NHL Selections: Back The Blues Against The Pens
Eric G previews tonight's clash in the NHL between the St. Louis Blues and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are off to a great start. They won their first two, dropped one and have reeled off 5 wins in a row. They are definitely not experiencing any signs of a Stanley Cup hangover. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is 7-0-0 with a 2.08 Goals Against Average. He's playing the best hockey of his career.
Sidney Crosby co-leads the team with 4 goals, which ties him with Tyler Kennedy, a surprise goal leader at this point of the season. Sophomore Alex Goligoski is quarterbacking that mighty Pen power-play and has already contributed 6 points.
It's been all systems go for the defending Stanley Cup Champions. On the other side, the Blues haven't looked like the team that led the league in points during the second half last year on their way to a playoff berth. They won their first two games in Europe but have looked very ordinary since they've been back.
They had lost three straight games and were unable to provide much offense while not getting particularly great defense. The good news is they are coming off an offensive explosion at the hands of the Ducks last Saturday, giving them a 5-0 beat down. That shutout victory was credited to back-up goalie Ty Conklin. However, look for starter Chris Mason to return in this game.
The Pens have lost three of four against the Blues but did win the last time these two teams met. It's difficult to find a reason to back the Blues in this one since the Pens are so hot. But I'm tempted, given their offensive explosion on Saturday. I believe that that performance was a wake up call for this team who realize every point is important.
I also expected the Pens to beat the Coyotes back on October 7th, but instead they were blanked 3-0 on home soil. I also love the odds here, making me comfortable backing the Blues at [3.85].
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