Thursday night there are eleven games on the slate in the NHL. The Buffalo Sabres will visit Enterprise Center for a meeting with the St. Louis Blues. Will the Sabres finally be able to win again in Missouri, or or is St. Louis extending their home streak?
St. Louis Blues: six home wins in a row
The St. Louis Blues caused a resounding surprise last season by climbing up the rankings in the second half of the regular season and winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in their franchise history. St. Louis hopes to prolong their Stanley Cup title of course, but know that, given the heavy competition, this will be anything but an easy task. Key player Vladimir Tarasenko has been on the sidelines with a shoulder injury since October 24th, yet the performance of St. Louis hasn't suffered from his absence.
Currently, the hockey team is second in the Central Division, one point behind the Dallas Stars, but the Blues have two games in hand. Last Tuesday, David Perron and Jordan Binnington lifted St. Louis the victory over the San José Sharks. The Blues are performing very strong in the Enterprise Center this season. There is no team in the Western Conference that can match the home record of the team, who's led by head coach Craigh Berube (14-4-3). They're currently riding a home streak of six games, all won in regulation.
Buffalo Sabres: two important wins
The Buffalo Sabres are regularly laughed at, not surprisingly because the hockey team hasn't been able to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs in the last eight seasons. During the last few seasons their started of impressive, but then collapsed in the second half of the regular season. Also this season, the top three of the Atlantic Division threatens to run away from the Sabres again. Buffalo is currently fifth in the division and will have to perform better soon if they want to keep their playoff chances alive.
the Sabres lost seven of their last ten games so there's a lot to worry about. Jach Eichel is leading the charge for Buffalo with 55 points (26 goals, 29 assists), but he can't carry the team on his own. The last two games the hockey team played in front of its own audience (against Edmonton and Florida respectively). Buffalo gained four important points from these home games, with Toronto and Tampa Bay on a roll, Buffalo will have to hope that a possible fourth place in the division will be enough for a wildcard ticket at the end of the regular season.
Blues win at home
As said, the St. Louis Blues won their last six games at home, all in regulation and have been performing strong at Enterprise Center all season long anyway. Buffalo is one of the least performing teams on the road with a 6-12-4 record. They can expect an opponent tonight, who will give pressure on the puck constantly and besides that, they've a reliable goalie with Binnington. Betting a win in sixty minutes is always more risky, but because of the home streak St. Louis is riding, I feel confident about this bet.
