There is no Olympic break this year for the NHL, as NHL players are not participating in the Olympics. NBC has even decided to televise a few NHL games during the Olympics including Sunday’s matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues. The Penguins are once again playing at a high level and they are now right behind Washington in the Metropolitan Division, while the Blues are battling to stay in third place in the Central Division. Let’s look at this Sunday matinee and NHL picks.
Don't miss the ice action from Scottrade Center at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 11, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on NBC.
We'll have NHL odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NHL Sunday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The odds on this game should be near a pick, with the total at 5.5 over or 6 under. The Penguins have looked more like Stanley Cup champions in recent weeks, as the offense has picked up and Matt Murray is now healthy and back in goal. The Penguins are completing a quick two-game road trip that had them in Dallas on Friday.
Pittsburgh has not been that good on the road this season, going 10-17 in their first 27 road games, with 12 games going over the total, 14 going under, with one push. They are scoring about 3 goals per game and giving up about 3 per contest.
The Blues are not in the best spot on Sunday, as this will be their third game in four days. The only good news is that they were off on Saturday. The Blues are in a major battle in the Western Conference just to make the playoffs and their recent play is cause for concern. Head coach Mike Yeo said that the team has to be able to bounce back from losses. "It's gotta be done with action," Yeo said on Wednesday. “You're gonna have emotional losses, and you have to bounce back." Yeo said that the busy schedule is putting pressure on his team. "This is when it's gotta be fun," Yeo said. "And this is when you have to enjoy it, when the games are at their most meaningful, that's when the intensity and the competitiveness should come out."
St. Louis was 18-11 in their first 29 home games, with 11 going over the total and 18 going under. They are scoring 2.8 goals per game and giving up 2.5 per contest.
Special Teams
Pittsburgh has the top power play in the league at 26.8% and they are good on the penalty kill as well, as they rank 8th in the league. The Blues are just 28th in the league on the power play at 16% and they are mid-pack in penalty killing at 14th in the NHL.
Key Stat
The Blues have won six of the last ten meetings in this series, with three of the last five going over. The teams met early this season with St. Louis winning 5-4 at Pittsburgh. It has been a bit of a road team series of late, as the Penguins have won four of the last seven in St. Louis.
Free NHL Picks
The Penguins have not been that good on the road this season, while the Blues have been solid at home, but I think the situation really favors Pittsburgh on Sunday. This is just a quick road trip for the Penguins, while the Blues will be playing their third game in four days. St. Louis was off on Saturday, but they are coming back from playing in Winnipeg. Pittsburgh has been playing at a very high level of late, while the Blues have struggled. I will take the Penguins to get the road win on Sunday afternoon.
NHL Odds: Penguins 4, Blues 2
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