The St. Louis Blues snapped a three-game losing streak with a dominant 4-1 victory over Arizona. They now welcome the Philadelphia Flyers, losers of back-to-back games, to Scottrade Center tonight. Can the Blues string together some wins? Or will the Flyers get over their own hump? Read on as we break down this explosive matchup.
Catch plenty more fast-paced hockey action with our complete previews for the Blackhawks vs. Predators and Capitals vs. Panthers.
[sc:NHLArticles ]Philadelphia Flyers vs. St. Louis Blues Preview
Where: Scottrade Center, St. Louis
When: Thursday, December 10, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Philadelphia Flyers at St. Louis Blues – view all NHL lines
Betting on the Philadelphia Flyers (11-11-6)
The Philadelphia Flyers had a disappointing outing Tuesday, falling to the New York Islanders for their second straight loss. The Flyers looked threatening in that game, outshooting New York 46-26, including a dominant 17-5 second period. But they couldn’t find the back of the net enough in a 4-3 shootout loss.
[sc:NHL240 ]Claude Giroux, Pierre Bellemare and Ryan White each scored for the Flyers against New York. Bellemare and White may not provide consistent scoring abilities with just a combined five goals this season. But Giroux should be able to lift his teammates’ plays tied for the team lead for assists with Jakub Voracek. Philadelphia’s dynamic duo each has 14 assists this season. Giroux has been the better scorer, though with a team-high 10 goals.
Voracek only has one goal this season, but he could be a solid attacker against the Blues. He has 14 points (six goals and eight assists) with a plus/minus of five in 23 career games against St. Louis. He’ll need to be at the top of his game if the Flyers are to get over their offensive slump.
The Flyers may not need plenty of goals to beat St. Louis though. Goalkeeper Steve Mason has been solid against the Blues. He is 3-0-1 with a 0.62 GAA in his last five games against St. Louis. A meeting against a team he’s excelled against could help him forget his horrible outing Tuesday. Mason was pulled early in the second period after allowing three goals on 10 shots against the Islanders.
The total has gone under in the last four meetings between Philadelphia and St. Louis.
Betting on the St. Louis Blues (16-8-4)
The St. Louis Blues were firing on all cylinders in a 4-1 victory over Arizona on Tuesday night. Alexander Steen and Vladimir Tarasenko both scored in a dominant second period. Meanwhile, Kevin Shattenkirk and David Backes added two more in the blowout victory.
It’s imperative for St. Louis’ offense to continue heating up. They’ll need it against a goalkeeper they’ve struggled against lately. The Blues will likely lean to their dynamic duo of Tarasenko and Steen, who lead the team with 16 and 10 goals respectively. No other Blues player has double digit goals this season.
Tarasenko has struggled to get off in his two career matchups against Philadelphia with just one assist. But having Steen should help him find openings. Steen has 12 career points in 19 games against the Flyers.
Tarasenko and Steen should have plenty of help from their excellent playmakers from the blue line. Shattenkirk and Colton Parayko have 10 and nine assists respectively. They should add another dimension on offense to unravel Philadelphia’s defense.
Brian Elliott gets the nod to goaltend for the Blues in this matchup. He was successful in his last start against the Flyers, stopping all 28 shots he faced in a 1-0 shootout victory at home. Elliott has been pretty consistent this year, going 4-2-2 with a 2.36 GAA in eight starts.
The Blues are 2-4 in Elliott’s last six home starts.
Writer’s Prediction
The Flyers explode offensively as they fill St. Louis’ net with pucks. Philadelphia wins in a road blowout. Create a betting account now and win big on exciting NHL action.
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