Blues vs. Hurricanes Odds, Preview, Prediction: Potent Offenses Clash in Carolina (November 13)
Scott Rovak/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Vladimir Tarasenko.
- Carolina hosts St. Louis on Saturday night in a matchup of two of the NHL's best.
- The Blues sit atop the Central Division, while the Hurricanes are in first of the Metropolitan.
- Nicholas Martin breaks down the game and gives his top pick, below.
Blues vs. Hurricanes Odds
| Blues Odds | +110 |
| Hurricanes Odds | -135 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 |
| Time | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
St. Louis looks to bounce back after a tough overtime loss at the hands of the Predators on Thursday, but it will not come easily against a Carolina team that has been outright dominant in the early-going en route to a 10-1-0 record.
Blues Bolstered By Deep Forward Group
St. Louis has seen a number of positives in the early going en route a Central Division-leading 8-2-2 mark.
Vladimir Tarasenko seems to be back to his old self, posting five goals and 12 points in 12 games so far, including a number of highlight-reel goals on dominant net-drives. Jordan Kyrou appears to one of the most dangerous players in the league on a nightly basis, and he has appeared very deserving of his 14 points over 12 contests. David Perron continues to post excellent offensive numbers, as he has quietly done most of his career, and a number of wingers alongside him have shown well for the Blues.
Altogether this Blues forward corps is starting to have the look of a very deep unit this season, particularly when skating at full strength, a luxury the team has not been afforded in the early going.
The IR situation is looking better now, but Brayden Schenn and Torey Krug will both remain out for Saturday's contest, certainly two very meaningful pieces.
The Blues have posted the league's 23rd-worst xGF% at 47.79 so far this season and have been worse the last three times out, posting just a 39.76% mark, including 2.88 xGA/60.
They will need to play a sharper game and manage the puck well to see improvements in that regard against a very deep and well-organized Carolina squad.
Jordan Binnington should draw the start for the Blues and has bounced back so far this season, posting a 92.2 save percentage and stopping 3.5 goals saved above expected (GSAx) so far this season.
Hurricanes Offense is Scary Good
The Hurricanes put together a quality effort Tuesday against Tampa, breaking through with a tying goal late in the third and eventually winning in overtime to spoil another excellent Andrei Vasilevskiy performance to move to 10-1-0.
This team is scary good, and with Sebastien Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen all appearing to take steps forward, skating closer to their true primes, the offense has dominated to the tune of 3.73 goals per game, and the league's third best even strength xGA/60 at 2.82.
Now quarterbacked by Tony DeAngelo, the powerplay unit has picked up where it left off last season, posting a very strong 25% mark in the early going.
Some additional offensive production may be needed tomorrow night, however, as coach Rod Brind'Amour will likely not go back-to-back with Frederik Andersen, who has been spectacular in the early-going and is confirmed to start Friday vs. Philadelphia. This will in turn leave him with either Antti Raanta, whose status is unclear after receiving a concussion entering in relief against Florida, or Alex Lyon.
Raanta owns just a 90.0 save percentage so far this season, after posting a 90.5 percentage last year with Arizona, and he likely offers a bit of a drop-off compared to Andersen.
Blues vs. Hurricanes Pick
In a situation that continues to be very good to my articles, the early lines on this game have the over posted at 5.5 at close to even money, and I again feel this should be a total of 6 and that the price will likely be worse Saturday.
Therefore rather than wait and see how tonight's contest goes for Carolina, I am prepared to back the total now sitting at this lower figure on a contest with two teams that can certainly score.
St. Louis has a number of offensive pieces showing very well in the early-going, and I think that even against Carolina it can likely continue to build upon the league's fourth-best GF/GP average, as it catches the Canes on night two of a back-to-back and icing a less-than-stellar netminder as opposed to Andersen.
That said, the Blues have not controlled much possession against regular teams, let alone Carolina. I expect the Hurricanes to generate their share in this contest and put together a reasonable offensive output in all likelihood.
As well, both teams hold top-eight powerplay's in the early going of this season, and we could see some goals tallied there.
Altogether I think there's a good chance we see this game open up, and I see the most value backing the over at 5.5 and would play that figure all the way to -145. I would be particularly happy with that price should Alex Lyon end up confirmed as the Carolina starter.
Pick: Over 5.5 DraftKings -115 (Play to -145)
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