The Western Conference semifinal series between the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars shifts to Big D on Monday night for Game 3 and it tied 1-1. The Stars are home favorites on the NHL betting lines to take a 2-1 lead.
How to Bet Blues vs Stars 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Lines & Game 3 Info
- When: Monday, 8 PM ET
- Where: American Airlines Center
- TV: NBC Sports Network
- Live Stream: NHL.tv
- Radio: The Fan
- 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Lines: Dallas Stars -120 (Total 5)
Why Bet on St. Louis?
After winning Game 1 3-2, the Blues were 4-2 losers in Game 2 at home. Jaden Schwartz scored a goal in the loss. Schwartz struck early in the third period to cut the Blues’ deficit to 3-2, but that was as close as they would get. The goal was challenged for goaltender inference by the Stars, but it held up after video review. Schwartz has been red hot with five goals in his last four outings. He is up to six points in eight contests this postseason.
Colton Parayko scored a goal and added an assist in the loss. Parayko got the Blues on the board at the 14:25 mark of the first period after the Stars jumped out to a 2-0 lead. He also picked up the lone assist on a goal by Jaden Schwartz early in the third period. Parayko has five points in eight playoff games this year.
Jordan Binnington stopped 31 of 34 shots. The Stars got all three goals on Binnington during the first period to take a 3-1 lead going into the second stanza. Binnington has been chosen as a finalist for the Calder Trophy, which goes to the NHL’s top rookie. During the regular season, Binnington ranked first with a 1.89 goals-against average and fourth with a .927 save percentage among all goaltenders who played 25 or more games. He also finished in the top-10 with five shutouts, while posting a 24-5-1 record.
When a best-of-seven series is tied 1-1, the winner of Game 3 owns an all-time series record of 213-103 (67.4%) – including a 1-3 mark in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Blues have yet to lose on the road this season in the playoffs, going 3-0 against Winnipeg in the first round.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 2.98
- Shots: 31.56
- PP/PK Percentage: 21.21
Defense
- Goals: 2.72
- Shots: 28.69
- PP/PK Percentage: 18.73
Why Bet on Dallas?
Ben Bishop made 32 saves for the Stars in Game 2. He is 11-3 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs following a loss. He came into the game with a 1.60 goals-against average and .941 save percentage in those situations after losing Game 1 3-2. A third-round pick by the Blues in the 2005 NHL Draft (85th overall), Bishop also improved to 10-2 in 12 career playoff appearances after allowing three or more goals.
“I do a pretty good job of not carrying the luggage with me,” Bishop said. “I’ve been pulled, I’ve given up six (goals). It happens. That’s the cool thing about playoffs. Every game is a new game and you don’t carry on that from the last game. You can have good ones, you can have bad ones. There is obviously a bigger spotlight on the bad ones and everybody else wants to blow them up. But I’ve done a pretty good job of leaving them in the rearview mirror and getting ready for the next one.”
Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen each found the back of the net in the win. It marked the first time in NHL history two Finnish-born rookies on the same team each scored at least one goal in a postseason game. Dallas rookies have combined for six goals in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs (6 of 24; 25%), its highest such total in a postseason in 36 years.
Hintz, who also scored an empty netter and collected a highlight-reel assist on Heiskanen’s goal, leads all rookies with seven points in these playoffs. His four goals are tied for the most in a postseason by a Stars rookie since the franchise began to play in Dallas (w/ Niko Kapanen in 2003).
Hintz became the second Stars/North Stars rookie in the last 37 years to record three points in a postseason game, joining Don Barber in Game 4 of the 1990 Division Semifinals. Hintz recorded his second multi-goal game of the playoffs to become the third rookie in franchise history to record two multi-goal games in a postseason, joining Steve Christoff in 1980 and Dino Ciccarelli in 1981.
Heiskanen, meanwhile, scored his second goal of the playoffs to join Curt Giles as the second Stars/North Stars rookie defenseman to score multiple goals in a postseason. The 19-year-old has scored 14 goals in 2018-19 (regular season and playoffs combined), the second-highest such total in a season by a Stars/North Stars rookie defenseman behind only Brad Maxwell in 1977-78 (18 G).
“The guy’s a sure-fire Hall of Famer, no doubt,” Bishop said of Heiskanen. “He’s one of the best defensemen that I’ve ever played with, and he’s only 19. The sky is the limit for him.”
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 2.60
- Shots: 30.91
- PP/PK Percentage: 20.83
Defense
- Goals: 2.43
- Shots: 31.80
- PP/PK Percentage: 16.09
Blues vs Stars 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Trends
- Underdog is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings
- Under is 5-2-1 in the last 8 meetings
- St. Louis is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Dallas
- The total has gone UNDER in 13 of St. Louis’ last 20 games against an opponent in the West conference
- Dallas is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
- The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Dallas’ last 14 games played on a Monday
Expert Final Score Prediction for Blues vs Stars
St. Louis Blues 2 – Dallas Stars 3
