Welcome to another edition of NHL Predictions! Nine games are being played on this Thursday, February 6th. Last Word On Hockey continues to look at games around the league and give our prediction and suggested prop bets. Our prediction today takes us to the “Gateway City.” The St. Louis Blues are hosting the 2024 Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers.
NHL Predictions
St. Louis Blues vs. Florida Panthers
Time: 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time
TV: FanDuel Sports Midwest, SCRIPPS
Head-to-Head: Panthers 1-0
The Blues and Panthers meet for the second and final time this season. The teams met in Florida on December 20th. The Panthers won, 2-1, in overtime. Aleksander Barkov scored the game-winning goal with just 17 seconds left in overtime. The Panthers look to sweep the season series with the Blues for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
Blues Get Up, But Get Knocked Down Again
The Blues are doing the reverse of what Chumbawamba says to do. After ending a losing streak with an impressive win on Sunday, the Blues returned to the loss column on Tuesday. To add insult to injury, the Blues led the Edmonton Oilers late in the third period. However, Leon Draisaitl scored to tie the game. Connor Brown scored the game-winning goal in overtime to clinch the additional point for the Oilers.
The Blues have not won back-to-back games since January 14-16 against the Calgary Flames. In the eight games since the Blues have scored two goals or less in seven of them. Furthermore, Pavel Buchnevich, who has already struggled offensively this season, has been practically silent over his last 11 games. The forward has scored no goals and has recorded just four assists. The Blues extended Buchnevich over the summer to keep their offensive core intact. If the Blues can get their former 27-goal scorer back on track, that could help the offence click and get back on track as a whole.
Matthew Comes Home; Panthers Seeking Second-Straight Cup
While the Blues are on pace to miss the playoffs for the third year in a row, the Panthers are in a prime position to win their second-straight Stanley Cup. The Panthers currently hold the top spot in the Atlantic Division, but only by a point. The Panthers won the Atlantic Division last season, which played a significant role in winning the Cup. As a division champion, the Panthers got the home-ice advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs and the Stanley Cup Final. Another division title would go a long way in helping the team reach the Final for a third-straight season and a second-straight championship.
Matthew Tkachuk takes the ice in St. Louis on Thursday for the first time as a Stanley Cup champion. For the Tkachuk family, that is a first. Matthew’s father, Keith Tkachuk, could not win the Stanley Cup in his career despite playing on some good teams in St. Louis. The Tkachuk family is a royal family in St. Louis. Blues fans will likely give Matthew a strong ovation when he takes the ice on Thursday. However, behind the applause, there will be frustrations that the Blues failed to acquire Matthew in 2022.
Prediction: Matthew has a great night in his hometown. Panthers win, 6-3.
Prop Bets
The over/under is set at 5.5 goals. We are taking over with nine goals.
We suggest taking Matthew as an anytime-scorer for the Panthers. In fact, consider taking the bet that Matthew records a hat trick. Would that not be a total “Blues” thing to have happen to them? The team is approaching a third-straight year of no playoffs. Why not have the Stanley Cup-winning hometown player, who they could have traded for, score a hat trick against them?
For the Blues, we suggest taking captain Brayden Schenn as an anytime-scorer.
Main Photo: Sam Navarro- Imagn Images
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The post NHL Predictions February 6th St. Louis Blues Vs. Florida Panthers appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.