Saturday NHL Free play. My selection is on Utah over St. Louis at 9:05 pm ET on Saturday.

The Blues enter this game on the heels of back-to-back home wins over Calgary but remain inconsistent overall, going 3-3 in their last six contests. Notably, St. Louis has dropped its last two road games, a troubling trend as they hit the road for this critical matchup.

Utah, meanwhile, is looking to end a three-game losing streak, all of which occurred on home ice. Despite the recent skid, Utah has faced the tougher overall schedule this season and sits just five points behind St. Louis in the standings. This is a pivotal spot for the Hockey Club as it looks to finish strong on its seven-game homestand before facing a daunting matchup against Winnipeg on Sunday.

Expect Utah to bring an elevated level of urgency and effort in front of its home crowd, taking advantage of a Blues team that has struggled to find its footing away from home.

Take Utah. Projected score: Utah 4, St. Louis 2.