On Saturday, the two teams will square off in a non-conference affair and the Tampa Bay Lightning will have to rely on their offense to carry them while the St. Louis Blues look for their goaltending to once again lead the way.
The St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning are virtual
opposites. While the Blues have relied on the outstanding play of two different
goaltenders this season, the Lightning have now used three different netminders
that have failed to play respectably.
Saturday, March 17th
NHL odds makers have listed the Blues as the -145 favorites with a total of 5.5. With some NHL betting shops already raising the lines to -150, I believe that we need to jump on the lines soon before the sports betting value falls even further.
Find out why we are adding the Blues to our NHL picks, as we expect them to skate away with the victory in this matchup.
The St. Louis Blues can win because…
The Lightning are facing reality: their season is over.
Tampa Bay now sits seven games out of a playoff spot and they’re simply coming
unglued. They’ve lost four of their last five games and their effort on
Thursday was particularly disturbing. Facing the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had
lost 15 of their last 17 games, the Lightning fell 3-1 even though the Leafs
only mustered 10 shots.
The Blues are going to have a huge edge in net on
Saturday as that’s really been the difference between these two teams all
season long. While the Blues have been backstopped by two of the best
goaltenders in the NHL, the Lightning can’t find anyone to stop the pucks.
Tampa Bay had been trying out AHL call-up Dustin Tokarski and while it seems
like a decent plan at first, the results have shown differently. He was pulled
in the team’s latest loss to Toronto.
If Dwayne Roloson is in net on Saturday, the Blues are a
lock. He’s been one of the worst goaltenders in recent memory and they’ll have
no problems cruising. And even if it’s Tokarski, their tandem of Brian Elliott
and Jaroslav Halak offer the Blues a huge advantage between the pipes.
The Tampa Bay Lightning can win because…
The Blues are not the same team on the road that they are
at home.
St. Louis has an impressive 29-4-4 home record but they
aren’t nearly as reliable on the road. They are 19-15-4 when away and have lost
two straight road games.
The problem for the Blues is clearly offense as they
average 3.00 goals per game at home compared to 2.03 on the road.
Tampa Bay has the weapons to test those Blues
goaltenders, namely 50-goal scorer Steven Stampkos. Any time he’s on his game,
the Lightning have a good shot to win and he tends to play well against St.
Louis. He’s got four goals and four assists in his last four outings against
the Blues.
It’s worth noting that the Lightning play well against
St. Louis at home as they are 4-0-1 with a tie the last six times they’ve hosted.
Outlook & NHL Betting Prediction:
Bettors and touts
shouldn’t have much faith in the Lightning these days. Losers in four of five,
why would anyone want a part of a team that can’t get reliable goaltending to
save their lives?
If Roloson is in net, this play is a 10* Super Lock
Guaranteed Play Of The Year Take Out A Second Mortgage To Bet It play. Joking
aside, any time Roloson is in net, you have to bet against him. But even if
it’s Tokarski, he’s a young goaltender and his confidence is hurt enough that
he can’t be trusted. Bet the Blues.
NHL Picks: Blues