The Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues meet in their final Western Conference round-robin game Sunday at 3 p.m. ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton. We analyze the Stars-Blues NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
With both teams 0-2 in round-robin action, Sunday’s contest will determine the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds for the quarterfinals. The winner will face the eighth-seeded Calgary Flames, while the loser draws the seventh-seeded Vancouver Canucks.
Stars vs. Blues: Projected starting goalies
Anton Khudobin vs. Jake Allen
Khudobin might have been 16-8-4 with a 2.22 goals against average and .930 save percentage during the regular season, but he was waxed in his appearance Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche. He coughed up four goals on 40 shots in a 4-0 loss. Khudobin might get the nod again, as Ben Bishop (leg) is dealing with an injury and is a question mark to play. When Bishop did mand the net Monday, he was waylaid by the Vegas Golden Knights in a 5-3 setback, surrendering four goals. The Stars are definitely going in the opposite direction.
Jordan Binnington, who led the Blues to their first Stanley Cup title last season and became the only rookie to win 16 games in a single playoffs, has been a force in 2019-20. However, Colorado solved him for two goals in a 2-1 loss a week ago (Aug. 2), and while he made 32 saves vs. Vegas Thursday, he was dinged for six goals in a 6-4 defeat. As such, Allen is projected to make his first appearance of the round robin, as the Blues try to keep him sharp in the event he is needed during the remainder of the postseason.
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Stars vs. Blues: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Blues 4, Stars 2
Moneyline (ML)
The BLUES (-143) are the play in this one, as they look to continue their mastery over the Stars (+120). The defending champs have picked up six wins in the previous seven meetings in this series. Perhaps Allen will be the lucky charm, getting St. Louis back on track heading into the quarterfinals. Allen, who started and won each of the past three outings vs. Dallas, was in the crease for a 4-3 shootout win over the Stars on Feb. 29 during the regular season, outdueling Khudobin.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Blues returns a profit of $6.99, while a winning $10 play on the Stars fetches a return of $12.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
Not only has St. Louis topped Dallas in six of the past seven, but the BLUES (-1.5, +195) have won by two or more goals in three of those contests. As such, it’s WORTH MAKING A SMALL-UNIT WAGER on the pick line, too. Allen is the difference here, as Bishop was deemed unfit for the most recent game and might not play in this one. Khudobin could be flustered after getting bounced 4-0 in the last game.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 5.5 (+115) has not been the rule in this series. While the Over is 2-0 in the past two meetings, the Under is 4-2-1 across the past seven battles between these rivals. St. Louis outscored Dallas 23-12 in those previous seven games – and that’s an average of 5.0 total goals per game score by both teams. The Blues have bagged nine goals in the past two meetings, however, and they’ll light the lamp plenty Sunday in their final round-robin game.
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