Welcome to NHL Predictions! Another day where we take a look at games around the NHL and give our thoughts and predictions on the matchups. Today’s prediction takes us to UBS Arena in Elmont, New York on Long Island. The New York Islanders are facing off in an inter-conference showdown with the St. Louis Blues.
NHL Predictions
New York Islanders vs. St. Louis Blues
Head-to-Head: Islanders 0-1 Blues
Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
TV: MSG Sports Network, FanDuel Sports Network Midwest; ESPN+
The Blues and Islanders are meeting for the final time this season on Saturday night. The Blues won the first game, 1-0, in overtime. Jake Neighbours scored the game-winning goal in overtime. Furthermore, Joel Hofer made 34 saves to record the shutout for the Blue Note.
The Blues Story
The Blues won their last game in a shootout. Neighbours was the hero in the shootout, scoring the only shootout goal for either team. The win improved the team’s record to 9-11-1. The Blues are still within reach of the Western Conference’s final playoff spot. They are just three points out at the moment. Despite the ups and downs (more downs than ups), the Blues are still in a good position as we enter the final week of November.
The Bigger Blues Story
The biggest story from the Blues heading into Saturday is goaltender Jordan Binnington. With the shootout win on Thursday, Binnington tied Mike Liut for the most wins in Blues franchise history with 151. One more win, and Binnington will stand atop the all-time wins list in Blues history. Another element to this story is that Liut is Binnington’s agent.
“It’s funny. He’s been giving it to me to get this thing going before you kill the buzz,” Binnington said. “I’m happy I’m up there with him and I’m proud to be up there. It’s a big night for me. It’s very cool. I think I’m proud in many ways and just being with this organization, one organization, in my career so far. Just getting wins, right? It’s just a true testament to guys committed to winning is so important. There’s so many different ways to win, right? Like tonight, we competed hard, the guys really made it easy right until the end. They really led the charge tonight. It’s always different. That’s the fun of the game for me personally as a goalie. I think we’ve just got to keep building as a group with where we’re at.”
For a player who was once believed to be in the process of being phased out by the Blues, to a random start in Philadelphia in January 2019, to the first goaltender to lead the Blues to the Stanley Cup, Binnington’s journey has certainly been an impressive one.
Of course, it is possible the Blues will not start Binnington on Saturday. The Blues may want to give the nod to Hofer as he shutout the Islanders in his first start. If Binnington does not get the opportunity Saturday, you can assume he will get it on Monday.
The Islanders Story
The Isles last game was a loss in Detroit. The team has played inconsistently in the first two months of the season. They are 7-8-5. However, like the Blues in the Western Conference, the Islanders are only two points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Islanders have struggled on offence this last week. In three games, they only scored four goals. It is hard to win if you are not putting the biscuit in the basket. The team does have plenty of offensive play-makers to fix the trend. Forward Kyle Palmieri currently leads the team in points, goals, and assists. The Isles would like to other players contribute in the offensive zone.
Prediction
We are thinking it will be a game with a lot of goals. Unfortunately for the Islanders, they will be on the wrong side of a lopsided sore.
Predictions: Blues win, 6-2.
Prop Bets
FanDuel has set the over/under at 5.5 goals. We are taking the over with eight total goals.
For prop bets, we like Jordan Kyrou as an anytime scorer at +240 for the Blues Note. For the Isles, we like Kyle Palmieri as an anytime scorer at +200.
Main photo by: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
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