LiontipsSt. Louis vs. San Jose. NHL Match Prediction and Bets
Command Analysis
Current form
St. Louis has been showing inconsistent results throughout the season, which is why it is outside the playoff zone and is currently in 12th place in the Western Conference. It will be very difficult for the team to reach the playoff zone and secure a place in the top eight, since it is currently in poor shape and cannot find its game at all. Let us recall that it suffered five defeats in six matches and was able to deal only with Boston (3:2 OT). After that, the Blues lost twice more. First, they could not cope with Carolina (1:4), and then lost to Minnesota with a score of 2:4 on home ice, while again failing to score more than two goals.
By the way, today the club is one of the most conceding in its conference, and usually at least three or four pucks end up in its net. As a rule, it plays the worst in the opening game segment, in which it has a ratio of 10:19 in goals scored and goals conceded. It is also worth mentioning that only in a third of home games did the team achieve success within 60 minutes.
It should be emphasized that Drew Bannister team also has difficulties with the penalty kill. At the moment, it ranks 24th in the league in this indicator and has a 76.9% neutralization rate of the opponent power play. It should be noted that the "blues" are seriously lacking in system in their game, and they continue to play a rather chaotic hockey on opposite courses without a clear idea.
Disqualifications and injuries
Leddy, Krug, Thomas, Broberg and Joseph will not take part in the fight due to injuries.
Interesting trends for betting
- St. Louis is averaging 26 shots on goal.
The "Notes" are forced to spend a lot of time in their own zone and defend
- "Notes" have 13.6% of the majority sales
The team has serious problems playing in 5v4 format and does not use most of its attempts
Current form
San Jose is already performing much better than last year, if you do not take into account the series of failures that they faced at the very beginning of the season. The team is even now in 15th place in the Western Conference and has managed to score 14 points. Recently, the "sharks" have noticeably improved and began to show decent results. They, as a rule, alternate successful matches with losses, but still often earn points. Bookmakers often consider them underdogs in matches with any opponents, although this is not entirely justified. So, before that, the Sharks lost to Pittsburgh (3:4 SO) on the road and barely beat Detroit (5:4 OT) on their home court, after which they went on the road, where they still lost to one of the leaders of the West, Dallas, with a score of 2:5, while showing a rather disastrous game in defense. With the return of McLean Celebrini to the lineup, the team attack improved, but in many games it is still unable to score more than one or two goals. At least Ryan Warsofsky team usually manages with a minimum number of goals conceded, and also works well in the 4x5 format. Let recall that at the moment the club has 81.5% of the opponent power play neutralization and occupies the 13th position in the league in this indicator. The second period of the game is often favorable for San Jose, during which it scores more than in all other periods, and has a ratio of 18:14 in goals scored and conceded.
Disqualifications and injuries
Vanechek, Couture, Vlasik and Sturm will not play in the upcoming match due to injury
Interesting trends for betting
- On average, San Jose allows 34 shots on goal.
The Sharks play mainly on counterattacks, so it is quite logical that the opponent makes more shots at their goal
- San Jose has a 15.4% power play percentage.
The Sharks are mediocre in the 5v4 format and don't take advantage of many of their attempts
Trends
Bet 1st period: total under 1.5 goals
In three out of four matches between the clubs, the first period was unscoring
2.00Bet 2nd period: guests will score
In three out of five matches, the visitors scored goals in the second period
1.65Tip and bets
San Jose is once again underestimated and considered a clear underdog against St. Louis, although by and large it is in no way inferior to its counterpart and has previously shown approximately the same results as the Blues. Previous meetings between the clubs were also held in equal and tense struggle and often ended outside of regular time. We would not give preference to the home team in this confrontation, because victories are achieved with great difficulty and, as a rule, they do not win with a difference of more than one goal.
Prediction - San Jose win with Asian handicap (+1.5) on goals for 1.75
Bet on individual total
"St. Louis" demonstrated mediocre efficiency in most of the previous matches and could not distinguish themselves by more than two or three goals scored. The team is currently one of the least productive in its conference. "San Jose" only in three matches out of ten conceded more than three goals, and in face-to-face meetings with "Notes" remained with a minimum number of goals conceded.
We bet on the individual total of St. Louis under 3.5 goals for 1.85
Total Bet
The last games with St. Louis were unproductive and usually ended with no more than six goals. The Blues play low-scoring hockey even on their home ice. San Jose is also unlikely to dare to play with the Notes on the head-to-head courses. We think that the upcoming confrontation will be held with a total under, since the teams now value every point and try not to take unnecessary risks.
We take the total under 6.5 pucks with a coefficient of 1.50
