$FML's NHL Wednesday Best Bet - 11/16

After cashing in on the Flyers last night $FML has another NHL Best Bet for Wednesday's action.

The St. Louis Blues came within striking distance of the Western Conference Finals last year. They ultimately fell 3 games short, but it was a good run. This season, their core roster remains largely intact (minus David Perron and Ville Husso), but you wouldn’t know it from looking at the standings. They’re currently 6-8 and sitting dead last in the Central Division. With that said — they enter tonight on a 3-game win streak after knocking off the reigning champs on Monday in their own barn.

Meanwhile, their divisional rival Chicago entered the season pegged as a team destined to tank for a top draft pick. If that was their intention, they’re failing miserably after starting 6-6-3 — good for 5th in the Central.

This sets up a classic clash between two teams due for corrections. It’s clear the Blues are better than their record indicates, while Chicago is worse. The expected corrections are already in process as the Blues have won 3 straight, while Chicago is just 2-7 in their last 9. I still see more room to run in each direction, too.

A wise hockey mind once said — you can’t make the playoffs in the first month of the season, but you sure can miss them. Not a direct quote but it’s along those lines, and the idea is that you can’t start slow and expect to make playoffs. The Blues —led by seasoned veteran captain Ryan O’Reilly— surely know this and need to win games like tonight to stay on course. And all things considered — I like their chances to make it happen vs. a team they’re 7-0-1 against since the 2019-20 season. They outscored Chicago 12-4 in aggregate last season, which makes the -1.5 Puck Line (i.e. spread) tempting; however, for my best bet: I’m backing them to win in regulation as they’ve done in all 7 H2H wins vs. Chicago since 2019.

The Pick: St. Louis Blues 60-Minute ML (-110)
via DraftKings Sportsbook