Both the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets had their chances to win the Central Division this season but each came up a point short behind Nashville. So, now the Blues and Jets square off in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, with the Jets as home Stanley Cup playoffs betting favorites Wednesday in Game 1.
How to Bet Blues vs Jets 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 1 Betting Lines & Info
This is what we play for. #WeAllBleedBlue pic.twitter.com/Dp6gAqHlJx
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) 10 de abril de 2019
- When: Wednesday, 8 PM ET
- Where: Bell MTS Place
- TV: NHL Network
- Live Stream: NHL.tv
- Game 1 Betting Lines: Winnipeg Jets -115 / St. Louis Blues -105 (Total 5.5)
Penguins vs Islanders 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Odds & Expert Pick for Game 1
Season Series
Winnipeg won the series 3-1 but lost the last matchup 1-0 at home on Dec. 7. Jake Allen had 26 saves to record his first shutout since Dec. 7, 2017. Colton Parayko scored for the Blues during a second-period power play. The Jets managed just six shots on goal in the third period. Connor Hellebuyck made 26 saves for the Jets.
A lot has changed since that last Jets-Blues contest. As the 2018 calendar year ended, Winnipeg was 25-12-2 for the best record in the Western Conference. St. Louis was 15-18-14, last in points in the entire NHL. But since the calendar flipped to 2019, the Blues went 30-10-5 for 65 points, the most in the NHL.
Why Bet on St. Louis?
The Blues became the seventh team in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to make it to the postseason after sitting last overall at any point after New Year’s Day and the first to do it since the 1996-97 Ottawa Senators. The Blues had 13 players score 10 or more goals this season, which is a franchise record. The club also had three defensemen score 10 or more goals this season, which is a franchise record.
Vladimir Tarasenko closed the season strong as he was named the NHL’s first star of the week on Monday. Tarasenko registered three goals and four assists in four games during the week ending Apr. 7. He picked up at least one point in each contest. Tarasenko concluded the campaign with 33 goals and 68 points in 76 games. He is one of two players, with the other being Alex Ovechkin, to have at least 30 goals in each of the past five seasons.
Brayden Schenn flourished for the Blues after he was shifted from center to the wing. Since he was put on the wing with Ryan O’Reilly and Tarasenko on Jan. 23 against the Anaheim Ducks, Schenn has accumulated eight goals and 20 assists in 28 games. He finished the regular season with a four-game point streak.
The Blues struck gold with the rookie Jordan Binnington, who went 24-5-1 with five shutouts in 32 games, with a league-leading 1.89 goals-against average and .927 save percentage, giving him legit consideration for the Calder Trophy. The Blues can always call on Jake Allen (22 games of playoff experience) as the backup.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.01
- Shots: 31.73
- PP/PK Percentage: 21.01
Defense
- Goals: 2.72
- Shots: 28.60
- PP/PK Percentage: 18.45
Why Bet on Winnipeg?
The Jets led the Central Division with 68 points on Feb. 1 but finished 14-14-3. They held onto second place by going 2-1-1 in a season-ending four-game road trip and a 45-42 advantage in regulation/overtime wins (ROW).
The Jets ranked seventh in the league in scoring, averaging 3.29 goals per game. They have three 30-goal scorers in Mark Scheifele (38), Kyle Connor (34), and Patrik Laine (30). Blake Wheeler finished third in the NHL in assists (71). Winnipeg finished fourth in power-play efficiency (24.8 percent) and was even more lethal at Bell MTS (second, 31.4 percent).
The power play was fifth in goals (62) and fourth in percentage (24.8). It will face a stiff test against the Blues’ penalty kill, which finished ninth at 81.5 percent.
Connor Hellebuyck’s numbers (34-23-3, 2.90 goals-against average, .913 save percentage) are off from last season (44-11-9, 2.36 GAA, .924 save percentage) when he was a Vezina Trophy finalist. But he was sharp down the stretch by going 6-3-1 with a 2.36 GAA and .930 save percentage since March 14.
Winger Brandon Tanev (upper body) won’t play in Game 1 versus St. Louis. Tanev is listed as day-to-day with a hand or finger injury. He hasn’t played since Apr. 2 and didn’t practice on Monday. Tanev set career highs in goals (14) and points (29) while playing strong defensively and on special teams. The Jets’ penalty kill has struggled this season; they are one of the league’s worst 10 teams in that area at 79.1 percent; Tanev kills a lot of penalties so his loss could hurt.
Defenseman Josh Morrissey feels good to go for Game 1 against St. Louis. Morrissey was a full participant at Monday’s practice. He said afterward that he felt 100 percent and that he had been cleared to play. Morrissey has been sidelined since Feb. 24 due to an upper-body injury.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.32
- Shots: 31.18
- PP/PK Percentage: 24.80
Defense
- Goals: 2.98
- Shots: 33.35
- PP/PK Percentage: 20.88
Blues vs Jets 2019 Playoffs Game 1 Betting Trends
- Road team is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings
- St. Louis is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
- St. Louis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
- Winnipeg is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games
- Winnipeg is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Winnipeg’s last 7 games
Expert Final Score Prediction for Blues vs Jets
St. Louis Blues 2 – Winnipeg Jets 3
