Blues vs Rangers Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Defensive Lapses Clear Way For Scoring

Both the Blues and Rangers are in a tailspin, so something's got to give tonight. Despite a fantastic — on paper — goalie matchup, our betting picks question St. Louis' flimsy blue line and New York's overall sloppy play of late.

Dec 5, 2022 • 09:16 ET • 4 min read
Chris Kreider New York Rangers NHL
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The New York Rangers' struggles continue as they have had two horrible back-to-back losses on home ice. 

The St. Louis Blues had a rough showing in their previous three games as well, giving up 16 goals in that span. 

This is a very important game for both of these teams, but my NHL picks and predictions see it getting a little sloppy with the current state of play. It should be a good goalie matchup between Igor Shesterkin and Jordan Binnington, but I have a feeling that we are going to see some goals in this one. 

Blues vs Rangers best odds

Blues vs Rangers picks and predictions

The St. Louis Blues have been a mess defensively. They enter this game with the fourth-worst goals-against average (3.75) and to make matters worse, they have the second-worst penalty-kill percentage (66.7%). 

Scoring goals hasn’t been the Rangers' specialty lately, only finding twine five total times in their last three games, but I am expecting this to be the most desperate and urgent Blueshirts team we’ve seen all season. The Rangers have the offensive talent to explode and score goals, things just aren’t going their way right now, but going up against a team with as weak of a blue line as the Blues can be the start for them to turn things around. 

Jordan Binnington vs. Igor Shesterkin might look like a great goaltending match on paper, but neither has been flawless. Binnington got pulled in his last game after allowing four goals on 17 shots and he is sporting an unsightly 3.27 GAA on the season.

Meanwhile, Shesterkin has come back down to earth after an otherworldly Vezina campaign in 2021-22, boasting a .913 save percentage. Neither has felt very confident lately and I see that trend continuing tonight. I think this game will be wide open back and forth.

My best bet: Over 6 (-106 at Pinnacle)

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Blues vs Rangers moneyline analysis

I know it's only December, but with the way the Rangers' season is going right now, I would consider this game a must-win for them and that appears to be the message in the locker room. Jacob Trouba tried sending a message to his team last game by laying a huge hit and dropping the gloves when they were down 3-0 and the team needs to respond to its captain tonight. 

The Blues are not a strong opponent. Sure, they have talented players, but this season has been very ugly, especially in their own end. The main area I really see the Blues struggling in this matchup is their penalty kill. We've seen what the Rangers' first power play is able to do and I don’t think the Blues' PK unit will be able to keep them off the board. 

St. Louis has allowed 3+ goals against in six straight games and is currently allowing the third-most scoring chances against per game (12.07). This is the Rangers' game to lose.

Blues vs Rangers Over/Under analysis

The negative connotations leading into this game might be about the Rangers, but times have been tough for the Blues as well. 

Both teams have looked very sloppy in their own zone, making so many defensive turnovers that lead to goals and you can sense how frustrated Binnington and Shesterkin are with their play right now. When your goalie isn’t confident, you can feel those effects throughout the entire lineup, so both teams should be thinking shoot first tonight. 

There are offensively talented players on both sides, Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, and Chris Kreider for the Rangers, and for the Blues, I am looking at Vladimir Tarasenko, Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, and Pavel Buchnevich

This is going to be a very ugly game as both teams desperately need to win. I want to see a lot of goals.

Blues vs Rangers betting trend to know

The Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings. Find more NHL betting trends for Blues vs Rangers.

Blues vs Rangers game info

Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Date: Monday, December 5, 2022
Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: MSG, Bally Sports Midwest

Blues vs Rangers key injuries

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