Tag: St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild odds predictions pick betting line spread

Tied 2-2, the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild throw down Tuesday in Game 5 of their 1st-round Western Conference playoff series. Puck drop from Xcel Energy Center is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN).  Below, we look at the Blues vs. Wild odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.

The Blues looked dead in the water after a 5-1 home loss in Game 3 Friday. They lost yet another important defenseman as D Torey Krug appeared to suffer a season-ending knee injury. However, they activated rookie D Scott Perunovich off IR, who hadn’t played since January after wrist surgery, and he looked great moving the puck on the power play in Game 4.

The Blues won the game 5-2, but it was by no means that convincing as Minnesota drew within one late. St. Louis All-star LW Jordan Kyrou lit the lamp twice and appears to be returning to his pre-All-Star-break form. The Blues could get reinforcements as D Nick Leddy and D Robert Bortuzzo have a good chance to return for Game 5.

The Wild came undone by Blues G Jordan Binnington, who was strong in his first action of the series. LW Kirill Kaprizov scored his 5th goal of the series and has scored in each of the last 3 games. The Wild are 2-for-17 (11.7%) on the power play in the series. That has to change if they plan to win the series.

Wild coach Dean Evason hinted there could be lineup changes after the Blues changed it up and took Game 4.

Blues at Wild odds and lines

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:56 p.m. ET.

• Money line: Blues +125 (bet $100 to win $125) | Wild -155 (bet $155 to win $100)
• Against the spread (ATS): Blues +1.5 (-190) | Wild -1.5 (+145)
• Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)

Blues at Wild projected goalies

Jordan Binnington (18-14-4, 3.13 GAA, .901 SV%, 2 SO – regular season) vs. Marc-Andre Fleury (28-23-5, 2.90 GAA, .908 SV%, 4 SO – regular season)

Binnington stopped 28 of 30 shots in his first action of the series in Game 4. He played well down the stretch, too, as he was 5-1 in April. Binnington was in goal during the team’s unlikely run to win the Stanley Cup in his rookie 2018-19 season.

The 37-year-old Fleury stopped 29 of 33 shots in the Game 4 loss. Fleury has a 2.76 GAA and .914 SV% in the series. He was stellar in Games 2 and 3, but the Blues got to him in Games 1 and 4. One has to wonder if fatigue will come into play as this will be his 14th start in the last 38 days.

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Blues at Wild picks and predictions

Prediction

Blues 4, Wild 3

Money line

This might be the most difficult game to handicap in the playoffs thus far in the most difficult series. The winner of this game is likely going to advance to the conference semifinals.

I picked the Blues in 6 games coming in, and we’re sticking to it. The infusion of two of their injured defensemen, Binnington’s comeback story, the good mojo after Game 4 and C Ryan O’Reilly’s wife giving birth Sunday offer up enough intangibles to LEAN BLUES (+125) with a HALF-UNIT wager.

Against the spread

This is the kind of win that veteran teams gut out late or in overtime. At Blues +1.5 (-190), I’m going to PASS on the puck line even though every game has been decided by more than a goal.

Over/Under

The O/U is 2-2 in the series, but the Over has hit 7 times in the last 10 head-to-head meetings between these two rivals. Binnington, through all of his clutch moments, has been a little giving, and Fleury could be a little fatigued.

Let’s LEAN OVER 6.5 (-112).

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The St. Louis Blues (1-0) try to maintain a rhythm against the Minnesota Wild (0-1) for Game 2 of their 1st-round Western Conference playoff series Wednesday. Puck drop from Xcel Energy Center is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN).  Below, we look at the Blues vs. Wild Game 2 odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.

We said the Blues could steal Game 1, and they did more than just steal it. They owned Minnesota and quieted the Wild crowd as it headed for the exits with time on the clock. The Blues won 4-0 after an insane game by goaltender Ville Husso, who stopped all 37 shots fired his way.

The Wild ringed a couple of posts, but Husso shut down all of their high-danger chances in his first career playoff game. Blues LW David Perron had his first career playoff hat trick. Two of the goals came on the power play.

Things got out of control in a physical game, and the Blues’ special teams were the difference as they went 2-for-6 on the power play and shut Minnesota out on 6 power plays. Wild G Marc-Andre Fleury was actually really good despite the 4-0 score as he made a couple of acrobatic saves to keep his team in it. Minnesota had its chances as star LW Kirill Kaprizov had 5 shots on goal.

Blues at Wild odds and lines

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:23 a.m. ET.

• Money line: Blues +102 (bet $100 to win $102) | Wild -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
• Against the spread (ATS): Blues +1.5 (-260) | Wild -1.5 (+185)
• Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)

Blues at Wild projected goalies

Ville Husso (25-7-6, 2.56 GAA, .919 SV%, 2 SO – regular season) vs. Marc-Andre Fleury (28-23-5, 2.90 GAA, .908 SV%, 4 SO – regular season)

No playoff experience? No problem. Husso was unflappable in stopping all 37 shots to shut out the Wild in Game 1.  He was 7-1-2 with a 3.05 GAA and a .910 SV% in April. The Finnish netminder stopped 66 of 74 shots in his two regular-season wins against Minnesota for a .892 SV%.

