The 2021-22 NHL season continues Tuesday, November 30, with eight games around the league, including the interconference showdown at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, so we’ve prepared the best Lightning vs. Blues betting pick.

Tampa Bay meets St. Louis for the first time since November 27, 2019, and the Blues search for their fifth consecutive win over the Lightning. According to MyBookie Sportsbook, it’s a pick ‘em game with a total of 5.5 goals, so let’s take a closer look. 

The Lightning look to get back on the winning path

The Tampa Bay Lightning (12-5-3) put an end to their three-game win streak last Sunday, suffering a 4-2 defeat at the Minnesota Wild. Alex Killorn scored his eighth goal of the season to make it a 2-2 game midway through the 2nd period, but the Bolts failed to cope with the Wild down the stretch.

Andrei Vasilevskiy posted 33 saves against the Wild but suffered the second loss in his last four outings. Vasilevskiy is now 10-4-3 on the season, carrying a 2.15 GAA and a .926 save percentage. He’s expected to patrol the crease Tuesday in St. Louis.

The Lightning are conceding 2.75 goals per game (11th in the NHL). On the other side of the ice, they are scoring 3.10 goals in a return (tied-11th) on a 10.5 shooting percentage (tied-6th). Steven Stamkos leads the way with 24 points (11 goals and 13 assists), while Alex Killorn has 18 on his season tally.

The Blues smashed Columbus to stop a two-game slide 

The St. Louis Blues (11-7-3) opened a two-game homestand with a convincing 6-3 victory to the Columbus Blue Jackets this past Saturday. Pavel Buchnevich and Ivan Barbashev scored a couple of goals each, while Vladimir Tarasenko had three assists, as St. Louis trounced Columbus to record its third win in the last six outings.

The Blues are tallying 3.33 goals per game (tied-7th in the NHL) on a 9.9 shooting percentage (11th). Their power-play percentage of 29.3 (17-for-58) is the second-best in the league, and the 23-year-old center Jordan Kyrou leads the way with nine goals and 13 assists.

On the other side of the ice, the Blues are yielding 2.76 goals per contest (tied-12th). Ville Husso (1.76 GAA; .936 SV%) guarded the cage against the Blue Jackets and improved to 3-1-0 on the season, while Jordan Binnington is 7-5-3 with a 2.80 GAA and a .913 save percentage.

Trends:

Tampa Bay:

  • 3-10 in the last 13 games against St. Louis

St. Louis:

  • 7-1 in the last eight home games against Tampa Bay
  • 9-3 in the last 12 home games against the Eastern Conference

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. St. Louis Blues Pick

The Blues haven’t been at their best lately, but they’ve still won three straight games in front of the home fans, so I think they could beat the reigning champs on the home ice. During their home win streak, the Blues have scored 15 goals while yielding only six in a return.

I’ve mentioned the Blues’ excellent power-play percentage, while the Lightning are only 11-for-60 (17th in the NHL). St. Louis certainly possesses enough offensive firepower to endanger the Bolts, and I can only hope the Blues’ defense will continue with strong home performance.

Pick: Take St. Louis Blues at -105         

The Total:

Three of the Blues’ last four games have produced six or more goals in total. On the other side, Tampa Bay’s last three games have gone in the under, including a couple of shutout wins over Seattle 3-0 and Philadelphia 4-0, but the Bolts have surrendered seven goals over their last two showings on the road.

This is the clash of the two prolific offenses, so I have to back the over. Tampa has dropped three of its last six games away from home, and five of those six contests have produced more than five goals in total.

Pick: Go over 5.5 goals at -113