Vancouver, and St. Louis, teams that battled for playoff positioning last season, now find themselves near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Vancouver recently defeated a top Eastern Conference team at home, whereas St. Louis has shown signs of improvement, but both teams remain outside the playoff picture.
Vancouver’s resurgence has been gradual following a period disrupted by the Winter Olympics. The team has secured three wins in their last seven games, a modest improvement that hasn’t yet lifted them from the bottom of the Western Conference. A recent 5-2 victory over Florida demonstrated improved offensive efficiency, converting 22.7% of shots on goal. The Canucks’ lineup is expected to include Lankiinen, Pettersson, Gronek, Debrask, Pettersson, and O’Connor. Key players unavailable due to injury include Forbort, Demko, and Hytil, with Joseph listed as questionable.
St. Louis has also experienced a late-season surge, winning six of their last nine games, but remains outside the top eight in the West. Their recent form includes a win against Carolina and an overtime victory over Edmonton. Although, a recent loss to Winnipeg highlighted the impact of a demanding schedule, as it was their third game in three nights. The Blues’ projected lineup features Hofer, Broberg, Mailu, Holloway, Thomas, and Snagerrud. Tucker is currently listed as questionable.
Historically, matchups between Vancouver and St. Louis have been closely contested, with four of the last six games requiring overtime to determine a winner. This season, the teams have split their games, with St. Louis winning 5-2 on the road and Vancouver responding with a 4-3 shootout victory in Vancouver.
St. Louis currently generates an average of 2.7 expected goals per game, the second-lowest in the league, trailing only Chicago. Their power play conversion rate of 16.6% ranks among the worst in the NHL. Vancouver has conceded goals in the third period in 49 of 68 games this season.
Analysts favor St. Louis to win the game, with odds of 1.82, citing Vancouver’s struggles at home, where they have earned only 30% of possible points this season. St. Louis has demonstrated the ability to win on the road against strong opponents like Carolina. A predicted final score is 2-3 in favor of St. Louis. A total of under 5.5 goals is also predicted, given the offensive struggles of both teams in recent games. The predicted total goals in power play is under 1.5, as both teams have struggled to capitalize on man-advantage opportunities.
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