Sharks vs. Blues Prediction, NHL Odds & Best Bets (10/8)

Fact checked at 6:45 AM ET, Oct 8, 2026

Odds as of Oct 8, 4:36 AM ET

St. Louis comes home from a 1-2 road trip for its opener Thursday, and San Jose still doesn't know if it has its captain. Macklin Celebrini is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He took warmups Monday in Dallas, got scratched before puck drop and hasn't practiced since. Coach Ryan Warsofsky said he didn't skate on his own Tuesday or Wednesday either, and the club will check on him again Thursday. Warsofsky hasn't ruled him out, and the Sharks kept him on the trip instead of sending him home.

The Sharks without him looked like a different team. They opened with two overtime wins at home, 4-3 over Florida and 5-4 over Los Angeles, and Celebrini assisted on five of their nine goals. In Dallas they managed 13 shots and lost 5-0. Will Smith is projected to center the top line between Mason Marchment and Igor Chernyshov, and Celebrini isn't on either projected power-play unit.

Here's how we see it: if Celebrini sits, St. Louis wins a low-event game against a Sharks attack that can't make much happen without him. Both picks cash in that game. If he plays, pass on both.

The consensus moneyline is Blues -152, Sharks +127, after St. Louis opened at even money early Monday, before the scratch. The puck line is Blues -1.5 (+161), the total is 5.5 (Over -125, Under +105), and San Jose's team total sits at 2.5 with the Under at +105. Puck drop is 8:00 PM ET at Enterprise Center, streaming on ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu.

Sharks vs. Blues Predictions

• Pick #1: Blues Moneyline (-152)
• Pick #2: Sharks Team Total Under 2.5 Goals (+105)

PICK #1: Blues Moneyline (-152)

Start in the crease, assuming the expected goalies go. Joel Hofer has stopped 42 of 44 shots in two starts: a 25-save shutout in Dallas, then 17 of 19 in Tuesday's 4-2 loss in Chicago, where both of Chicago's third-period goals went into an empty net. Yaroslav Askarov has started all three Sharks games and given up 12 goals on 87 shots, an .862 save percentage.

The market got there first. St. Louis went from even money Monday to -152, with 81% of the money on 41% of the bets, and that move came with the Celebrini news and the shutout in Dallas. That's mostly the same information, and -152 already prices a lot of it in. It works out to a 60.3% chance, which is a full price, not a bargain. At least one major book was dealing -142, so shop around.

St. Louis hasn't earned much benefit of the doubt. The Blues have three goals in their last two games, got outscored 10-3 in them and are 1-for-8 on the power play. Robert Thomas and Dylan Holloway still don't have a point, and St. Louis has been out-chanced at five-on-five through three games. San Jose has had two days between games to the Blues' one. Justin Barron is expected to make his Blues debut next to Colton Parayko, with Theo Lindstein coming out.

Two things would sour this. St. Louis has alternated goalies so far (Hofer, Jordan Binnington, Hofer), and Binnington gave up six on 36 shots in Colorado; if he starts, the bet gets weaker. And if Celebrini dresses, pass. This number was built for a Sharks team without him.

PICK #2: Sharks Team Total Under 2.5 Goals (+105)

San Jose is averaging 23.3 shots per game, and it bottomed out at 13 in Dallas without Celebrini. Losing him also weakens a power play that has two goals in eight tries, against a St. Louis penalty kill that has stopped 9 of 10.

If the Blues are nursing a late lead and the Sharks pull their goalie, an empty-netter goes to St. Louis and doesn't touch this bet. At +105, the break-even is 48.8%.

What beats it? The Sharks scored four and five in the two games Celebrini played, and one shutout in Dallas is a thin record to judge them without him. The Blues allowed six in Colorado with Binnington in net. The money on the full-game total leans Over. And like the moneyline, this one is off if Celebrini plays.

21+ (18+ where permitted). Odds subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.