The Arizona Coyotes head to St. Louis to take on the Blues in this Central Division matchup. The puck drop for this game is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. eastern from the Enterprise Center.
Both teams enter Tuesday night with a three-game losing streak. The Coyotes were able to get their first win of the season on November 6th, but that did not get any momentum going as they have not won since. The Blues, who are currently two points out of first in the Central, have hit quite the speed bump and lost three games, all by a single goal each.
How do the Coyotes Begin to Win?
When the Coyotes are broken down into single statistics, it is clear why they have struggled so much this season. They are currently last in goals per game, 1.53, and last in goals against per game, 3.93. They are also only taking 25 shots a game which is the least out of any team in the NHL. The one stat they lead the NHL in is penalty minutes with 188, which gives a little explanation as to why they give up so many goals.
The Coyotes’ offense is led by Shayne Gostisbehere, who has accumulated 12 points. He has scored two goals and assisted on ten others to get to his team-leading 12 points. He is not only the only player with double-digit points; he is the only one close as the next closest is at just seven. Lawson Crouse, who is responsible for the seven points, is leading the team in goals with four.
Karel Vejmelka has recorded the most starts at goaltender for the Coyotes. He has a 0-9 record and is giving up 3.29 goals per game. This is probably not how the Coyotes wanted to introduce the rookie to the league; however, with Carter Hutton out for a few more weeks, Vejmelka will have to fill the void.
Blues Look to Get Back to the Win Column
So far this season, this has been the Blues’ first taste of adversity. While they have lost a couple of games throughout the year, this is the first time they have lost more than one game without a victory to follow. Every great team has dealt with a small run of losses, and luckily for the Blues, they are running into a team that has struggled mightily to start the season.
Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, and Vladimir Tarasenko are the three offensive weapons for the Blues. Kyrou has a team-leading 16 points, scoring six goals and assisting on ten others. Thomas is currently in second with 15 points, scoring just a single goal but has a team-high 14 assists. Tarasenko is in third in total points on the team with 14, with seven assists and a team-high seven goals.
Jordan Binnington is the main goaltender for the St. Louis Blues. He has a 6-3-1-1 record in 11 starts and is giving up just 2.8 goals per game. Binnington, who was the goaltender for the Blues Stanley Cup team in 2019, is looking to channel that production, where he gave up just 2.56 goals per game in 50 games.
Odds and Pick
- Moneyline: St. Louis Blues -345 and Arizona Coyotes +270
- Spread: St. Louis Blues -1½ -128 and Arizona Coyotes +1½ +104
- Goal Total: Over 5½ -114 Under 5½ -105
The Blues dominated the Coyotes back at the beginning of the season, winning the game 7-4. At one point in the game, the Blues were up 6-2, and it looked like the Blues went on cruise control in the third period. After three losses, expect the Blues to be pedal to the metal the whole game to try and get back to their winning ways.
Betting Pick: St. Louis Blues -1½ and Over 5½ Goals
