Free NHL Picks Today: Los Angeles Kings vs St. Louis Blues 3/4/23

Free NHL Picks Today: Los Angeles Kings vs St. Louis Blues 3/4/23
Sat 4th March 2023

The St. Louis Blues (27-29-5) head to face the Los Angeles Kings (35-20-8) at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday. St. Louis is coming off a high-scoring 6-3 win over the Sharks on Thursday, snapping a streak of six straight defeats. The Blues committed only one penalty in the game, holding San Jose without a power play goal. Six players found the net for the Blues.

Pavel Buchnevich had four assists to lead the team in scoring. Thomas Greiss allowed three goals on 25 shots against (.880%) in the win. Los Angeles beat the Canadiens 3-2 on Thursday.

Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Anze Kopitar scored one apiece for the Kings. Vilardi added an assist to lead the team in scoring. Pheonix Copley surrendered two goals on 21 shots (.904%).

HEAD TO HEAD

The Kings won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 5-1 victory in October. Kevin Fiala led Los Angeles with three points (0G 3A). Alexey Toropchenko scored St. Louis’ only goal. Jonathan Quick got the win, saving 27 of 28 shots (.964%).

FACING OFF

St. Louis is averaging 3.05 goals per game for the season, 19th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Kings team that is allowing 3.37 goals a game (22nd). Meanwhile, Los Angeles has found the net 3.30 times a game on average, 11th in the league, and the Blues are allowing opponents to score 3.64 goals per game (28th).

St. Louis averages fewer shots/game (28.7) than most teams in the league, ranking 28th, though the team’s 10.8% shooting percentage is seventh. Los Angeles has struggled with stopping shots, ranking No. 31 with a team save percentage of .884%.

The Kings’ 25.12% power play percentage is the fifth-best in the league, while the Blues rank 17th with a conversion rate of 20.67%. When it comes to penalty killing, St. Louis has the league’s 21st-ranked PK% at 76.67%, while Los Angeles is 24th at 75.70%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

Jordan Kyrou (56 points), Buchnevich (51), and Robert Thomas (51) have been the top skaters this season for the Blues. Thomas has also been a top player for St. Louis, scoring 14 and assisting 37. In the net, Jordan Binnington (21-21-5) is St. Louis’ top goaltender. He has a 3.29 GAA and a .895% save percentage.

Fiala leads the Kings in scoring with 64 points. He has 21 goals and 43 assists in 63 games. Copley (18-4-2) has the best goals against average for Los Angeles at 2.82. He has a save percentage of .899%. Quick (11-13-4) has played the most games in net for the Kings this season. He has a 3.50 GAA and a .876% save percentage.

HOME AND AWAY

St. Louis is 14-15-1 on the road this season. Los Angeles is 18-9-2 at Crypto.com Arena this season.

SportsTips’ NHL Pick:

LA Kings (-225)

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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.

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