Penguins vs. Blues Picks & Prediction

Thursday NHL Free play. My selection is on St. Louis -1.5 goals over Pittsburgh at 8 pm ET on Thursday.

The Blues have been rolling, rattling off 10 straight victories since their 5-3 loss in Pittsburgh on March 13th. While they needed overtime to get past Detroit in a 2-1 win on Tuesday, that performance could be attributed to a bit of a letdown after returning home from a successful two-game road trip. With that game behind them, I expect a much sharper effort from St. Louis as it looks to stay hot and avenge its last defeat.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is coming off a rare 1-0 shutout victory over Ottawa, but it has struggled mightily on the road this season, getting outscored by an average of 1.1 goals per game while posting an 11-20-6 record. The Penguins have also surrendered 3.7 goals per game in away contests, a troubling number against a confident Blues squad.

Even if St. Louis turns to backup goaltender Joel Hofer, there's little reason for concern. He has been just as reliable as Jordan Binnington, and he has posted a sub-2.00 goals-against average while winning each of his last four starts.

Take St. Louis -1.5 goals. Projected score: Blues 4, Penguins 1.