St. Louis Blues @ Vancouver Canucks - December 10, 2024

As the Vancouver Canucks prepare to host the St. Louis Blues at Rogers Arena, fans can expect an intriguing matchup between two teams trying to find their footing in a competitive NHL landscape. The Canucks enter this game as -154-moneyline favorites, which reflects their stronger overall record of 14-8-4 compared to St. Louis’s 13-13-2.

Looking at the offensive stats, Vancouver boasts a more potent attack with an average of 3.32 goals per game and a shooting percentage of 12.76%. Their ability to generate offense is evident with an average of 26.8 shots per game, complemented by a solid power play that converts on approximately 23.08% of opportunities, netting about 0.72 power play goals per game.

In contrast, the Blues have struggled offensively this season, averaging only 2.59 goals per game with a shooting percentage that lags behind at just under 10%. Their power play has been less effective too, converting only 16.92% of chances and scoring around 0.37 goals per game on the man advantage.

Defensively, both teams have shown some vulnerabilities but also strengths worth noting. Vancouver’s defense records an impressive save percentage of 88.9% and maintains an adequate penalty kill rate at 80%. St. Louis has slightly better save numbers at 89.4%, but their penalty kill struggles more significantly at just over 78%.

The recent form for both teams adds another layer to our analysis; Vancouver comes off a disappointing home loss against Tampa Bay where they lost by a score of 4-2 while St. Louis suffered the same fate against Edmonton in their last outing with a similar scoreline.

When it comes down to predictions for tonight’s contest: I anticipate that Vancouver will emerge victorious against St. Louis due to their superior offensive capabilities and home ice advantage—despite having lost ten out of their last fourteen games at Rogers Arena.

However, given that oddsmakers opened this match with such close odds and considering how tight these games can be in practice, I also believe that St. Louis will cover the spread tonight as they’ve shown resilience lately (4-2 ATS in their last six).

As for total points in the game? I’m leaning towards taking the under on this one despite both offenses being capable; my expectation is that defensive strategies will dominate much like we saw recently from both sides leading to fewer than seven total goals scored.

In summary: Look for Vancouver to secure the win while keeping it close enough for St.Louis to cover; keep your eyes peeled for low-scoring action as well!