Blues Look Live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes as Wild Limp Into Thursday

The Wild host St. Louis on Thursday night, and if you're scanning the injury report, you'll notice Minnesota's blue line looks like a MAS*H unit. Spurgeon's day-to-day, Faber's on IR, and both Folignos are sidelined—not exactly ideal when you're trying to contain a Blues offense that's averaging 3.5 goals per game and riding a two-game win streak. Meanwhile, the Wild are limping along at 2-3 in their last five, scoring just 3.0 per contest.

Joel Hofer has been the story in St. Louis—0.920 save percentage and a stingy 1.76 GAA through four starts. He's not a household name yet, but he's playing like one. The line opened at Blues +135 and has tightened to +120, which tells you the sharps are sniffing value on the visitors. When the betting market moves toward an underdog, pay attention.

DarkHorse has the Blues at +120 with moderate confidence (3/5), and it's hard to argue. St. Louis brings momentum, firepower, and a hot goalie into a building where the home team is missing key defenders. Minnesota's depth will be tested, and if Hofer stays dialed in, the Blues could steal two points on the road. Value play all the way.