The Boston Bruins rallied to win Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday night and look for a 2-0 lead on Wednesday before the series shifts to St. Louis. The Bruins are favored on the NHL odds over the St. Louis Blues.
Blues vs Bruins 2019 Stanley Cup Finals Game 2 Odds, Preview & Prediction
- When: Wednesday, 8 PM ET
- Where: TD Garden
- TV: NBC Sports Network
- Stream: NHL.tv
- Radio: St. Louis / Boston
- 2019 Stanley Cup Finals Game 2 Lines: Bruins -165, Blues +150 (total 5.5)
Why Bet on St. Louis?
The Blues jumped on the Bruins for a 2-0 lead by early in the second period in Game 1 on Monday night but couldn’t hold it and lost 4-2. Brayden Schenn scored a goal and an assist in the loss. Schenn opened the scoring at the 7:23 mark of the first period.
The Blues also extended their lead to 2-0 early in the second period when Vladimir Tarasenko found the back of the net, but their play quickly dipped over the final 40 minutes. Schenn finished Game 1 with an even rating, six shots on goal and two hits in 17:55 of ice time. He now has three goals and nine points in 20 games this postseason. Schenn is now riding a three-game point streak.
Tarasenko played a part in Schenn’s opening goal, as he negated an icing by beating Zdeno Chara to a puck but he didn’t collect an assist on that play. Tarasenko then added the marker early in the second frame. The Russian winger finished Game 1 with a plus-1 rating, two shots on goal and one hit in 16:15 of ice time. The 27-year-old has nine goals and 14 points in 20 postseason games. Tarasenko has now picked up at least one point in each of this last seven contests, tied for the third-longest in franchise playoff history.
Jordan Binnington allowed three goals on 37 shots. Binnington came up big throughout the second period, but he simply couldn’t keep the Bruins from taking the lead. The 25-year-old has a 12-8 record with a 2.40 goals-against-average and a .915 save percentage this postseason.
Blueliner Vince Dunn (upper body) didn’t play in Game 1. Dunn is getting close to being available to play, though, according to coach Craig Berube. He was on the ice for the team’s morning skate and he was back to wearing a regular helmet. Dunn was sporting extra protection on his helmet in his previous two on-ice sessions after he took a puck to the face in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
St. Louis is 6-24 all-time in a playoff series after trailing 1-0. One of the Blues’ six series victories in that scenario came in the 2019 Western Conference Finals against San Jose.
Team Statistics
Offense- Goals: 3.00
- Shots: 31.46
- PP/PK Percentage: 20.53
- Goals: 2.70
- Shots: 28.65
- PP/PK Percentage: 19.00
Why Bet on Boston?
The Bruins improved to 9-0 in nine all-time postseason contests against St. Louis. The Bruins became the third franchise in NHL history to win each of their first nine or more playoff games against one opponent – the Oilers did so against the original Jets (16-0; 1983-88) and the Canadiens also accomplished the feat against the Blues (12-0; 1968-77).
Boston’s eight-game winning streak stands as the franchise’s third-longest in a playoff year, behind a 10-0 stretch in 1970 and 9-0 streak in 1972 (both years they won the Stanley Cup). Boston has outscored opponents 32-11 during its current streak. Boston posted the 28th multi-goal comeback win in franchise playoff history – and first in the Stanley Cup Final.
Sean Kuraly scored a goal and an assist in Monday’s win. Kuraly registered the primary assist on Connor Clifton’s second-period goal and he added the game-winner early in the third frame. He finished the night with a plus-2 rating, two penalty minutes, three shots on goal and two hits in 14:21 of ice time. The 26-year-old has three goals and seven points in 14 games this postseason. Including the regular season, nine of his 21 career NHL goals have either tied the game (3) or stood as the winner (6).
Tuukka Rask turned aside 18 of 20 shots in Game 1. Rask wasn’t overly busy in the final two periods (he only faced 12 shots on goal). The Bruins netminder now owns a 13-5 record this postseason. He’ll head into Game 2 with a 1.85 goals-against-average and a .940 save percentage. His eight-game playoff winning streak is the second-longest such run by a Bruins goaltender behind only Gerry Cheevers’ 10 straight playoff victories in 1970.
Top defensemen Zdeno Chara is OK after he took a puck to the wrist in Game 1. Chara sustained a cut after he blocked a shot from Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko on the play and he immediately went to the dressing room for repairs.
Since the Stanley Cup Finals went to the best-of-seven format in 1939, the team that has won Game 1 has gone on to capture the Stanley Cup 77.2% of the time (61 of 79 series).
Team Statistics
Offense- Goals: 3.20
- Shots: 32.89
- PP/PK Percentage: 27.12
- Goals: 2.50
- Shots: 29.86
- PP/PK Percentage: 18.86
Blues vs Bruins 2019 Stanley Cup Finals Game 2 Betting Trends
- Blues are 6-3 SU in the last 9 games
- Blues are 3-9 in the last 12 Wednesday games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. Louis’ last 7 games
- Bruins are 24-8 in the last 32 games following a win
- Bruins are 21-5 in the last 26 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games against an opponent in the West conference
- Home team is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings
Expert Prediction for Blues vs Bruins Game 2
Bruins 3, Blues 2
