Florida scored four unanswered goals to escape Detroit. St. Louis needed eight shootout rounds to beat Utah after 65 scoreless minutes. Both teams arrive with consecutive wins, but they’ve taken very different routes here. The question is whether the Panthers can turn their recent scoring bursts into sustained pressure against a Blues team getting strong work from Joel Hofer—if he gets the start.
Florida has more than one way to find a goal
Anton Lundell supplied the finish in Florida’s 5-4 comeback against Detroit, scoring twice, including the winner with 2:40 left. But the rally wasn’t just his. Gustav Forsling scored with 18 seconds remaining in the second period, Lars Eller tied it late in the third, and Carter Verhaeghe finished with three assists. Florida recovered from a 4-1 deficit because several players contributed, not because one line carried every shift.
The Panthers have won six of their last 10 games, all in this regular season. They’ve scored nine goals across their latest two wins, following losses in Washington and Boston. That gives Florida a credible route into this matchup: keep creating pressure beyond the first attack and make St. Louis defend more than its most recognizable scorers. The other side of that comeback matters, too. Allowing Detroit to score four straight left Florida needing an exceptional finish.
St. Louis is winning without much room for error
The Blues’ shootout win in Utah was a different kind of escape. Hofer stopped all 29 shots through overtime, Jimmy Snuggerud kept the shootout alive in the seventh round, and Connor McMichael settled it in the eighth. Snuggerud also hit a post in overtime, while Philip Broberg had an apparent winner overturned after review. St. Louis came close to finishing earlier, but it still went the full 65 minutes without a goal.
The Blues are 5-5 over their last 10, with one goal or fewer in five of those games. Their recent goaltending has helped keep that uneven attack competitive. Hofer has a .931 save percentage across his five most recent appearances this regular season, allowing two goals or fewer in each of the latest four. Jacob Markstrom, Florida’s listed option, has a .897 save percentage across his corresponding five-appearance sample, although his latest outing was a 37-save performance in Columbus. Neither goalie is assured of the start, so a change in net would change a central part of this matchup.
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The moneyline asks how much Florida’s volume is worth
The moneyline has Florida at -112 and St. Louis at -108. That leaves little separation between the teams. We project 28.1 shots for Florida and 25.5 for St. Louis, giving the Panthers a modest volume advantage rather than an overwhelming one.
Florida’s price becomes more interesting if that extra volume comes from repeated possessions and contributions throughout the lineup, as it did during the Detroit rally. It’s less compelling if the Panthers again spend much of the game chasing. For St. Louis, the case at nearly the same price rests on keeping Florida’s pressure manageable and getting enough offense that another standout night in net isn’t the only path to winning. Hofer’s recent play supports that possibility; the Blues’ scoring droughts are the reason not to treat it as automatic.
Can these teams reach six goals?
The total is 5.5. Florida’s latest game shows how quickly that threshold can disappear when a game opens up, but its last 10 have split evenly between Overs and Unders at their respective posted totals. St. Louis has gone Under in seven of its last 10, including each of the latest three. Those three are part of the larger sample, not a separate signal.
The scoring question is different from the moneyline question. Florida could have the better share of shots without producing a six-goal game, particularly if Hofer plays and maintains his recent form. An Over needs more than a modest Panthers volume edge: St. Louis must contribute, or Florida must convert enough chances to do most of the work. An Under needs the Blues to contain Florida without leaning on another scoreless performance through overtime. Watch whether St. Louis can generate sustained attacks of its own; that would challenge the low-scoring story more directly than simply trading isolated shots.
Watch the pressure, then the response
St. Louis will also celebrate Keith Tkachuk’s Hall of Fame induction. On the ice, watch whether Florida can build pressure without first falling behind, and whether the Blues can answer with offense rather than saves alone. Visit the NHL betting board to compare this tightly priced game with the rest of the slate, especially if the goalie choices change the market.
Odds and projections are snapshots and can change. Wagering involves risk.
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