The St. Louis Blues have problems they need to solve. These issues are bigger than a winning streak can turn around and will require time and transactions to turn things around.
The St. Louis Blues have a very immediate problem to deal with on Monday night, as they play one of the top-ranked teams in the league, the Boston Bruins.
Both teams are looking to end their losing ways, although the Bruins are 7-1 in their last ten games, while the Blues have lost six in a row coming into Monday night’s matchup.
We’ll explore both NHL teams’ recent performances, stats, and odds before making our Blues vs Bruins prediction. Puck drop for St. Louis versus Boston is set for slightly after 7 P.M. from the TD Garden in Boston, MA.
Last Game Records
The St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins will be playing their first game of two on the 2022-23 NHL schedule on Monday night. We’ll review these teams’ 2021-22 head-to-head record.
Last season, the Blues and Bruins split the season head-to-head series, each getting a win. Boston averaged 2.50 goals across the two games, while St. Louis averaged 3.00 goals per game.
Matchup Information
- Game: St. Louis Blues vs. Boston Bruins
- Venue: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
- Game Time: Monday, November 7, 2022. 7:00 P.M. ET
- Watch: NHL Network
St. Louis Blues vs. Boston Bruins Betting Analysis
St. Louis Blues
After making the playoffs last year, it would be an understatement to say that the Blues’ current record and rankings in the NHL standings are disappointing.
So far, in 2022-23, the St. Louis Blues have a 3-6-0 record. Even more alarming for our Blues vs Bruins predictions is the fact that after the Blues opened their season with three wins, St. Louis has lost their last six games in a row.
In their last matchup, the St. Louis Blues lost 5-2 to the New York Islanders on November 3rd.
Vladimir Tarasenko opened the scoring before the Islanders took over, scoring four in the second period to get the win. Jordan Binnington made 25 saves in the loss.
Blues Averaging Numbers
The Blues are averaging 2.33 goals per game and 3.89 goals against per game. As for St. Louis’ special team’s efforts, the powerplay is operating at 25%, while the penalty kill has room for improvement operating at 76.2 percent.
Despite playing the bulk of the St. Louis Blues games this season, you have to run with your number one goalie to try and turn things around.
Back-to-Back Nights
The Blues are playing on back-to-back nights, so we expect both goalies to start over the next two days.
If Binnington gets the start, he has a 3-4-0-1 record, with a 3.40 save goals-against average and a .879 save percentage.
Thomas Greiss is Binnington’s backup. Greiss has a 0-2-0 record, with a 3.28 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage if he gets the start.
Boston Bruins
Without looking at the Bruins standings, we can tell you it’s been an unbelievable start to the 2022-23 NHL season for the Boston Bruins.
Boston sits near the top of the NHL standings with a 10-2-0 record. Notable for our Blues vs Bruins prediction: the Boston Bruins have a 6-0-0 record at TD Garden.
In their last outing, the Boston Bruins lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs, ending the Bruins’ seven-game winning streak.
Brad Marchand got the only goal of the game for the Bruins on a penalty shot, while Boston’s number-one goalie Linus Ullmark continued his impressive play, making 26 saves in the loss.
Bruins Averaging Numbers
Coming into Monday night’s matchup with the St. Louis Blues, the Boston Bruins are averaging 4.17 goals per game and 2.50 goals against per game.
The Bruins’ special teams embody the definition of special: the powerplay is operating at 23.3%, while the penalty kill is among the leagues best, operating at 92.9%.
With Ullmark having started the last four games and with Boston not having another game until Thursday against the underperforming Calgary Flames, we think this is a prime opportunity for backup Jeremy Swayman to get a start if he wasn’t listed on the injured reserve.
Ullmark’s Performance Recap
If Ullmark gets the start, his stats are genuinely elite: Ullmark has an 8-1-0-1 record, with a 2.16 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage.
So, if Ullmark doesn’t make the start for the Bruins, they will be relying on Keith Kinkaid.
The Bruins have four players listed on the NHL injury report, none more noteworthy than David Krejci, who is on the injured reserve list.
Krejci’s absence hasn’t affected the Bruins’ offense, as David Pastrnak will be among the leaders in NHL player stats. Pastrnak is a potential prop bet target and leads the Bruins with nineteen points (eight goals, eleven assists).
St. Louis Blues vs. Boston Bruins Betting Preview
Moneyline
The Boston Bruins are the expected moneyline favorite, listed with odds ranging from -184 to -200.
Considering their horrible start to the season, the St. Louis Blues’ odds are listed as the moneyline underdog, with odds ranging from +150 to +168. The Bruins are 10-2 on the moneyline, while the Blues are 3-6.
Puck line
The puck line spread is set to 1.5. The St. Louis Blues are listed at +1.5, with odds between -148 and -165.
The Boston Bruins are listed at -1.5 against the spread, with odds ranging from +123 to +140. The Bruins are 9-3 against the spread, while the Blues are 2-7.
Total
The Total goals for our Blues vs Bruins prediction is set to 6.5 goals. The odds are fairly close, with the over listed between -106 and -110 odds, while the under is between -110 and -118 odds.
The Boston Bruins have a 7-5 over/under record, while the St. Louis Blues are 5-3.
St. Louis Blues vs. Boston Bruins Betting Prediction
Our Blues vs Bruins prediction doesn’t rely on the potential goaltending matchup, Blues odds, or who is on the NHL injury report.
Our prediction is simple: we’re taking the Boston Bruins to get back on the winning track and defeating the St. Louis Blues.
Best Bets for This Matchup
Our first prediction is to take the Boston Bruins to win on the moneyline. They are the better team with the better goaltending and should make this an easy win for Boston.
Our second prediction is to take the Boston Bruins to cover the spread. They have won of the better NHL records against the spread.
We like the Bruins’ start to the season a lot and think they will win on the moneyline and cover the spread against the St. Louis Blues.
NHL Pick: Bruins -1.5 (+135)
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.