This Central Division playoff battle heads back to St. Louis all tied up 1-1. In game one, the St. Louis Blues dominated the scoreboard but in game two the Wild came back a vengeance and ran away with the win.
This series is shaping up to go the distance and, as it seems, fitting for these two division rivals. NHL expert picks have figured the Minnesota Wild to be the team to beat in the Western Conference, but the Blues are making them earn every win.
Expect some continued fireworks in this series tonight in St. Louis at the Enterprise Center.
Last Game Records
- Wild Won 6-2 in Game 2
- Series tied 1-1 (Best of 7)
Matchup Information
Wild at Blues Betting Analysis
Minnesota Wild Betting Analysis
The Minnesota Wild have seemed to find their stride on the offensive side of the puck as the tallied six goals against the Blues in game two. The Wild were the 5th best team in the NHL in their goals per game average with a total of 3.72 during the regular season. They lean heavily on their offense to win them games and that is showing in this series.
Minnesota has been the NHL betting odds favorite in this series and they played like it in game two. This is in large part due to the contribution of their superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov. Kaprizov tallied a hat trick in game two and is putting the team on his back in this series.
They rode with the playoff veteran Marc-Andre Fleury in game two. It is clear from the Wild coaching staff that they are rolling with Fleury as their number one goaltender. In two playoff games, Fleury has a 1-1 record with a 3.00 GAA and a .908 save percentage.
The Wild have shown that they can compete at a high level. They will look to steal a game on the road when they are in St. Louis tonight for game three.
St. Louis Blues Betting Analysis
The St. Louis Blues took one on the chin in game two. At the end of the day, they did what they set out to do. They took the home-ice advantage away from the higher seed. If they win the remaining games at home, they ultimately will win the series.
Most NHL betting picks had the Blues out in the first round, but their recent play in the first two games of this series may be swaying some fans in their direction. They will have to regain their swagger on offense as they only put two passed the Wild in game two.
Continue to look out for forward, Vladimir Tarasenko to propel this offense forward. He has one goal and one assist through the first two games of this series. The veteran of the playoffs will be sure to use the home advantage to help jump start his game as well as his team’s performance.
It is not yet known if the Blues will continue to roll with starting goaltender Ville Husso who has played in both games thus far or go with the Stanley Cup winning backup Jordan Binnington. Either way, St. Louis has two capable goaltenders to help them win this series in the playoffs.
This team needs to tighten up their defensive structure against the Wild’s potent offense. Once they do that, their offense will gain more space and therefore, the Blues will score more goals. As one of the top-scoring teams in the NHL this regular season, don’t expect the goal struggles to last too long.
Updates
Minnesota Wild
- No Team Injuries
- The Wild are 5-1 in their last 6 games playing on 1 days rest
- Minnesota is 47-34-3 against the “over” this season
St. Louis Blues
- D-Man Robert Bortuzzo is questionable for Game 3 with a head injury
- Nick Leddy (D) is questionable for Game 3 with an upper-body injury
- The over is 6-1 in Blues last 7 vs the Central Division
Wild at Blues Betting Preview
The St. Louis Blues find themselves as the Moneyline favorite in game three at home in this contest. They currently are sitting at -116 odds while the Wild are a slight +105 underdog for the game.
The Puckline has the Blues at a -1.5 with +205 while the Wild are +1.5 with -245 odds.
The over/under for game three is sitting at 6.5 total goals. The over odds are +102 while the under odds are -113.
Wild at Blues Betting Prediction
NHL betting stats would show that these two teams play competitive contests every time they meet. The winner of this game is sure to be happy with a 2-1 series lead.
These two franchises have potent offenses so expect these teams to light the lamp in game three. Play the over with +102 odds with two offenses that have averaged over 3.5 goals per game all season long.
How to bet on Wild at Blues
A $100 bet on the Blues to cover their -1.5 puckline with +205 would payback $205 in winnings.
The same $100 bet on the Wild on the Moneyline would win the bettor $105 while a bet on the Blues Moneyline would return $86.21.
A bet on the over 6.5 for this contest of $100 would win someone $102. All in all the over between these two potent offensive teams is the play to make.
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