The St. Louis Blues visit the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night in a game that can be seen on TNT. The Blues have gotten off to an excellent start this season and look like a serious contender in the Western Conference, as the Blues are 6-1 on the season and lead the Central Division. The Kings have struggled early in the season but they did finally break their losing streak, winning against Montreal on Saturday. The Blues and Kings have split their last ten meetings but St. Louis has won the last three. Let’s look at the Blues and Kings and NHL picks.
The St. Louis Blues will visit the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. This game will take place on Wednesday, November 3, 2021, at 10 p.m. ET, with television coverage on TNT.
Odds Analysis
The Blues have been one of the best teams early in the season, while the Kings have struggled, so there is little doubt that St. Louis will be favored. St. Louis has also won six of the last ten in Los Angeles with six of the ten going under the total.
St. Louis Blues
The Blues are 6-1 on the season with four of their seven games going over the total. St. Louis is in a good scheduling spot, as they will have had three days off before beginning this road trip. They are coming off a 1-0 win on Saturday against Chicago.
St. Louis was leading the league in offense, averaging 4.7 goals per game. They have the 2nd ranked power play at 35.3%. The Blues are 8th in goals against, allowing 2.5 goals per contest. They are 2nd in the NHL in penalty killing at 90.5%. David Perron leads the team in points with 9. Goaltender Jordan Binnington leads the team with five wins.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings were 2-5-1 in their first eight games with three of those games going over the total and five going under. The Kings are coming off a home game against Buffalo on Sunday.
Los Angeles is averaging 2.6 goals per game which is 22nd in the league. They are 9th in the league on the power play. They are giving up 3.1 goals per game which is 21st in the league. They are just 29th on the penalty kill at 66.7%. Anze Kopitar leads the team with 11 points. Calvin Petersen has two wins, while Jonathan Quick has a 2.75 goals against average.
St. Louis vs. Los Angeles NHL Pick
The Kings have some good young talent but it doesn’t appear that their young players are ready to take the next step.Los Angeles could be a team to watch later in the season if their young players start to develop but right now the Kings are very inconsistent. On the other side, the Blues look like a Stanley Cup contender once again. St. Louis has been getting very balanced scoring and if Vladimir Tarasenko is scoring then this team is going to be tough to stop.
The Blues almost always play good defense and they have one of the top young goaltenders in the league in Jordan Binnington. The concern in the past has been a lack of scoring, but if Tarasenko is healthy and scoring goals, he gives this team an explosive option to go along with proven scorers like David Perron and Ryan O’Reilly.
The Blues definitely look like the way to go in this game, even on the road, so I will lay the price and take St. Louis.
Bookmaker Pick: St. Louis Blues
