On Saturday night, the Washington Capitals travel to St. Louis to take on the Blues in NHL action. The Capitals (55-17-8, 118 points) are in first place in the Metropolitan Division but just lost at home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3, on overtime on Thursday. The Blues (49-23-9, 107 points) are tied with Dallas for first in the Central Division and just came back to beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 2-1, in overtime on Thursday. Be sure to look for more betting lines for NHL by clicking here.
In Indepth Analysis for the NHL Betting Prediction on Washington at St. Louis and TV Info
When: Saturday, April 9, 2016, 8:00pm ET
Where: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO
TV: CSMA, FSMW
Radio: Washington / St. LouisLive Stream: NHL.tvNHL Odds: TBA
Why Should You Bet on the Blues?
The Blues need the win to keep pace with the Dallas Stars in the Central Division and the Western Conference standings. The Stars hold the tiebreaker with more wins, but if the Blues win and the Stars lose on Saturday night, the Blues win the division and have the top seed in the West in the playoffs. This means that they have more motivation than the visiting Capitals, whose playoff position will not change with the outcome of this game. The Blues have the third best penalty kill in the NHL (85.0%) and the fourth best scoring defense (2.4 goals against per game), so they have the defense to manage the Caps.
Why Should You Put Your Money on Washington?
It’s hard to justify betting against Washington at all this season, but they lost to a Penguins team with more to fight for in the playoff race. They score 0.5 goals per game more than the Blues, whose offense is their only liability. Their defense is third in the NHL (2.4 goals allowed per game) so if the Capitals get out in front early, they should be able to hold on and suck the life out of the Blues’ attack.
Expert Betting Pick and Final Score Prediction
I like the Blues to keep the heat on Dallas and knock off a Caps team looking ahead to the
playoffs. I’m predicting that St. Louis will win, 2-1.
