Happy Sunday, hockey fans! Welcome to our latest installment of NHL Predictions! It is a Sunday in December, so we know your day will already consist of football and holiday activities. However, you also get to add hockey to the agenda for your Sunday. Our predictions today take a look at the game between the St. Louis Blues and the New York Rangers.
NHL Predictions
St. Louis Blues vs. New York Rangers
Time: 6:00 Eastern Time
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, MSG Network
Head-to-Head
The Blues are looking for a season sweep of the Rangers. The Blue Note were victorious in their visit to the Big Apple in late November, winning 5-2. The win was the first by Jim Montgomery in his first game as the Blues head coach.
The Blues Story
The Blues are playing the second of back-to-back games. The team returns home after a trip to Dallas Saturday night. Being the second of back-to-back, the Blues will likely use a different lineup than the one they used Saturday night. With Jordan Binnington getting the start between the pipes, we can expect Joel Hofer will get the nod on Sunday.
One player we can expect to see in the lineup is newcomer Cam Fowler. The 32-year old will make his home debut just one day after being acquired by the Blues. Fowler will likely get a nice ovation from the Blues fans tomorrow when he comes out for the pre-game skate.
The Rangers Story
Like the Blues, the Rangers are playing the second of back-to-back. The Rangers lost a tough one at home on Saturday and will be looking to right the ship in St. Louis. Like the Blues, we can expect to maybe see some lineup changes for the Rangers.
However, unlike the Blues, it is unclear who will get the nod between the pipes for the Rangers. Igor Shesterkin made the start on Saturday afternoon. However, he was replaced by Jonathan Quick after giving up five goals. With both goaltenders getting time on Saturday, it will be interesting to see which one gets the start. It may be a good idea for Shesterkin to get right back in net after a rough outing. If the Rangers have a morning skate, the goalie who leaves the ice first will be the one getting the start.
Prediction
The Blues have been trending upward over the last few weeks. The Rangers have had trouble all season getting their gears going, despite coming off an Eastern Conference Finals trip last season and entering this season as Stanley Cup contenders. Given how both teams are trending, we like the home team in this one. Furthermore, the home team has won six of the last seven matchups. The Blues win earlier this season on the road broke the trend. However, we still like the home team in this one.
Blues win, 5-2.
Prop Bets
Now for everyone’s favourite part of NHL Predictions!
The over/under is set at 5.5 goals for Saturday. We are taking the over with seven total goals. Interestingly enough, five of the last seven games between the Blues and Rangers have finished with five total goals or more. With that knowledge in mind, we feel even more confident taking the over. Hopefully, we did not just jinx ourselves!
For anytime scorers, we like Chris Kreider for the Rangers at +210. For the Blues, we are going to go bold here. We are going to pick Cam Fowler to score a goal in his first home game as a Blue at +850. Hey, Chris Stewart did it in 2011. Kris Russell did it in 2012. Why not Fowler?
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Main Photo: Danny Wild-Imagn Images
The post NHL Predictions: December 15th St. Louis Blues Vs. New York Rangers appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.