The Vegas Golden Knights finally got off the schneid and won a game at home, beating the Coyotes 5-2 on Wednesday. Tonight's game, however, is against a much tougher opponent in the St. Louis Blues.
St. Louis, who is at the tail end of a five-game road trip, lost to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday, marking the first loss in five games for the Blues.
The Golden Knights snapped their two-game losing streak and are trying to win their second straight game. Can Vegas put together back-to-back wins or will St. Louis win for the fourth time in five games? Continue reading for free NHL picks for Blues vs. Golden Knights on December 23.
Blues vs Golden Knights best odds
Blues vs Golden Knights picks and predictions
All of the Golden Knights' issues of playing at home were solved with their 5-2 victory over Arizona, right? Um, not so fast. The real test will be tonight vs. St. Louis.
It’s one thing to beat up on one of the worst teams in hockey, it’s another to handle a Central Division opponent that has eight more points than the one you just beat.
Remember, it was the Blues that snapped the Golden Knights' nine-game winning streak back in November. Before that loss, they had a 13-2 record. Since then, Vegas has gone 10-9-1.
The struggles at home are real. The Golden Knights were 1-6 at T-Mobile Arena in their last seven, and 8-9 overall. The victory over Arizona gave them a .500 home record at 9-9, but that is still one of the worst home marks in the NHL.
Vegas captain Mark Stone, who had two goals and an assist against Arizona, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the Coyotes game was the start of something.
“Every game is different, but I like the momentum we’re building,” Stone said. “It’s a step in the right direction.”
Another positive the Golden Knights can take from their recent play is their success on the power play.
Vegas recorded their 12th power-play goal in December on Wednesday, tying a franchise high for most in a month. The team is seventh in the NHL on the power play, converting 26% of the time.
St. Louis is 28th on the penalty kill at 71.3% but don’t expect them to be down a man very often. Other than the Golden Knights, they are the least penalized team in the league.
The Blues’ recent four-game winning streak, which was snapped on Tuesday by Seattle, shouldn’t be discounted. St. Louis won three of those four on the road, including victories at Edmonton and Calgary.
With the Golden Knights commanding -175 on the moneyline, that isn’t enough to sway me to back them. The Blues are +145 and I like the value of that bet. Let’s see how Vegas does Friday before we proclaim them back from their struggles.
My best bet: Blues moneyline (+145 at PointsBet)
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Blues vs Golden Knights moneyline analysis
The Blues have some serious inconsistencies. Then again, so do the Golden Knights. So, this game is a more of which team do you think is going to show up on Friday.
That team, in my opinion, is St. Louis. The Blues aren’t better than Vegas statistically. The Blues are 23rd in goals scored, averaging three a game. The Golden Knights are 12th at 3.29.
But two factors work against Vegas. The first is the goal average at T-Mobile Arena. They average 4.12 goals on the road and just 2.40 at home.
The second issue is the Golden Knights have gone just 10-9-1 since their 13-2 start.
The Blues are much more attractive at +145 than the shaky Golden Knights at -175. In their last eight games, the Blues are 5-3, while Vegas is 4-4.
If they are going to beat Vegas the Blues might be doing it without Jordan Kyrou. The Blues winger has been the team’s hottest player but suffered a possible concussion on Monday. He didn’t play on Tuesday and is ruled questionable for Friday.
Kyrou has had a stellar December, scoring seven goals and seven assists in nine games, including a hat trick on Monday before the injury.
If Kyrou can’t play, the responsibility for scoring will fall on Pavel Buchnevich and Vladimir Tarasenko. Buchnevich has 11 goals and 13 assists, while Tarasenko has nine tallies and 16 helpers.
Blues vs Golden Knights Over/Under analysis
The last time St. Louis and Vegas met was in November and the game went Under the total. This was not the normal result in this clash as the Over is 11-4-1 in the last 16 meetings between these teams.
The total is set at six for this game, with the Over at -117 at BetRivers and the Under at +100 at several sportsbooks.
Goaltending has been spotty for both teams. The Blues are probably starting Jordan Binnington, who is 39th among goalies in goals-against average at 3.11. His save percentage is .897.
Vegas’ Logan Thompson started strong but has cooled considerably. He was in the Top 10 in GAA but is now 14th at 2.61 with a .917 save percentage.
The Blues have hit the Over three out of four times against Pacific Division opponents and five of the last seven against a team with a winning record.
The Golden Knights are 3-2 on the Over in their last five games. They are also 5-2 on the Over in their last seven after allowing two or fewer goals in their previous game.
Blues vs Golden Knights betting trend to know
The Over is 11-4-1 in the last 16 meetings between the two teams. Find more NHL betting trends for Blues vs Golden Knights.
Blues vs Golden Knights game info
| Location: | T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV |
| Date: | Friday, December 23, 2022 |
| Puck drop: | 10:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | AT&T SportsNet, Bally Sports |
