St. Louis had six power plays and put 33 shots on net against the Rangers, but its only goal arrived with 59 seconds left. Thursday’s trip to New Jersey asks the Blues to do more with what could be fewer opportunities. Jack Hughes just showed how much one productive night can give the Devils, scoring twice and adding an assist in their shootout win over Edmonton.
The Blues may have fewer chances to work with
Dylan Garand stopped 32 shots in the Rangers’ 3–1 win over St. Louis. Pius Suter finally beat him late, after the Blues had gone scoreless on all six power plays. Joel Hofer made 28 saves at the other end. St. Louis got enough opportunities to make a game of it, but spent almost the entire night waiting for a goal.
Our team projections put the Blues at about 25 shots and three power-play opportunities against New Jersey, compared with roughly 31 shots for the Devils. That would leave St. Louis less room to let a good chance go begging. At Thursday morning’s snapshot, DraftKings had New Jersey at -192 and St. Louis at +160. The Blues’ route to an upset may depend on staying close long enough for an offensive breakthrough.
Hofer offers a way to stay in it
Joel Hofer stopped 91.6% of shots across his last five appearances, including 28 of 30 against the Rangers. He is listed as a possible starter, with neither his start nor Connor Hellebuyck’s for New Jersey confirmed. If Hofer gets the net and continues that form, he can give the Blues time to find their offense even if the Devils generate more shots.
Hughes is the challenge within that shot count. He scored two of the Devils’ three regulation goals against Edmonton and assisted on the other. Arseny Gritsyuk supplied the shootout winner in New Jersey’s 4–3 victory, its fifth win in six games. Hughes’s three-point night shows why keeping the overall shot count down may still leave St. Louis with difficult moments to defend.
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St. Louis’s contribution matters at 5.5
New Jersey’s last four games went over their respective totals. Tuesday’s game reached six goals before the shootout, with the winner producing the 4–3 final. The Blues’ game in New York offered the opposite outcome. Even six power plays and 33 shots produced only one St. Louis goal.
At Thursday’s 5.5 total, an earlier Blues conversion would change the picture. It could give St. Louis a lead to defend or keep the game level while New Jersey looks for a way through Hofer. Another long scoreless stretch would leave more of the scoring burden on the Devils. Watch what the Blues do with their first power play, and whether they can make the goalie move before the shot arrives. The number of chances matters, but the finish is what St. Louis was missing in New York.
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