Welcome to the latest edition of NHL Predictions. Each day, our team here at Last Word on Hockey breaks down head-to-head matchups and other key elements that may influence the outcome of each game. We also have a featured game of the day, which is considered must-watch TV. Today’s prediction takes us to “Hockey Night in St. Louis,” where the St. Louis Blues are hosting the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.
NHL Predictions
St. Louis Blues vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Time: 7:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
TV: Bally Sports South, Bally Sports Midwest; ESPN+
The Blues and Hurricanes will meet for the first time this season. The Blues lead the all-time series, 12-7-4. The teams split the series last season, with the final game, a win by the Hurricanes, eliminated the Blues from playoff contention.
The Blues Story
The Blues are playing their third game of a four-game home stand. After losing the home-opener, 4-1, the Blue Note bounced back and won a thrilling 1-0 overtime game on Thursday. Jake Neighbours scored the winning goal while Joel Hofer got the shutout in his second start of the season. Furthermore, Hofer added an assist on the winning goal.
That’s game! ✅
Jake Neighbours scores this game’s only goal in @Energizer OT after a gorgeous outlet pass from Joel Hofer! pic.twitter.com/e23rQgT79z
— NHL (@NHL) October 18, 2024
The story of the season so far for the Blues has been defenceman Philip Broberg. Broberg continued his point streak to start the season by picking up the additional assist on the Neighbours goal. Broberg now has a point in the first five games of the season. However, that was not all Broberg provided on Thursday. He logged just over 22 minutes of time on the ice and used his tall frame to breakup passes and shot attempts throughout the game. As each game passes, the confidence in Broberg grows.
The Hurricanes Story
The Hurricanes travel to St. Louis for the second of back-to-back games. For a season that is almost two weeks old, the Hurricanes will only be playing in their fourth game. Of course, part of that has to do with a game in Tampa Bay being postponed due to Hurricane Milton.
The point being, the Hurricanes have not had a lot of games early on. In fact, this weekend is their first set of back-to-back games. This can go one of two ways. On one hand, the Hurricanes will go into the game Saturday night with relatively fresh legs, even after a game Friday. On the other hand, having only played three games does not give a roster much time to develop chemistry in the new season. While is not a story that should impact their chances of contending for a Stanley Cup, it does factor into predicting how Saturday night goes.
Prediction
The Blues have been at home since last week. The Hurricanes are coming in from Pittsburgh with only three games under their belt. The Blues have seen plays like Broberg emerge early in the new season and they also have a regular like Brandon Saad back in the lineup. The team is also coming off another exciting win. There is a lot of momentum for the Blue Note right now.
Prediction: Blues win 5-2.
Saturday Night Prop Bets
The over/under in goals is set at six goals. We go over that by just a goal. If you take the over like we are, keep an eye out if a goalie is pulled late in the game. An empty-net goal can make or break bets.
As far as prop bets, Seth Jarvis has the best odds (8.2%) to score the first goal for the Hurricanes. Likewise, Jordan Kyrou (6.1%) has the best odds for the Blues. While Jarvis has the highest anytime goal probability (39.4%) for the Hurricanes, it is Jake Neighbours who has the highest anytime goal odds for the Blues (31.7%). After scoring the winning goal on Thursday, the floodgates may open for the young forward who is looking to build upon a breakout season last year.
Do not forget to check in each day here at Last Word On Hockey for predictions each day for games around the league.
Main photo by: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
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