by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Apr 28, 2022
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO
Where to watch: AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain, Bally Sports Midwest
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Check back later
BetMGM: Check back later
Caesars: Check back later
Season record
Golden Knights: 42-31-8
Blues: 49-21-11
Ben Burns has reeled off a strong 24-13-0 run over the last month in the NHL. The last week of the NHL season is here before we get cracking to playoff coverage. Who's going to clinch the last two wild-card spots in the West? Who's going to go into the postseason with all the momentum from the Eastern Conference? We can't wait to find out, and we know you can't wait to get going, either, with our tremendous expert picks. Catch Ben's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Golden Knights - Blues preview and analysis
For the first time in their five-year history, the Vegas Golden Knights are not making the playoffs, and quite honestly, it’s the weirdest storyline in this entire season. How this team, stacked with so much potential and starpower failed to make the postseason might be the most incomprehensible thing we can ever imagine.
In Game 82, the Golden Knights are playing their most meaningless game to end their fifth season when they take on the St. Louis Blues, and the only thing the Golden Knights can do at this point is potentially ruin the Blues’ run at home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Wild.
If anything, it’s one more parting gift to the Golden Knights for Marc-Andre Fleury knowing he’s going to start Game 1 in Minnesota and start what could be a run for Minnesota.
But we’re talking about the Golden Knights. The team that went to the Stanley Cup Final in Year 1, that went to three conference finals in four seasons, the team that traded for Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty to put together the greatest top line in the league.
And they’re not in the playoffs because they have no idea how to score in a shootout. Three straight losses, three straight shootouts, and not one conversion in 17 attempts. Seventeen. What in the world is happening?
"I don't know," Vegas coach Pete DeBoer said. "I don't know how to explain that. I feel bad for our goalie (Logan Thompson). "I thought 'LT' did a great job in the shootouts (three goals on 17 shots), giving us a chance, and how do you explain that many good players don't find the net? I don't have an explanation for it."
I could honestly spend all day just expressing disdain of how bad this season was. How this group just ultimately failed beyond comprehension, how this group didn’t get anyone from the top guys to score. It just makes no sense. I have no idea how this team didn’t make the playoffs. Nothing just makes sense.
And now we have to see if this group actually can run it back. I don’t know if I want to watch that.
"You don't hate your game in those games, but at the same time you didn't do enough to win them in regulation or overtime to make sure that there's no question marks," Pacioretty said. "There'll be a lot of regret this summer, a lot of reflection but … I never lost hope. Right now, it makes it even more difficult to digest."
Here’s the other thing to consider when talking about the Golden Knights: I would not put it past them to start Jiri Patera to give Thompson a well-deserved rest. Plus, to see what the young guy can bring after having a solid season in Henderson.
But that could also be easy pickings for a Blues team that will be very angry after losing 5-3 to the Colorado Avalanche in which ended their 16-game point streak. It wouldn’t shock me to see St. Louis just end things.
Ryan O’Reilly scored twice, and Jordan Binnington may have started his last game before Ville Husso takes over for the playoffs.
"It wasn't our best effort tonight. We know that," O'Reilly said. "I think we were a little nervous. We knew they were going to be extremely desperate and mostly on their toes. We wanted to be safe and do the right thing, and for them they got the momentum and it's tough to get it back from those guys. They move the puck so well. They skate so well. It's tough."
Prediction
I need the Golden Knights to be my pallbearers so they can let me down one more time. Blues win 7-0
Betting trends
Check back later for trends.
Projected lines
Golden Knights:
Mattias Janmark -- Jack Eichel -- Evgenii Dadonov
Max Pacioretty -- Chandler Stephenson -- Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault -- William Karlsson -- Nicolas Roy
William Carrier -- Michael Amadio
Brayden McNabb -- Shea Theodore
Ben Hutton -- Alex Pietrangelo
Alec Martinez -- Zach Whitecloud
Dylan Coghlan
Jiri Patera
Mattias Janmark -- Jack Eichel -- Evgenii Dadonov
Max Pacioretty -- Chandler Stephenson -- Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault -- William Karlsson -- Nicolas Roy
William Carrier -- Michael Amadio
Brayden McNabb -- Shea Theodore
Ben Hutton -- Alex Pietrangelo
Alec Martinez -- Zach Whitecloud
Dylan Coghlan
Jiri Patera
Blues:
Brandon Saad -- Ryan O'Reilly -- David Perron
Pavel Buchnevich -- Robert Thomas -- Vladimir Tarasenko
Ivan Barbashev -- Tyler Bozak -- Jordan Kyrou
Alexei Toropchenko -- Logan Brown -- Nathan Walker
Marco Scandella -- Colton Parayko
Nick Leddy -- Justin Faulk
Torey Krug -- Calle Rosen
Ville Husso
Brandon Saad -- Ryan O'Reilly -- David Perron
Pavel Buchnevich -- Robert Thomas -- Vladimir Tarasenko
Ivan Barbashev -- Tyler Bozak -- Jordan Kyrou
Alexei Toropchenko -- Logan Brown -- Nathan Walker
Marco Scandella -- Colton Parayko
Nick Leddy -- Justin Faulk
Torey Krug -- Calle Rosen
Ville Husso
Statistical leaders
Golden Knights:
Points: Jonathan Marchessault -- 64
Goals: Jonathan Marchessault -- 29
Assists: Chandler Stephenson -- 43
Goalie: Logan Thompson -- 9-5-3, 2.60 GAA, .918 SV%
Blues:
Points: Vladimir Tarasenko -- 82
Goals: Vladimir Taraseko -- 34
Assists: Robert Thomas -- 57
Goalie: Ville Husso -- 25-6-6, 2.47 GAA, .921 SV%
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Vegas Golden Knights - St. Louis Blues prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NHL projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
