Detroit Red Wings vs St. Louis Blues Betting Picks

St. Louis was shut out in back-to-back games, 4-0 by Carolina and 2-0 by Montreal, before beating Boston 4-1 on Thursday. Over 13 games, the Blues have scored 39 goals, averaging 3.0 per game, and allowed 38, or 2.9 per game. I start with Detroit's offense, which scores 2.69 goals a game, 26th in the NHL, and has scored 10 of its 35 goals on the power play. Detroit's defense allows 2.77 goals a game, sixth in the league, on 25.2 shots against, eighth-fewest. St. Louis puts 27.3 shots on net per game, so the Blues aren't coming in with a volume advantage. The Blues kill penalties at 85.29%, sixth in the NHL, which takes away much of the offense Detroit has found. The Red Wings beat Chicago 4-1 on Thursday, a game with five combined goals. Detroit has been held to two goals or fewer in five of its 13 games, and I'm on the UNDER this afternoon. 

Detroit has won six of eight, cashing five times as an underdog. They come off a 6-4 win at home over the Blues and now head to St. Louis. The offense is 11th in goals scored (3.33 per game) and 13th in shooting percentage, while the defense is 10th in penalty killing. Last place St. Louis has a losing home record and has lost four in a row, surrendering 21 goals. The defense is 25th in penalty killing, 31st in goals given up (4.33 per game), and last in save percentage (.844). Play Detroit. 

St. Louis is 2-0 on the road, with wins at Calgary (4-2) and Vancouver (5-2), the latter as an underdog. Detroit comes home from a rough two-game road trip, losing at Buffalo and the Islanders by an 11-4 count. The offense is 19th in goals scored and in shooting percentage, plus 17th on the power play, while the defense is 19th in goals allowed and 26th in save percentage. The Blues have won the last two meetings, including a 4-0 victory at this arena. Play St. Louis. 

St. Louis has been struggling offensively, while Detroit has allowed 13 goals in its past three games, and the Red Wings were swept in a home and away-series against Montreal. The Blues have the edge in this game, though, and they are 4-0 in their past four against teams that allowed at least five goals in their previous game, and Detroit is 0-4 as a favorite of -110 to -150. Detroit has lost eight out of 11 overall and six out of nine versus the Central Division. Cam Talbot is confirmed for the Red Wings, and he has lost his past four starts while allowing 13 goals in that span. He yielded all four goals in a 4-3 loss to the Canadiens on Friday, and he is 6-7-2 on the season. Play the Blues.