Welcome to another edition of NHL Predictions! We at Last Word on Hockey know many of you are preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday, and we would like to take this time to thank you for taking the time to join us for some more predictions. So, while you are mashing those potatoes or peeling those onions, we are going to take a look at Wednesday’s game between the St. Louis Blues and the New Jersey Devils.
NHL Predictions
St. Louis Blues vs. New Jersey Devils
Time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, MSG Sports Network 2
The Blues and Devils will meet for the first time this season. Last year, the teams split the season series. The Blue Note lead the all-time series, 63-41-14. There is not too much on-ice history between the two teams. However, the Blues and Devils are the only NHL teams who can say the legendary Martin Brodeur played for their team. Sure, he only played in a handful of games for the Blues, but it still counts!
Blues Are Thankful for Their New Head Coach
The Blues won their last game behind a two-goal performance by youngster Zachary Bolduc. The win gave new head coach Jim Montgomery his first win as the Blues head coach, coming just a day after the Blues hired him. Monday’s game showed much promise for the team under Montgomery’s leadership. There will undoubtedly be bumps in the road along the way. That is true even if a team is not in a retool. However, it is the clear the Blues are in a good spot with Montgomery and will look to continue to improve under his coaching.
However, the former Jack Adams Award-winning coach is not the biggest story for the Blues on Wednesday. Like the game in Long Island on Saturday, the biggest Blues story will be their goaltender Jordan Binnington. Binnington will have another chance to become the all-time wins leader in Blues history on Wednesday. After Montgomery turned to backup Joel Hofer on Monday, we can expect Binnington to get the nod against the Devils. History awaits Binnington. Wednesday will be the next opportunity for him. Furthermore, Binnington is also hopeful his name is called over the next week or sooner, when Team Canada and the other three teams announce their respective rosters for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Devils Looking for Another Serving of Wins
The Devils come into play on Wednesday first place in the Metropolitan Division. They are 15-7-2 with 32 points. The team is home after a road win in Nashville. Forward Nico Hischier recorded his first career hat trick in the win. Furthermore, Hischier leads the team with 13 goals, while Jesper Bratt leads in points and assists. Between the pipes, Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen have been fantastic in net. The duo have an average-goals against average of 2.58 and a combined save percentage of .910.
Speaking of Allen, he could get an opportunity to go up against his former team. Allen started his career with the Blues before being traded after the 2020 postseason. With Markstrom having played in the Devils latest game, it is possible Allen will get the nod against the team that drafted him.
Prediction
Much better days are ahead for the Blues under Montgomery. However, the Devils have been playing great hockey all season with two a two-headed monster between the pipes. If the game was in St. Louis, maybe we would give the Blues a home-ice win. Alas, it is not, so we are going with the team who is hosting.
Devils win 3-2.
Prop Bets
FanDuel has set the over/under at 6.5 goals. We are taking the under by just one goal. For prop bets, we like Jack Hughes as an anytime scorer at +165 for the Devils. For the Blues, we are going to go with Zachary Bolduc at +600.
Main Photo Credit: Jeff Curry – USA TODAY Sports
Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions, some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
