Nashville has won three straight, but its latest win offers a more useful clue than the streak alone: the Predators survived a late penalty and needed Steven Stamkos to settle the game on an overtime power play. St. Louis arrives after a dramatic rally of its own, erasing a three-goal deficit before losing to New Jersey. With DraftKings pricing both teams at -110, this matchup asks whether Nashville can build on its recent results or whether the Blues can produce their offense before another late rescue becomes necessary.
The Blues need more than a burst
According to AP’s report on ESPN, St. Louis trailed New Jersey 4–1 after two periods, then scored three times in 3:08 to force overtime. Mason McTavish, Philip Broberg and Dalibor Dvorsky supplied the goals, with Broberg and Dvorsky striking just 18 seconds apart. That rally earned a point, but Jesper Bratt’s overtime breakaway gave the Devils a 5–4 win.
The opening period was the other half of that story. New Jersey outshot the Blues 16–4, leaving St. Louis to recover from an uneven start. Four goals make the final score look encouraging; the route to them leaves a harder question about sustaining an attack.
Our team grades capture that tension. The Blues carry a D+ on offense but a B on defense, while Nashville has a C on offense and a C+ on defense. Neither team has an overwhelming profile, and the Blues’ better defensive grade is a counterweight to the Predators’ winning streak. St. Louis has won four of its last 10 games, though, and its last six include two shutouts against it alongside games in which it scored four and five.
Nashville found a way through a tight finish
Stamkos drew the overtime penalty and scored the winner in Nashville’s 3–2 victory at Colorado, as AP reported via ESPN. Vitali Pinchuk had scored his first career goal earlier in the game, and Justus Annunen made 30 saves. Nashville also killed a holding penalty against Stamkos late in regulation.
The Predators finished only 1 for 5 on the power play, so the decisive goal shouldn’t obscure the missed opportunities before it. Still, they kept the game within reach: Colorado went 0 for 3 with the extra man, and Nashville blocked 25 shots. That combination of resistance and a timely finish mattered more than a comfortable scoring margin.
Nashville’s three straight wins have come against Tampa Bay, Carolina and Colorado. It has won five of its last 10 games, so the broader results are closer to St. Louis’ than the latest streak suggests. Jonathan Marchessault was listed day-to-day with a lower-body injury in Friday’s report; his availability remains unresolved.
Sharpest Bets Premium
Get our Blues vs. Predators picks.
Unlock our model's best bets for this matchup, plus projections, trends, and matchup analysis. Start with a free 7-day trial, then save 20% every month with code PREVIEW20.
Why 5.5 deserves a closer look
The total is 5.5 goals. Nashville’s last two wins, 3–2 at Colorado and 4–1 against Carolina, each finished with five combined goals. They show the Predators can win without a scoring burst, though Saturday’s line leaves less room for extra goals than those games’ 6.5 totals did. Both clubs are split evenly between overs and unders across their last 10 games, so that window doesn’t present a uniform scoring story.
The projected goalies offer another reason to look beyond the latest team scores. Joel Hofer has a .916 save percentage over his latest five appearances for St. Louis, compared with Juuse Saros at .913 over his latest five for Nashville. All five appearances in each sample were starts, and neither goalie is confirmed for Saturday. Jordan Binnington and Annunen played in the teams’ latest games, so those finishes describe different goalie matchups. The similar recent save rates give little reason to separate Hofer and Saros on that measure alone.
Our shot projections are roughly 25 for the Blues and 28 for the Predators. That’s a modest volume difference, not a measure of chance quality. Against a 5.5 total, the more revealing details are whether St. Louis can avoid another quiet opening and whether Nashville can turn its opportunities into goals before the game reaches overtime.
For St. Louis, a steadier opening would give its better defensive grade a chance to matter before the offense has to chase the game. Nashville has found timely goals during this streak, but extending it will require more than waiting for another overtime opportunity. With matching moneyline prices and similar recent goalie samples, sustained pressure is the clearest way for either team to separate itself.
We break down every matchup
Find current odds and sharp picks for Saturday’s other matchups on the NHL betting board.
Odds and projections are snapshots and can change. Wagering involves risk.
More matchups to explore
Unlock our Premium picks. Free.
Get our sharpest picks, team grades, and projected score in your inbox.