St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild Game 1 Betting Preview
- Playoffs Game 105/02 9:30 PM ETMLTotalScore39STL(3)1056.5100 o440MIN(2)-1256.5-120 u0
The Stanley Cup playoffs have officially begun, as the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild square off in Game 1 of the first round. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN at 9:30 PM EST from Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
St. Louis is expected to start Ville Husso in goal, while the Wild will send Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes. Minnesota opened the game as favorites at -130.
Recent Trends
St. Louis swept the season series against the Wild 3-0 and were one of the hottest teams in April before losing their final two regular season games. Minnesota comes into the series winning eight of their last ten games, including the final two wins against Calgary and Colorado, both playoff teams.
Betting Angles
St. Louis are 9-1 in games after they allow six or more goals in the previous game over the past two seasons, while Dean Evason is 39-9 as head coach with the Wild in home games after playing a home game.
Key Injuries
St. Louis has several players who are questionable to play Monday night, including Brayden Schenn, David Perron, Marco Scandella and Robert Bortuzzo while Mats Zuccarello is questionable for the Wild.
Why Blues Can Win
St. Louis may have arguably been the hottest team coming into the playoffs and have received solid seasons from veterans Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O’Reilly and Schenn while also receiving an excellent first season in St. Louis from Pavel Buchnevich.
If they can get a decent performance from Husso, the offense should have no problem scoring a few goals and taking Game 1 of the series.
Why Wild Can Win
The Blues have four questionable players coming into tonight’s game, which is something the Wild have to take advantage of. Husso did not play well in goal down the stretch, so the Wild will need to take advantage of this early.
St. Louis may have a more experienced team in the playoffs, but Minnesota has a home crowd and a three-time Stanley Cup champion starting in goal.
