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Blues vs Panthers: St. Louis try to end a three-game road slide
The St. Louis Blues are traveling to Sunrise to face off against the Florida Panthers on Thursday evening at Amerant Bank Arena. They have lost the last three road games and will attempt to end that streak.
An average season for the Blues
The Blues are just outside of the playoff picture in the Western Conference, sitting in 9th place with a 15-15-1 record. They started the month of December losing 5 of 6 games and recovered with back-to-back home wins over Ottawa and Dallas. They lost the last one 6-1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Center Robert Thomas is having a great season for the Blues, leading the team in both goals (12) and assists (20).
The Panthers are sliding in the East
The Florida Panthers have only 5 wins in the last 10 games but are still holding on to sixth place in the Eastern Conference with an 18-11-2 record. The Panthers are coming back home where they are 9-4-0 after a five-game road trip. They lost three of the last four games scoring only one goal in those losses. Florida is the fourth-best defensive team in the league allowing only 2.58 goals per game but is ranked 21st, scoring 2.94 goals per game.
Betting Trends
The total has gone over in 5 of the Blues’ last 7 games, 5 of the last 6 playing against the Panthers on the road and 4 in the last 5 Blues’ games against teams from the Eastern Conference.
Player to watch
Sam Reinhart is tied for the fifth-most goals so far in the season with 18. However, he was on a five-game scoring drought, which cost the Panthers many points during this week. Reinhart found the net in the last game against the Calgary Flames and is expected to build a scoring run against the Blues.
Injury Reports
Anton Malmstrom and John Jacobs are out for the Blues while the Panthers will miss Anton Lundell.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Florida Panthers could not wait to get back home after a tough road trip that exposed their scoring struggles this season. They need to get back on the winning track and improve their offensive efficiency. The Blues are a poor road team and are coming off allowing six goals to the Lightning. Both teams have a lot to prove in this game and this should be an intense game, with a lot of scoring on both ends that will push the score over 6.5 goals in total.
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