Blues-Coyotes Betting Preview: Can Arizona Halt the League’s Hottest Team?

Betting odds: St. Louis Blues at Arizona Coyotes

• Blues moneyline: -150
• Coyotes moneyline: +135
• Over/Under: 5.5
• Puck drop: 9 p.m. ET
• Rest notes: Blues 4-in-6

Season record: 36-39, +10.72 units

If you've been paying attention to the NHL for the past few weeks you probably have noticed that the St. Louis Blues are on an absolute tear.

After a disappointing start to the season, which led to rumors of a nobody-is-safe firesale, the Blues have righted the ship in 2019 and are currently on a seven-game winning streak. Since the turn of the year, the Blues are 13-4-1 and lead the league with a 65.4 Goals For % (GF%) and 56.2 Corsi Rating (CF%).

St. Louis occupies the first Wild-Card spot in the West and is just two points behind Dallas for third in the Central Division.

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The key cog in the Blues' resurgence has been goaltender Jordan Binnington. The 25-year-old has been lights out for Craig Berube's team since he made his first career start back on Jan. 7.

The emergence of Binnington has been a welcome surprise in Missouri as the Blues have been desperate for consistent goaltending for years now. Jake Allen was supposed to be the guy for the Notes, but he's been underwhelming at best as a starter.

Binnington leads the NHL with a .958 save percentage at 5v5 and has a +7.69 (seventh overall) in 14 games this campaign. Those numbers sparkle, but how long can the third-round pick keep this up? Who the hell knows.

Even though Binnington has posted good numbers in the AHL over the past two-plus seasons, these numbers will trickle down over time as no goaltender can be expected to play at this level over an extended period of time, especially one with no track record of success in the NHL.

One of the teams chasing the Blues in the playoff race, the Arizona Coyotes, will look to throw some water on the league's hottest team in Glendale, Ariz. tonight.

Despite having the look of a mediocre team both above and under the hood, Arizona has actually been quite impressive this season, all things considered. The 'Yotes have been absolutely decimated by injuries this season, leading the NHL in man games lost.

The fact that Arizona has stayed in the mix for the postseason is an impressive feat and a testament to the job that Rick Tocchet has done in the desert.

Even though St. Louis is the better team, these odds are off. At the current price -150/+135, the market suggests that Arizona has a 41.5% chance of winning this game (assuming no vig). That means that on neutral ice, the 'Yotes would be around a +154 underdog. St. Louis is certainly the better team, but not by that wide of a margin, especially with the Blues playing for the fourth time in six nights.

This a spot to sell high on St. Louis and hope that you get the best effort from the home underdog. I'd suggest playing Arizona down to +130.

The Bet: Arizona Coyotes +135