The St. Louis Blues are coming off of a very tough loss on Sunday night when they fell short against the Winnipeg Jets on home ice in a 4-3 overtime loss. They are on three days of rest and should come out buzzing against one of the best teams in the Metropolitan division.
The Pittsburgh Penguins got the best of the Blues in their first meeting back in January and tonight will try to steal another two points on the road in St. Louis in what will be their third game in five days. Find out who we're backing in our free NHL picks and predictions for Penguins vs. Blues.
Penguins vs Blues odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The St. Louis Blues opened up as home favorites at -125, but the line moved has moved in favor of the Penguins, as the Blues are now at -102. The total opened up at 6.0 and hasn’t had any movement.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Penguins vs Blues predictions
Predictions made on 3/17/2022 at 10:47 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Penguins vs Blues game info
• Location: Enterprise Center, Pittsburgh, PA
• Date: Thursday, March 17, 2022
• Puck drop: 8:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ATTSN-PIT/Bally Sports
Penguins vs Blues betting preview
Key injuries
Penguins: Zach Aston-Reese F (Questionable), Brock McGinn F (Out), Jason Zucker F (Out).
Blues: Tyler Bozak F (Out), Robert Thomas (Questionable), Pavel Buchnevich F (Questionable), Scott Perunovich D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Penguins vs Blues head-to-head record
Penguins: 3-2-0 SU, 17 goals for.
Blues: 2-3-0 SU, 14 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 3-1-1 in the last 5 meetings between these teams. Find more NHL betting trends for Penguins vs. Blues.
Penguins vs Blues picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The Pittsburgh Penguins have played a lot of hockey in the past week as they are set to play their fourth game in six nights.
It should also be noted that none of the previous games were walks in the park, as they played against some of the toughest opponents in the league. In their last five games, the Pens are 2-2-1.
St. Louis has had a nice couple of days to rest and recover from its overtime loss against the Jets on March 13. The Blues currently sit in second place in the Central Division, with the Minnesota Wild creeping up on them in the standings. They know how important every game moving forward is, especially games on home ice.
These two teams match up very well against each other as they both rank in the Top 15 in offensive and defensive efficiency. The Blues have the edge on the offensive side this season and in the past three games.
On the season, St. Louis is averaging 3.54 goals per game (5th) and in its past three contests has a very impressive 16 goals combined.
The Pens aren’t too far behind them as far as offensive production goes, averaging 3.21 gpg (12th), but haven’t been as explosive as their opponent lately, only having nine goals in their last three games.
The Blues have the clear-cut better power-play group as their man advantage unit is currently the third-best in the league, but they will be tested tonight against the league's third-best penalty kill.
The last time these two teams met, St. Louis had the lead for most of the game until a controversial game-tying goal was scored by Sidney Crosby in the third period and a failed coaches challenge gave the Penguins a power-play which they immediately capitalized on and changed the momentum of the game.
The Blues still have a bad taste in their mouths from that game and will be out for revenge on home ice tonight, and I think they get their payback.
Prediction: Blues moneyline (-102)
Over/Under analysis
As good as both of these teams' offensive abilities are, I think they are even stronger in their own ends and have excellent goaltending. They are neck-and-neck as far defensive statistics go. The Pens are only giving up 2.61 gpg (fourth), and the Blues are right by them, allowing 2.76 gpg (eighth).
Another defensive area in which they are super tight to each other is each respective penalty kill. The Pens kill 85.8% of the penalties they commit (third) and the Blues once again rank eighth as they are currently at an 82.7% rate. Even if these strong offensive teams get power-play opportunities, chances are they will not convert so easily.
Let’s talk about how great both teams' goalies have been. In the last meeting, the Penguins faced Jordan Binnington, but tonight they will see Ville Husso for the first time ever. Husso has been incredible for St. Louis this season as he has posted a record of 15-4-3 with a .928 SV% and a 16.0 goals saved above expected (7th).
Getting the nod for Pittsburgh will be Tristan Jarry who has also been outstanding for his team this season. Jarry is 29-12-6 on the year with a .922 SV% and is right behind Husso with a 14.2 GSAx (eighth).
This matchup has all the ingredients for a tight, defensive battle and a duel between two of the league's top goalies. I like the Under.
Prediction: Under 6 (-125)
Best bet
The Blues have been a very strong team on home ice this season, skating to a 20-7-3 record at the Enterprise Center. As good as they are at home, the Pens are almost just as good on the road, posting a record of 19-7-4. With that being said, they have played a lot of hockey lately and were just in the city of Nashville so you have to take the traveling into account.
Husso is 2-0-1 in his last three starts and even though they weren’t his best performances, he knows he will have to up his game against his opposing net-minder, Tristan Jarry. Husso hasn’t started since last Saturday, so he will be well rested and ready to face the challenge.
In front of him, the offense continues to buzz as the Blues have found their scoring touch thanks to the emergence of Jordan Kyrou and the hot streak that David Perron is currently on with five goals and one assist in his last four games.
We’ve seen fatigue affect the Penguins a bit this year as they aren’t such a young group anymore. The heavy legs should catch up to them at some point in this game and I will look for the home team to pounce on that.
I’m going with the home dogs.
Pick: Blues moneyline (-102)
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