Posted at 3:30 PM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle -101 BET365 -105 Sportsinteraction -105 888Sport -105

St. Louis -101 over Washington

7:07 PM EST. OT included. The Blues have lost three out of four, including two straight, but the quality of competition has been relatively high, as they dropped games to Florida and Boston (in overtime) and Philadelphia. All of those teams are ranked in the top 16, with the Flyers at #14, Boston #5, and Florida #8. A closer look at the Blues' schedule for the season shows they have played the eighth (of 32) toughest schedule in the league. Against the top 16, the Blues have had some decent success, going 10-13, but that matters not tonight, as they take a big step down in competition while also catching the hometown Capitals in a potentially tough spot.

The Capitals have played seven of their last eight games at home going back to January 3rd, which is a long time to be cooped up. Tonight is the last game before Washington heads out on the road for a proper four-game trip that will see them visit St. Louis, Minnesota, Colorado, and Dallas. The Caps have traded wins and losses over their last six games, but when digging deeper, we find that they have been weak 5-on-5, ranking just 25th out of 32 teams in puck possession. Furthermore, the Capitals will welcome franchise player Alex Ovechkin back into the lineup tonight after he missed three games. Ovi is a big part of what Washington does, but his coming back only inflates the value of a bad hockey. Finally, the Caps are coming off a shutout performance against an exhausted Ducks' team on Tuesday night and they didn't even outplay Anaheim. St. Louis is a feisty opponent and a very live underdog. 

Sherwood

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