Fleury gave up 4 goals, but he was not terrible in Game 1, stopping 27 of 31 shots. Fleury was 0-3 against the Blues in the regular season as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks as he stopped 93 of 103 shots for a .903 SV% and 3.36 GAA. The veteran goalie is 90-71 with a .911 SV% in the playoffs throughout his career.

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Blues at Wild picks and predictions

Prediction

Blues 4, Wild 2

Money line

Coming into this series, I picked the short-dog Blues in 6 games and I might shave that to 5 games after Game 1. The public is heavily behind Minnesota in this one as 90% of the cash and 70% of the tickets back them according to Pregame.com.

The Wild should be motivated because they got embarrassed in their own building, but the Blues’ best line of LW Pavel Buchnevich, C Robert Thomas and RW Vladimir Tarasenko were shut out, and they still won 4-0.

That can’t hold, and I have a difficult time fading a more experienced, heavily talented Blues team. The books feel the same way. Despite a heavy backing of Minnesota, their line hasn’t moved much. LEAN BLUES (+102).

Against the spread

There is no value in the goal of insurance at -260. The only play I would consider here is Blues -1.5 (+235). PASS.

Over/Under

The Under hit in the 4-0 shutout in Game 1, and we should see a little more offense out of a humbled Wild team. The Over is 4-1 in the last 5 between these teams and the last 5 games in Minnesota. However, this is playoff hockey, and both goalies played well in Game 1. We’re going to LEAN UNDER 6.5 (-112).

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The St. Louis Blues skate north to take on the divisional-rival Minnesota Wild for Game 1 of their 1st-round Western Conference playoff series Monday. Puck drop from Xcel Energy Center is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+).  Below, we look at the Blues vs. Wild odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.

The Blues somewhat punted the last 2 games of the season as they really didn’t play with much vigor in a 5-3 loss at the Colorado Avalanche or 7-4 defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Blues should provide some value in this series because they’re underdogs despite being the better team. They have won 12 of their last 14 against the Wild in the regular season and they’ll win this series in 6 games or fewer if they get solid goaltending.

The Wild played some of the best hockey in the league down the stretch to win home-ice advantage. Minnesota was 12-2-2 in April, but the 2 overtime losses were to St. Louis. However, the Wild were down 4-1 in the most recent one and came storming back to force OT before succumbing to the Blues’ offensive pressure. The Wild can use their struggles as a chip on their shoulder against the confident Blues.

Blues at Wild odds and lines

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:40 a.m. ET.

• Money line: Blues +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Wild -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
• Against the spread (ATS): Blues +1.5 (-210) | Wild -1.5 (+160)
• Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)

Blues at Wild projected goalies

Ville Husso (25-7-6, 2.56 GAA, .919 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Marc-Andre Fleury (28-23-5, 2.90 GAA, .908 SV%, 4 SO)

The 27-year-old Husso has no playoff experience, but he had a monster season on his way to free agency. He was 7-1-2 with a 3.05 GAA and a .910 SV% in April. The Finnish netminder stopped 66 of 74 shots in his two wins against Minnesota this season with a .892 SV%. He needs to be average or a little above for the Blues to win the series.

Fleury is expected to get the start over G Cam Talbot, who had trouble with St. Louis during the regular season. Fleury was 0-3 against the Blues this season as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks as he stopped 93 of 103 shots for a .903 SV% and 3.36 GAA. The veteran goalie is 90-70 with a .912 SV% in the playoffs throughout his career.

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Blues at Wild picks and predictions

Prediction

Wild 5, Blues 4

Money line

The Blues could steal Monday’s game, but I think the Wild have the advantage. They played with a lot of heart down the stretch and didn’t cave under the pressure of being neck-and-neck with the Blues for home ice.

There are only a handful of players left from the Blues’ 18-19 Stanley Cup team. So there is some youth, especially in goal, and that may be enough for Minnesota to squeak by. I do think the Blues take 1 of the 2 opening games in Minnesota, but I’m more inclined to LEAN WILD (-145) in Game 1. Hold out until later in the day as 58% of the cash is on the Blues according to Pregame.com, which could bring the lines back in your favor a bit.

Against the spread

It’s hard to see the Wild winning by more than 1 goal as this game may need overtime to settle. PASS.

Over/Under

There were 38 goals scored in these two teams’ last 4 meetings. It’s somewhat surprising to see the juice on the Under. The Blues scored 4 or more goals in 12 straight games from March 28 to April 17, which was the eighth-longest streak in NHL history. They will score, but Minnesota is a physical team that grinds out wins. Take the OVER 6.5 (-107).

Watch: ESPN+ has become a must-have for hockey fans. Get access to more than 1,000 out-of-market NHL games, 75 weekly national games, and more all season. Sign up for ESPN+ now!

Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, Sportsbook Wire’s official sportsbook partner in CO, NJ and soon IA. Bet now!

If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).

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