NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues vs New Jersey Devils

The St. Louis Blues (27-22-5) welcome the New Jersey Devils (21-26-8) to town for an inter-conference matchup on February 12th at 8 PM ET. The Blues are arguably the hottest team in the NHL having won their last six games. The Devils are 3-6-1 in their last 10 and are coming off a win against Carolina. That win snapped a three- game skid for the Devils. Our Blues vs Devils pick looks to see if St. Louis can cover the puckline against New Jersey. Here’s a look at goaltending and scoring potential in this NHL contest, which should offer fans some fine moments and sports bettors a chance to make some cash.

Goaltending

Jordan Binnington has been a happy surprise for St. Louis since being called up. After receiving shaky goaltending from Jake Allen during the early parts of this season, Binnington has been lights out. Out of his 11 starts he has recorded a point in 10 contests on route to a 9-1-1 record. His only two games where he recordied less than a .920 save percentage came in relief appearances of Allen. He currently holds a .931 save percentage and a 1.71 GAA on the year.

New Jersey has also had goaltending trouble this season. It looked fixed when rookie Mackenzie Blackwood was called up earlier this year. However, he was demoted to the AHL at the beginning of February leaving Jersey with two struggling netminders. Keith Kinkaid will get the start after notching the win against Carolina on Sunday. He stopped 33 of 35 shots in that one but overall this season sits on a 3.15 GAA and a .898 save percentage. The edge in our Blues vs Devils pick goaltending matchup definitively goes to St. Louis.

Devils’ Lack Recent Scoring while St. Louis has Heated Up

Despite averaging the same number of goals per game this season, recent offensive contributions have looked very different for these clubs. Over their last five games, the Devils have scored just 10 goals. In contrast The Blues have found twine 16 times in the same span. Many of the Blues top players, who were quiet, have started contributing as well. Vladimir Tarasenko has finally found his scoring touch and comes into the contest on an eight-game point streak. In his last contest against Nashville, he registered a hat-trick. Ryan O’Reilly has continued to be a force upfront as well. The center has 55 points on the season, as well as 13 in his last 11 games.

Much of New Jersey’s lack of offense can be contributed to missing Taylor Hall since December. Last year’s MVP had 37 points in 33 games and is currently the only player on their roster to score at a pace that comes in at more than a point per game. New Jersey has seen decent offense from Kyle Palmieri (23-18-41) and Nico Hischier (16-23-39), but without Hall they lack considerable firepower. Our Blues vs Devils pick sees St. Louis holding an advantage in scoring potential as well as goaltending.

Blues vs Devils Pick

While the Blues have only covered the puck line twice during their win streak, they have been beating the NHL’s top teams. Four of their six wins have been against playoff teams, including beating the league leading Lightning on the road. St. Louis has looked good and is getting solid goaltending. Their top players are starting to heat up and they face a club with lackluster netminding. Our Blues vs Devils pick likes St. Louis’ chances to cover the puckline on Tuesday night. That’s it for this game. For more great hockey action, see our Lightning vs Flames pick. That game starts at 7:30 PM ET.

Blues vs Devils Pick

Blues Puckline -1.5 (+145)