NHL Betting Picks, Predictions, Probability and Analysis for Thursday, October 24th
By Matt Klett
99. Prediction. +155. 67. -175
NHL Betting Picks, #5
LAK @ STL 8 PM ET
For the fifth game today, the LA Kings head to St. Louis to take on the Blues. The Kings are coming off two upset wins against Calgary and Winnipeg boosting their record to 4-5. The Blues are 4-2-3 after a recent win over Colorado. Head-to-head the Kings hold a 2-1 advantage in the last three meetings.
In the Standings:
The Blues are tied for second, with Nashville, and just four points out of first in the Central division. The LA Kings are in seventh place in the Pacific division but things seem to be trending upward after winning two straight games.
Rankings: STL
Offense: Goals 18, Shots 23, PP 12.
Defense: Goals 20, Shots 9, PK 10.
Rankings: LAK
Offense: Goals 16, Shots 2, PP 28.
Defense: Goals 30, Shots 2, PK 26.
St. Louis Last 3 Games 1-2:
10/21 Win- vs Colorado 3-1
10/19 Loss- vs Montreal 2-5
10/17 Loss- vs Vancouver 3-4
Los Angeles Last 3 Games 2-1:
10/22 Win- @Winnipeg 3-2
10/19 Win- vs Calgary 4-1
10/17 Loss- vs Buffalo 0-3
Trends for St. Louis:
1-4 in their last five games. 5-1 in their last six against the Western conference. 2-1-2 at home this season. 3 of 5 total losses decided by one goal.
Trends for LA:
4-2 in their last six against the Western conference. 5-11 in their last sixteen games played in October (4-5 this year, 1-6 prior). 4 of their 5 losses this season have been decided by shutout or more than three goals.
Pick Analysis:
Thus far all my NHL picks line up with the NHL Prediction Model. This one is the model’s heaviest hitter and I agree. The NHL Prediction Model likes St. Louis at 63.3%. Surprisingly, these teams are just about even statistically. Trend-wise the Kings either get blown out or they blow out their opponent. I do not see them blowing out the defending champs.