Blues vs. Islanders Pick
Can the St. Louis Blues remain undefeated when they hit the road to face the New York Islanders this afternoon at 1PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, this game is considered even, as both teams are listed with odds of -110 to win. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 5.5 goals. The Islanders have won three of their last four meetings with the Blues. These two will meet today from the Barclays Center in New York, New York.
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St. Louis has managed the 2-0 start thanks to a 5-4 OT win at Pittsburgh and a 4-2 win at home over the Stars. The Blues are posting 27.5 shots per game right now while allowing 36.5 per game. St. Louis has had good balance thus far on offense as Alex Pietrangelo, Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz each have four points. Jake Allen has a .918 save percentage thus far in two games.
The Islanders have started the season at 1-1. After opening the year with a 5-0 loss at Columbus, New York bounced back with a 6-3 win at home over Buffalo. The Isles are averaging 31 shots per game thus far while giving up 33. New York has been led by John Tavares and Casey Cizikas, who each have two goals and one assist. Jaroslav Halak has a .925 save percentage in net in just over 88 minutes of net action this season.
The Blues are off to a nice start, but the home team has had the edge in this series. The home team is 4-1 in the last five meetings between these two and the Isles are 4-0 in their last four games when on 1 day of rest. The Blues have looked good so far, but it’s hard to maintain a lot of momentum in hockey. Winning on the road consistently can be very tough. The Islanders looked good at home against the Blue Jackets and I think they match that effort this afternoon.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: NEW YORK ISLANDERS -110