose on Thursday. The Blues have struggled scoring at times, but goalie Jordan Binnington (.930 save percentage) has helped them allow 2.67 goals per game.

The Kings, who have won four straight over St. Louis, are +700 to win the Western Conference. If you bet the Blues to win the West, you will get +4000 at the sportsbook.

Binnington Key To Blues Moneyline Chances

Binnington led St. Louis to the Stanley Cup in 2019, but his save percentage went down each of the next four seasons.

The 30-year-old netminder, who finished last season with an .894 SP, is off to a strong start and has wins over New Jersey, Colorado and Tampa Bay this month if you are betting online.

Joel Hofer got the start in San Jose and was pulled after giving up four goals on 21 shots, so Binnington should be between the pipes on Saturday after stopping 13 of 14 on Thursday.

The Blues will have to get their power play going, It is is 2-for-24 in the past nine games. Pavel Buchnevich had the lone goal in the third period. Robert Thomas leads the St. Louis offense with six goals and 17 points.

Two positives from last night:

Robert Thomas (secondary assist) extended his point streak to eight games. He’s up to 17 points in 15 games.

Jordan Binnington (13 saves on 14 shots) improved his numbers. Currently sits with a 2.23 GAA (8th) and .930 SV% (4th). #STLBlues

— Blues Views (@STLBluesViews) November 17, 2023

Kings’ Offseason Goalie Moves Paying Off

Cam Talbot struggled with injuries and inconsistency the previous three seasons, but Los Angeles took a chance and signed him as a free agent. It has paid off thus far.

Talbot is 8-3-1 with a .927 SP and has won five of his last six starts, allowing one or fewer goals in four of them. The 36-year-old, playing with his sixth team since 2018, turned aside 30 of 31 shots on Thursday.

Captain Anze Kopitar recorded his team-best eighth goal against Florida and is one point behind fellow forwards Adrian Kempe (seven goals, nine assists) and Kevin Fiala (three, 13) for the team lead.

The under is probably one of the best NHL bets Nov. 18. The under is 5-0-1 in the last six Kings contests. It doesn’t hurt that Los Angeles is 12-for-12 on the penalty kill the past four games.

Center Pierre-Luc Dubois (eight points) suffered a lower-body injury Thursday and is questionable, but the Kings are balanced and deep if you bet on NHL.

Blues vs Kings Game Information

• Game: Blues (8-6-1) vs Kings (9-3-3)
• Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, Calif.
• Day/Time: Saturday, Nov. 18, 10:30 p.m. ET
• Blues vs Kings Live Stream: NHL.TV

Blues vs Kings Betting Lines

Best Bets for Blues vs Kings

St. Louis has been better than expected in the early season, but the loss to struggling San Jose and a 2-4-1 record on the road could make the Blues vulnerable on a four-game Western trip.

Dubois’ absence won’t help, but he is merely tied for seventh on the team in points and -3 overall. We think the Kings might open it up a bit in this game after the tight win over Florida and the under appears to be a good pick with both teams’ defensive numbers.

Best Bet: Los Angeles -1½ (-120), Under 6½ (-120)

Best Prop Bets for Blues vs Kings

The way these teams have defended and played in net, keeping the game scoreless through the first 9½ minutes is a decent value bet.

Best NHL Prop: No goals first 9½ minutes (+135).

Questions of the Day