Stephen Nover is having a monster hockey season on a 29-12-2 run on his premium/free plays. Today's large hockey menu brings with it Stephen's strongest totals play of the second half of the season. Don't miss it!
Member Notes
Today’s Free Picks
| Sport | Game Selection | Game Time |
|---|---|---|
| NHL | (63) Winnipeg Jets at (64) St. Louis Blues | 8:07pm EDT - Apr 9/2026 |
The PLAY: Under +5.5 (-110)
This is the fourth meeting of the season between Winnipeg and St. Louis. All three of the previous games have been low-scoring, tight-checking matchups. The scores reflect that - 1-0 Blues, 3-1 Jets and 3-2 Jets.
I expect that pattern to continue as this is a huge game for both team's wild-card playoff chances. The Blues' playoff hopes are on the brink. The Jets can't afford to take a loss either.
The Jets have held their last eight opponents to an average of 2.1 goals a game. The Blues rank 29th in scoring, are 31st in shots on goal and 28th on the power play.
St. Louis is giving up an average of two goals a game in regulation during its past four games. Winnipeg's offense ranks in the bottom 10 in goals, shots on net and on the power play.
(Editor's note: Stephen Nover is 29-12-2 on his last 43 NHL premium/free plays and 26-11 on his last 37 NBA premium/free plays. Stephen has premium plays both in the NHL and NBA today in addition to this free selection.)
Consultant Bio
Stephen Nover is unique among professional handicappers. A multiple award-winning sportswriter for numerous newspapers, including the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nover has one the best combinations of gambling and media sources in the world.
The author of two sports gambling books, "Las Vegas Sports Beat" and "Sports Gaming Beat", along with a book on fantasy football titled, "Winning Fantasy Football", Nover is a former professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas having taught a football handicapping class there. He also was the co-host of the Sunday night sports betting radio show "The Stardust Line" during the 1990's.
Parlaying nearly 50 years worth of professional gambling experience with tremendous knowledge of the players through elite deep-roster Rotisserie leagues and building on copious gaming and media sources - having worked for newspapers in the Midwest, South and West and also for legendary Hall of Fame oddsmaker Roxy Roxborough - Nover is a true Las Vegas wise guy. He helped learn his craft from such masters as Roxborough, Dave Malinsky, Lem Banker and Russ Culver.
Part of what makes Nover so special is the pride he takes in writing his deep-dive analysis, which always is unique, well-researched and sometimes entails out-of-the-box thinking.