The two Wild Card contenders meet in a critical showdown tonight
With an abbreviated card for Monday, let's take a look at a Western Conference clash between a pair of teams battling in the Wild Card race.
The Vancouver Canucks are sitting in third place in the Wild Card standings, three points back of the Calgary Flames. St. Louis is two points behind the Canucks.
And with the Blues mired in a two-game skid after losses to Vegas and Dallas, they could come into this one battle-tested and ready to challenge a Vancouver team that will be out for revenge from a 4-3 home loss to St. Louis on Dec. 10.
Let's do a deep dive into this one:
WHY VANCOUVER: The Canucks snapped a two-game skid on Saturday by stifling the hottest team in hockey, Washington, 2-1. The defensive stand is what's most impressive, considering Alex Ovechkin is on pace to set the scoring record and has a good history against the Canucks. By hitting the road with confidence, they'll be ready to open this three-game trip with a win.
WHY ST LOUIS: The Blues have lost three of four on the short-term, but since Dec. 23 they've won eight of 15. It's not exactly a jaw-dropping record, but impressive nonetheless considering they were coming off a three-game skid and had lost 19 of their first 34. This is an ample opportunity to close out this homestand with a win and head to Denver and Salt Lake City with a bit of momentum.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
THE PICK: BLUES -135 -- There's a reason the Blues are laying the price tonight, despite having a worse record. I'm not sure why the books have a steep price on them, but they're generally right, and with series domination is a reason that has me intrigued. They've won three straight and eight of the last 10 meetings. The Blues have also won eight of the last 11 meetings in St. Louis. This is good spot for the Blues to cash in.
(Season Record: 14-18-1, Net: -535$, based on 100$ units)