Free Picks: St. Louis Blues vs Vegas Golden Knights

The best sports bet for today is taking Vegas with the moneyline (-137 with 888Sport) because I don’t see Vegas losing three games in a row. They have been so consistent all year. While top defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is injured, Vegas has too many weapons to hold down for long.

The Blues and Golden Knights are two of the top 10 teams in the league, so this should be a battle. When I go about making my NHL picks, I look at a few things, and one of them is the home-and-away record.

I like the Blues because they are well rested. They are working on three days’ rest, while Vegas is coming off their second straight loss on Wednesday. But I am not ready to lay down some cash for St. Louis because their home record is a concern to me. They are only 4-6-2 at home but 10-2-2 on the road, so the fact they are the home team doesn’t give me much confidence.

When I’m making my NHL predictions, I look at a variety of statistical measures. What I like about Vegas is their +22 goal differential. They are winning games by large margins. On the other hand, St. Louis has only a +1 goal differential, meaning they win plenty of close games.

It takes mental strength to win so many one-goal games, but sometimes luck factors in, which makes betting St. Louis with the moneyline a daring endeavor. I like Vegas because they are 1^st in the league with a .923 winning percentage when they score first. I’m sold on Vegas, even with their injury situation.

Pietrangelo is difficult to replace on defense. He leads the team in average ice time (25:27) and has 10 points in 18 games, but that means Vegas will have to rely more on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who has a 12-4-0 record, a .943 save percentage and 4 shutouts.

The Over/Under has been set at 5.75 at22Bet, and I like the Over if you’re interested in this market. Both teams have gifted scorers. Alex Tuch has 4 goals in his last 4 games for Vegas and, for St. Louis, David Perron also has 4 goals in his last 4. Vegas is averaging 3.17 goals a game (10th) while St. Louis is averaging 3.15 goals a game (11th), so they both can light it up.

Vegas hasn’t lost three in a row all season, and I don’t see it happening on Friday, so I’m staying with Vegas or the win on  the moneyline.

• The Over is 4-1 in Golden Knights’ last 5 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
• The Under is 7-2 in Golden Knights’ last 9 road games.
• Blues are 4-1 in their last 5 vs a team with a winning percentage above .600
• Golden Knights are 5-2 in their last 7 Friday games.
• The Blues are 1-6 in their last 7 home games.