NHL: Vegas Golden Knights vs St. Louis Blues Betting Preview
Vegas gets a small amount of playoff security, a must-win spot for the Blues
With just over 20 games to go in the season, it seems every game has a massive playoff implication for at least one team. In tonight’s case, the stakes are huge for the Vegas Golden Knights (38-25-7, 83 points) and the St. Louis Blues (38-30-3, 79 points).
The Knights lead the Blues by 4 points for the last wild card spot but VGK has a game in hand putting incredible emphasis on a St. Louis victory. The Knights are a -145 road favorite with a total of 6 (over -120).
The puck will drop at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT and can be seen on SCRIPPS, Bally Sports Midwest, and the NHL Network. We’ll start the Knights vs Blues betting preview starting with the defending champs.
Vegas Golden Knights vs St. Louis Blues 
Day/Time:
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO.
Streaming: SCRIPPS, Bally Sports Midwest, & the NHL
Injury Bug Nips At Another Key Player
Logan Thompson (19-12-5, 2.77, .905) will be in goal tonight for Bruce Cassidy after Adin Hill was injured in the third period of Vegas’ 4-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
The team has recalled Jiri Patera (1-3, 3.75, .901) from the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League to replace Hill.
Cassidy said that Thompson was going to start tonight’s game regardless, but also added that the team may have to lean on Thompson for an extended period which could spell disaster for a team that has not yet seen the same standard of play from the 27-year-old that they did last season when he contributed 21 wins.
However, no matter how sporadic his game has been overall, in his last two starts, Thompson has been sensational allowing just three goals and three in his last 135:42 minutes of hockey. This four-game road trip is important with each opponent playing for a spot on the NHL playoff schedule.
Vegas will play the Blues and Minnesota who are close behind the Knights for a wild card spot along with Nashville and Winnipeg who are currently occupying playoff positions.
We Have The Blues Out Of The Post-Season
There is no one between the St. Louis Blues and gripping the last wild card spot if they win key match-ups like tonight, but we also keep standings in our head by what we see, and right now our NHL power rankings show the Blues at 16 overall and 9th in the West behind the Golden Knights.
We don’t like to use the term loosely, but in many ways, this is a must-win game for Drew Bannister’s team. After tonight, the Blues become the Knights best friend with games remaining against the Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, and Nashville but that’s the bad part.
The good news is St.Louis has the league’s 30th most difficult schedule remaining with two games against San Jose remaining in addition to dates with Chicago and Anaheim. It’s safe to say that not only do they need to win tonight, but they need to win in regulation making it one of the most-watched NHL scores tonight.
Money Rolls In On Vegas
The league is undecided if they love or hate Vegas, which is great for the team and the sport, but there is no doubt the public likes to bet them. We have seen numbers come out as low as Vegas -134 but the consensus number is now -145 with 65% of all tickets written on Vegas straight-up and 57% on the puck line.
Our NHL pick is over the total of six (-120). Thompson has been reliable but not in the vain that allowed him to be on last year’s all-rookie team. The Blues will be out for blood knowing Vegas is wounded.
Still, their goaltender, Jordan Binnington (25-19-3, 2.85, .912), has also had his struggles with goals against higher than his career average of 2.79 but that’s because they are not playing well in front of him, forcing the former Stanley Cup champion to make more big saves this season (1542 in 50 games).
Since 2020, Binnington is just 88-103 and 52-55 over the last two seasons. That does it for our Knights vs Blues betting preview, we wish you all the best with your NHL picks and parlays tonight.
For NHL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
