Wild Smack Blues For Second Straight Game
The St. Louis Blues pitched a shutout in the opening game of this series against the Minnesota Wild. Everybody was so excited on the Blues side that some even thought they might be able to advance.
However, Minnesota has not only stormed back, but have been dominant. They won Game 2 by a score of 6-2. Then in Game 3, they went out and dominated 5-1.
With a one-game lead in the series with the match being played in St. Louis again, will they extend it out even further or will the Blues tie it up? Let’s dive into this NHL game betting preview and see what’s the best option for the NHL odds.
Let’s check the latest NHL lines, stats, injury reports, and NHL odds for Wild vs Blues. We’ve plenty of NHL picks and predictions.
Wild Are Incredibly Confident
As you can probably expect from a team that just dominated back-to-back playoff games, the Wild are feeling great about themselves. They have since been talking about their simplified approach to the game once they lost Game 1.
Whatever minor tweak they made seems to be working a whole lot more than it previously was. The goaltending of Marc-Andre Fleury is helping them reach another level.
Fleury stopped 29 shots in Game 3 and picked up his 92nd career postseason win. Minnesota shouldn’t have much to worry about when they walk into Game 4, as all of the momentum is in their corner.
Injuries Stacking Up For Blues Defense
St. Louis admittedly has lost a ridiculous amount of help on the back end of their rotations. Both Nick Leddy and Robert Bortuzzo were ruled out for Game 3 with various upper-body injuries.
Marco Scandella had also missed a few games of this series before getting the go-ahead in Game 3. Other players like Steven Santini from their AHL team have been called up due to how thin they have been on defense.
If you are looking for a reason why they can’t seem to defend the net, it isn’t entirely on their goalkeeper Ville Husso. Their starting blue line just isn’t able to stay on the ice. Make sure you check the injury news before you betonline.
Wild vs Blues Head-to-Head
The Blues are barely clinging onto the lead in their season series against the Wild. They have won three out of the five matchups against them this year.
Wild vs Blues Game Information
- Game: Wild (53-22-7) vs Blues (49-22-11)
- Location: Enterprise Center, Saint Louis, MO
- Day/Time: Sunday, May 8, 4:30 p.m. ET
- Wild vs Blues Live Stream: NHL TV
Wild vs Blues Betting Lines
Wild vs Blues Prediction
Once again, the total for this game between the Wild and Blues is set for 6.5 in the sportsbook. Just like the last time, it felt like both teams were going to be a little bit tighter in regards to their defense.
While that was the case for the Wild, it certainly wasn’t for St. Louis. Nevertheless, the under struck gold in Game 3. For this one, it looks like the under will cash out again.
The Blues could get a few different defensive players back into the lineup and the Wild are going to have a tough time keeping up these lofty offensive numbers throughout the series.
St. Louis is a veteran team with a lot of experience and they aren’t going to continue to get steamrolled. That’s especially true if they get a few key players back from injuries soon.
