St. Louis Blues vs Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Pick & Prediction 12/30/23

Planning on watching today's Blues and Penguins game? Catch the action at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA, as the Penguins hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The over/under for this game is set at 6 goals, and the Penguins are the home favorites against the Blues in a non-conference matchup.

ST. LOUIS BLUES VS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5

This game will be played at PPG Paints Arena at 7:00 ET on Saturday, December 30th.

WHY BET THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS:

• Despite being 1.5 goal underdogs, we predict the Blues to come out on top with a final score of 4-3.
• We like the Blues on the moneyline (+153)
• The Blues are also our pick on the spread at +1.5

Can the Blues Lock in a Road Win?

The Blues come in with an overall record of 18-16-1. On the road, St. Louis has a 7-10-1 record, whereas they are 11-6-0 at home. In the Western Central division, they are currently 6th, and in the Western conference, they come into the game sitting 9th.

When it came to the puck line, St. Louis have posted a 19-16 record. Their road performance against the puck line stands at 8-10, while they are 11-6 at home. Games involving St. Louis have an average of 6.2 goals per game this season. Their average over/under line is 6.4. In terms of their over/under performance, the Blues come in with a record of 13-20-2.

In their last three games away from home, the Blues have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs. the spread. The team averaged 2 goals per game in this stretch.

In terms of their offensive performance, the Blues are averaging 2.9 goals per game this season, putting them in the 25th spot in the NHL. When it comes to shots on goal per game, they are ranked 18th in the league. The Blues went 8-7 in games where they had more shots than their opponents. However, in games with fewer shots on goal, their record was 9-8.

St. Louis' leading goal scorer is Robert Thomas. So far this season, he has 14 goals, placing him 45th in the NHL. Thomas also comes into the game with 24 assists.

The Penguins defense is currently 20th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 30.5 shots per game against Pittsburgh. In terms of shutouts, they come into the game ranked 1st with 5 shutouts.

Goalie Joel Hofer gets the start and has made 11 starts this season. His record at this point is 7-5, and his save percentage is 0.47%.

Can Pittsburgh Pull Out the Win as Home Favorites?

In their 33 games, the Penguins have a 16-13-4 record this season. While playing at their home arena, they have a 8-6-1 record, and their record on the road is 8-7-3. In the Eastern Metropolitan division, they are currently 7th, and in the Eastern conference, they come into the game sitting 12th.

Pittsburgh is 15-18 against the puck line this season. On the road, their puck line record sits at 8-10 compared to 7-8 at home. For the season, Pittsburgh's games have finished with an average of 5.8 goals per game. Their average over/under line for the season is 6.5. Overall, the Penguins have an over/under record of 13-18-2.

In their last three home games, Pittsburgh has averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 4. The team's record in this stretch was 1-2 while going 2-1.

On the offensive side, the Penguins are scoring an 3 goals per game this season, ranking 26th in the NHL. When it came to shots on target per game, they are 13th in the league. In terms of power play goals, the Penguins offense is 26th in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they are 20th in the NHL.

Pittsburgh will be looking for a good game from Sidney Crosby who leads the team in scoring with 19 goals, ranking 8th in the NHL. Along with his scoring, he has come up with 16 assists so far.

Defensively, the Penguins are currently 20th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 30.5 shots per game against Pittsburgh. They also are 1st in shutouts, coming in with 5 shutouts.

Goalie Tristan Jarry gets the start and has made 23 starts this season. His record at this point is 10-11, and his save percentage is 0.87%.