St. Louis Blues vs Anaheim Ducks Picks and Predictions January 9th 2025

Ducks and Blues Focus on Special Teams in Crucial Matchup

The St. Louis Blues welcome the Anaheim Ducks to Enterprise Center on Thursday night, as both teams look to address their special teams struggles and solidify their positions in the Western Conference playoff race.

Blues Look to Reclaim Home-Ice Advantage

The Blues (8-9-1 at home) enter a pivotal stretch with 13 of their next 17 games on home ice. General manager Doug Armstrong emphasized the importance of turning Enterprise Center into a fortress for the remainder of the season.

“We have to make Missouri a very unpleasant trip for our opposition,” Armstrong said. “We haven’t been able to do that enough recently.”

St. Louis is coming off back-to-back 6-4 road losses to Columbus and Minnesota. In the latter game, the Blues held a 4-2 lead before surrendering three unanswered goals in the third period. Head coach Jim Montgomery praised his team’s five-on-five play since taking over but acknowledged the need for improvement on special teams.

The Blues rank 25th in power-play efficiency (18.1%) and 27th in penalty killing (73.3%), areas Montgomery highlighted as critical to turning the team into a more consistent contender.

“The power play and penalty kill becoming a 105 percent combined percentage is the last step to becoming a real consistent product,” Montgomery said.

Ducks Staying Competitive

The Ducks (4-1-1 in their last six games) arrive in St. Louis following a hard-fought 3-2 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames. Anaheim has been in nearly every game this season, a fact winger Alex Killorn credits to the team’s resilience.

“There haven’t been many games where we’re in the third period looking up at a score we can’t come back from,” Killorn said. “A lot of times, we’re right in the mix.”

Like the Blues, the Ducks are looking for better results on special teams. Anaheim had converted just 2 of 35 power-play opportunities before Mason McTavish scored with the man advantage against Calgary.

“It’s such a big part of the game, and obviously it hasn’t been great to start the year,” McTavish said. “It’s something we’re working on a lot.”

The Ducks may have Troy Terry back in the lineup Thursday after he missed the Calgary game for the birth of his second child. Terry leads Anaheim with 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) and was recently named the NHL’s Second Star after posting four goals and two assists in four games last week.

Fowler’s Reunion Adds Intrigue

The game will mark Blues defenseman Cam Fowler’s first matchup against his former team. Fowler spent 15 seasons with Anaheim, recording 457 points (96 goals, 361 assists) in 991 games before being traded to St. Louis earlier this season.

Fowler has adjusted well to his new surroundings, tallying nine points (four goals, five assists) in 12 games with the Blues. His presence has bolstered the St. Louis blue line as the team works to improve its defensive consistency.

NHL Conference Odds and Predictions for the Season

Keys to Victory

For the Blues, reclaiming their home-ice advantage starts with disciplined play and converting on special teams. The Ducks, meanwhile, must maintain their resilience while building momentum with their power play.

As two teams battling for improvement face off, Thursday’s game promises a competitive showdown with playoff implications. Fans at Enterprise Center can expect an intense battle as the Blues and Ducks aim to shore up their weaknesses and secure valuable points.