St. Louis Blues vs Washington Capitals 3/17/2023 Previews, Picks and Odds
The St. Louis Blues will be taking on the Washington Capitals in a highly anticipated NHL match-up at the Capital One Arena in DC on Friday, March 17, 2023, at 7:00 PM ET. The Blues are coming off two consecutive losses, most recently a disappointing 8-5 defeat against the Minnesota Wild at the Enterprise Center on Wednesday. Despite taking an early lead of 3-1 with the man advantage, the Blues surrendered three straight goals in a span of just under two minutes in the second period, tying the score at 4-4 midway through the game, and eventually losing 8-5 to the Wild. Jakub Vrana and Pavel Buchnevich were the standout performers for the Knights, scoring five goals between them.
The Blues have struggled in their last 13 games, managing only three wins, eight losses, and two draws. Jordan Binnington, who has a record of 22-24-5 with a 3.39 goals against average and .892 save percentage this season, was the starting goaltender for the Blues on Wednesday but gave up five goals on 24 shots before being ejected for starting a fight in the second period. Thomas Greiss stepped in for the remainder of the game, making eight saves in the process. Greiss will be starting against the Capitals and has a decent record against them, going 6-5-1 with a 2.33 GAA and a .924 save percentage in previous encounters.
- The total went OVER in 4 of St. Louis’ last 6 games on the road against Washington.
- The total hung OVER in 15 of St. Louis’ last 20 games with a team in the Eastern Conference.
- St. Louis is 4-2 SU in their last 6 games against an opponent in the Metropolitan Division.
St. Louis Blues vs Washington Capitals 3/17/2023 Previews, Picks and Odds
The Washington Capitals, on the other hand, are coming off a hard-fought 5-4 victory against the Buffalo Sabres at home on Wednesday. With the win, they secured their second victory in the last three games (2-1-0) and remained in contention for the second Eastern Conference Wild Card spot. Tom Wilson, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and T.J. Oshie were the key players for the Capitals, scoring three of the team’s five goals between them.
Goalkeeper Charlie Lindgren made 23 saves and raised his season record to 13-8-2 with a 2.78 GAA and a .903 save percentage. Darcy Kuemper, who has a record of 20-21-5 with a 2.75 GAA and a .912 save percentage this season, will be in goal for the Capitals and has a 9-5-0 all-time record against the Blues with a 2.44 GAA and a .917 save percentage. He has yet to face the Blues this season.
- The total went OVER in 4 of Washington’s last 6 games at home against St. Louis.
- Washington is 2-5 SU in their last 7 games against an opponent in the Western Conference.
- The total stayed UNDER in 5 of Washington’s last 6 games with a team in the Central Division.
St. Louis Blues vs Washington Capitals. The NHL pick for this game is the Washington Capitals. Despite winning five of their last six games against Washington since the 2018-19 season, St. Louis is struggling to make the playoffs with only three wins in their last 13 games, while the Capitals remain competitive. St. Louis is currently 16 points behind the postseason cutoff, but they still have a chance to catch up, trailing the New York Islanders by just five points for the second wild-card spot in the East. The Capitals are expected to beat St. Louis 6-3.
NHL Starting Time: 7:00 PM (EDT)
Location: Capital One Arena, DC
Date: Friday, March 17, 2023
TV: NSWA
NHL Odds: St. Louis Blues +144
NHL Totals: 6.5
