Vancouver Canucks vs St. Louis Blues Prediction, 1/4/2024 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Vancouver Canucks vs St. Louis Blues

Date: Thursday, January 4, 2024

Location: Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO

TV: Bally Sports Midwest

Odds/Point Spread: Canucks (-139) Blues (+115)

Enterprise Center is the location where the St. Louis Blues (18-17-1) will attempt to beat the Vancouver Canucks (24-10-3) on Thursday. The moneyline on this game has Vancouver at -139 while St. Louis is coming in at +115. The betting total is set at 7.

The Vancouver Canucks were on the right side of the scoreboard with a 6-3 win against the Senators in their previous outing. Vancouver amassed 2 penalty minutes in this game. Additionally, they had 1 power play opportunity and netted 1 goal. The Canucks had a solid offensive output and it showed in the victory. In the outing, they scored on 6 of the 26 shots they put on net.

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When it comes to their scoring, the Vancouver Canucks have racked up 142 goals (1st in the National Hockey League) this season and have conceded 95. For the year, they have recorded 51 points and their points percentage is sitting at .689. Vancouver has compiled 128 power play chances and they have tallied 31 goals during those advantages, giving them a percentage of 24.22%. While playing at even strength, the Canucks have surrendered 70 goals while notching 111 on the offensive side of the ice. Vancouver has taken 1,033 shots and holds a shooting percentage of 13.8%. The Canucks thus far have had 1,113 shots tried against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .915. Vancouver Canucks opponents have amassed 112 power play opportunities (19th in professional hockey) and have scored 25 goals in those attempts.

The man protecting the net in this game is Thatcher Demko. In his professional hockey career, Demko has accumulated 105 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .559. He has a save percentage of .911 during his 11,337 minutes in the crease. Demko has seen 6,050 shots taken against him and has recorded 5,513 total saves. The opposition has scored 537 goals against Demko in his NHL career and his goals against average per contest is 2.84. He has earned a mark of 99-74-16 and he has started in 188 games. Demko has been involved in 194 contests throughout his NHL career.

When they were on the ice last, St. Louis opposed the Penguins in a game where the Blues ended up taking the loss by a final score of 4-2. They had 3 opportunities on the power play in this matchup and notched 1 out of those attempts. The Blues earned 2 goals of the 27 shots on goal they attempted.

The Blues are sitting with 92 goals at even strength and 12 goals (32nd in the NHL) while having more men on the ice. St. Louis has tried 1,098 shots (23rd in the NHL) and has earned a shot percentage of 9.47%, while allowing the opposition 1,149 shots. This season, the St. Louis Blues have tallied 104 goals, 37 points, as well as a points percentage of .514. They have permitted 117 goals to be scored by way of 97 goals at even strength and 20 goals while they had less men on the ice. They have a total of 106 power play chances and they have accumulated a power play percentage of 11.32%. They have recorded a penalty kill rate of 79.38% on their opponents 97 opportunities on the power play, and their save percentage is currently 89.8%.

For the opposition you will find Jordan Binnington defending the goal. He has a tally of 6,506 saves out of the 7,184 shots attempted, which gives him a percentage of .906. Binnington has accrued a career record of 128-84-27 and has been in goal for 249 contests. He got the starting nod in 242 games and has played for a total of 14,397 mins. Binnington's percentage of quality starts is 51.2% and he has qualified for 124 quality starts in his pro career. Opponents are averaging 2.83 goals per game and he has relinquished 678 goals in total.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy's Pick: Take St. Louis (+115)

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