The St Louis Blues (1-0-0) against the San Jose Sharks (0-0-0) Thursday. Puck drop from SAP Center is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze the 24/7 NHL odds from BetMGM Sportsbook Blues vs Sharks Opportunities and meet our NHL expert picks and predictions.

Season Series: First Meeting; Last year the Sharks won 3-0

The Blues showed signs both good and bad in their season opener, a 3-2 road win over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. They started quickly, hit a goal post and looked lively in the first few minutes. However, they dominated for the most part in the first two periods. G Jordan Binnington was upside down as the team was routinely trapped in the D-zone. And then it got physical. Lost 0:2 in the 2nd third, RW Nathan Walker and C Radek Faksa stirred the pot, got the Blues on the power play and RW Jordan Kyrou took over the game. The Blues scored 3 goals in 1:55, including 2 by Kyrou, and cruised to a 3-2 win.

The Sharks made a splash with their C draft this offseason Macklin Celebrini 1st overall and commitment from C Alex Wennberg and RW Tyler Toffoli and trade for D Jake Walman. The Sharks also gave the Blues a run for their money last year, winning all three games against them. That’s what the Blues are talking about in the locker room as they try to make amends for some of last year’s bad losses.

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Blues at Sharks odds

Powered by BetMGM Sportsbook; Visit the USA TODAY sports scores and sports betting hub for a complete list of NHL odds. Lines were last updated at 1:05 p.m. ET.

• Moneyline (ML): Blues -160 (bet $160 to win $100) | Sharks +135 (Bet $100 to win $135)
• Puck Line (PL)/Against the Spread (ATS): Blues -1.5 (+145) | Sharks +1.5 (-175)
• Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Blues at Sharks projected goalkeeper

Jordan Binnington (1-0-0, 2.00 GAA, .938 SV%) vs. MacKenzie Blackwood (10-25-4, 3.45 GAA, .899 SV%, 2 SO in ’23-24).

How good was Binner at the start of the season? He saved 1.7 goals above expectations and really kept the team on the ball long enough for them to get going. He faced the Sharks just once last season, and he was a good reliever, stopping 13 of 14 in a 5-1 game that was never competitive.

Blackwood faced the Blues once last season, and it was a 35-save shutout that really put a dent in the Blues’ playoff chances. He allowed four goals on 35 shots in a 4-2 loss while making his only other appearance against New Jersey in the 1922-23 season.

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Blues at Sharks tips and predictions

forecast

Blues 4, Sharks 3

Money line

There was a lot of talk in the St. Louis media about how the Blues downplayed their competition last year and were embarrassed by teams like San Jose. Should they win this game? Absolutely. Am I willing to risk -160 for this? Absolutely not.

Instead, I’ll go with you PAVEL BUCHNEVICH OVER 0.5 POINTS (-150). Buchy centers the line that Kyrou is on and he will be on the best power play unit. He had a point in two of three games against San Jose last year, which is saying something considering the Blues scored a total of three damn goals in the three games.

Puck Line/Against the Spread

I’m ready to spice it up with the juice Sharks +1.5 (-175). They outscored the Blues 12-3 in their three meetings last season. The Blues are still mixing in new pieces that need to fit together, and in Game 1 they weren’t even close to scoring an empty-net goal.

Over/Under

Although most of this handicap is due to the Blues’ recent futility in this tie, they have still won 7 of the last 10 meetings. All of these 7 wins have come by more than 2 goals, and the over is 4-5-1 in this stretch. The over was 0-2-1 in this matchup last year, but I don’t expect St. Louis to take this team lightly. The ABOUT 6 (-110) collected.

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