Two Central Division rivals meet in the first round of the NHL playoffs as the St. Louis Blues take on the Minnesota Wild. This is sure to be a heavyweight battle as these were two of the best teams in the NHL in the past month.
The Blues won all three matchups against the Wild this season. Last year these two teams met in the playoffs and the Blues won the series four games to one. Puck drop for game one of this playoff series is scheduled for 9:30 pm Eastern Time at the Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota.
Last Game Records
St. Louis Blues
- Last Game: 4-7 Loss against the Vegas Golden Knights
- Overall Record: 49-22-11
Minnesota Wild
- Last Game: 4-1 Win against the Colorado Avalanche
- Overall Record: 53-22-7
Matchup Information
Blues at Wild Betting Analysis
St. Louis Blues Betting Analysis
The 2018-19 Stanley Cup Champions are gearing up for another playoff run as they take on the Minnesota Wild. This team is built for the playoffs with a roster that is top to bottom and has plenty of experience on their roster.
This year’s team has the potency to score goals at will. During the regular season, the Blues averaged 3.77 goals per game and ranked 3rd in the NHL in scoring.
Their scoring ability starts with veteran forward Vladimir Tarasenko. Tarasenko led the Blues in the regular season in points with 82 and goals with 34 to his credit. Look for him to be all around the puck in this series.
The Blues have two goalies that are capable of playing these playoffs. Ville Husso (25-7-6, 2.56GAA, .919sv%) and Jordan Binnington (18-14-4, 3.13GAA, .901sv%) have played well enough to get St. Louis to this point. Expect Husso to start the series, and the coaches and players have confidence in his ability.
St. Louis has a winning record as the underdog this season, and that is what they will be to start this series. They also have a winning record on the road this season. Expect the Blues to play hard and skilled against the Wild in this Western Conference playoff series.
Minnesota Wild Betting Analysis
The second-best team in the Western Conference has earned themselves home-ice advantage in the first round of these playoffs. One of the most offensive teams in the NHL has broken franchise records in points with 113 and wins with 53 on the season. This team is deadly and playing with confidence heading into the playoffs.
Minnesota was the 5th best team in scoring ability. They averaged 3.72 goals per game during the regular season. Their scoring ability allowed the wild to exceed the “over” in 46 regular-season games.
The Russian superstar Kirill Kaprizov leads the way for Minnesota this season. He leads his team in all major categories of points, goals, and assists. Kaprizov had 108 points on the season with 47 goals and 61 assists. His play has made a direct impact on the Wild’s success this season.
The Wild have one of the best goalie tandems in the NHL heading into these playoffs. They acquired veteran netminder Mac-Andre Fleury, who has a record of 28-23-5 with a 2.90GAA and a .908 save percentage. The other side of the tandem is Cam Talbot, who is 32-12-4 with 2.77GAA and a .911 save percentage. These two goalies are sure to get playing time during the playoffs.
Minnesota has a 31-8-2 record at home this season. They have an offensive ability in their lineup to keep an eye on against the Blues in this first series of the 2022 NHL playoffs.
Updates
St. Louis Blues
- Marco Scandella (D) is probable to play in Game 1 from his lower-body injury.
- Forward Brayden Schenn is expected to play in Game 1 despite his upper-body injury.
- St. Louis currently has a three-game winning streak against the Wild.
Minnesota Wild
- Forward Marcus Foligno is questionable in Game 1 with a lower-body injury
- Right Winger, Mats Zuccarello, is probable with a lower-body injury for Game 1
- The Wild have won seven of their past eight games to finish the regular season
Blues at Wild Betting Preview
The Minnesota Wild are the Moneyline favorite with -134 odds for game one of this series. They are 44-13 as the favorite this season. The odds for the Blues as the underdogs in the game, currently sit at +121 odds.
The over/under for game one is set at six goals. The over odds are -131, while the under odds are currently +119. It is expected that these two teams with potent offensive abilities will exceed the over for the game.
The puck line odds for these two teams currently is the Wild at -1.5 with +170 odds, while the Blues are +1.5 with -195 odds. Expect this game to be highly offensive and high pace between these two Central Division rivals.
Blues at Wild Betting Prediction
In this matchup between these two rivals, expect the game to be a close contest the whole way. The Blues are not one of the favorite NHL picks to win the cup, but they will be sure to make things interesting in this first series.
The Wild have one of the best NHL betting stats as the favorite, with 44 wins on the season. While the Blues will continue to push the Wild in this game and keep it close, ultimately, the Wild will win the contest in game one.
How to bet on Blues at Wild
If a bettor were to put $100 on the Blues to cover the 1.5 goal spread with -195 odds, the payoff would be $51.28. The Wild, with a -1.5 with NHL betting odds of +170, would pay back a total of $170 with a $100 bet.
On the Moneyline, a $100 bet on the Blues at +121 odds would pay back the winner $121, while the same bet on the Wild at -134 odds would have $74.63 in winnings.
A $100 bet on the over six-goal total at -131 odds would pay the winner $76.34, while the under odds at +119 would have winnings of $119.
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