Predators vs Blues

Steven Stamkos and the Nashville Predators bring the hotter hand into St. Louis tonight, riding a three-game winning streak and a 4-1 surge over their last five, while the Blues are just 2-3 over that span and still mired below .500. Nashville has already hammered St. Louis twice this month, 7-2 and 5-2, including a four-goal eruption from Stamkos in the first meeting that highlighted how much more dangerous the Predators’ top six looks right now, especially with Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly also driving offense. Roster-wise, both cores are intact per the current ESPN depth charts, but the Blues are noticeably thinner: Dylan Holloway, who scored twice in last spring’s comeback win over Nashville, is on injured reserve along with fellow forwards Nathan Walker and Jimmy Snuggerud, removing much of their secondary scoring punch, whereas Nashville has Roman Josi back eating big minutes after his earlier upper-body issues and is otherwise relatively healthy at the top of the lineup. Add in Juuse Saros’ improved form over his last few starts and the Predators’ superior special teams over the season, and taking Nashville at 100 on the moneyline as a short road underdog offers a solid mix of edge and payout despite Enterprise Center home-ice, so this is a B+ play for me. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 27/12/2025 09:35

For the total, Over 5.5 at -120 gets the nod, because even though both teams sit in the bottom third of the league in goals scored, they also both allow north of three goals per game and own leaky penalty kills, creating a profile that leans more toward a 6-plus-goal environment than a grinder. The first two meetings this season flew past this number, landing on 9 and 7 goals as Nashville’s skill players repeatedly shredded the Blues’ coverage, and nothing in the recent form suggests those matchup issues have been solved, especially with St. Louis still missing multiple forward regulars and forced to lean more heavily on its top unit. Nashville’s attack has clearly ticked up with Forsberg on an extended point streak and Stamkos on a heater, while St. Louis is getting a boost from Robert Thomas and Justin Faulk, whose recent scoring burst has turned their blue line into more of an offensive engine. With market numbers and projections already shading the Over and these clubs combining to clear 5.5 in roughly half of their games so far, I’m comfortable grading Over 5.5 (-120) as a B-level play that balances a reasonable hit rate with a modest price, accepting the main risk of an unusually tight, low-penalty divisional game riding on goaltending. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 27/12/2025 09:35

Given how evenly matched these records look and how Nashville’s recent surge has closed the underlying gap, the puckline angle I prefer is Nashville +1.5 at -278, leaning on the Predators’ 4-1 run over their last five and stronger season-long defensive and special-teams profile to simply keep this within a goal. They have already beaten St. Louis by multiple goals in both meetings this month, so if they control play again this ticket cruises, but even in a tougher road spot their current five-on-five form with Josi back, Saros stabilizing, and a hot top six makes a blowout Blues win feel like the less likely script. By contrast, St. Louis has been one of the weaker teams in the league when cast as a favorite and now has to chase offense without Holloway, Walker, and Snuggerud, which further reduces their margin for error if they do get a lead and start trading chances late. The obvious drawback is price—laying -278 for a puckline cushion exposes you to classic empty-net chaos and offers limited standalone ROI—but for bettors prioritizing safety or building parlays around this Central Division matchup, I still grade Predators +1.5 (-278) as a B play that should cash more often than the number implies, even if the upside is capped. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 27/12/2025 09:35