The San Jose Sharks must still be smoking right now after the colossal offensive production they had in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the St. Louis Blues. But can they do it again and torch St. Louis in Game 2? Or will the Blues bounce back and tie the series up before flying back home for Game 3? Going into the game, the sportsbook favors San Jose with a moneyline of -130. The Sharks are also favored to take the series at -240.
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Betting Preview for St. Louis Blues vs. San Jose Sharks NHL Playoff Western Conference Final Game on May 13, 2019
Where: Enterprise Center, St. Louis
When: Monday, May 13, 2019, 9:00 PM ET
Line: St. Louis Blues (+110) vs. San Jose Sharks (-130) – view all NHL lines
Series: San Jose leads, 1-0
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the St. Louis Blues (45-28-9, Regular Season)
The Blues seemed they didn’t know what hit them in Game 1 of the series, as they picked up a 6-3 road loss to San Jose. The Blues are allowing just 2.79 goals per game in the playoffs, but that was doubled up by San Jose. The usual initial reactions for fans of a losing team is to blame the goalie. Blues netminder Jordan Binnington faced just 24 shots yet let five goals slip past him. However, the Blues’ defense let Binnington in a bad position to defend the goal in a number of situations, and that’s one thing St. Louis will have to find a fix quick. The Blues wasted their otherwise solid job of outshooting San Jose, getting 31 shots to 25 by the Sharks, though, they will have to sustain that going forward. The Blues are fifth in the playoffs with a 53.04 shot attempt percentage, while San Jose is only ninth with a 50.04 percent clip. Tyler Bozak, Ryan O’Reilly, and Joel Edmundson each scored a goal in Game 1. The Blues need first liners Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko to wake up. The two have combined for only a goal over the last five games.
The over is 3-0-1 in St. Louis’ last four road games.
Betting on the San Jose Sharks (46-27-9 Regular Season)
The Sharks flexed their offensive muscle in Game 1, and they are looking to showcase more of it in Game 2. Logan Couture didn’t waste much time in giving the Blues a taste of his scoring prowess, finding the back of the net twice in the series opener. Couture now has 11 postseason goals, and is one of the handful active NHL players with at least 10 points in two postseasons; he had 10 goals back in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Timo Meier also had two goals in Game 1, while veteran Joe Pavelski and Kevin Labanc had a goal apiece. Pavelski has two goals and two assists over the last two games, as he also had an assist and a goal in San Jose’s Game 7 win over the Colorado Avalanche in the second round. The Sharks must be feeling a bit lucky for getting six goals in Game 1 despite firing just 25 shots – and that’s despite them having four power play opportunities to just one by St. Louis. It’s hard to sustain that kind of production on that many shot attempts, so the Sharks will have to do better in winning the possession battle.
The Sharks are 3-0 in their last three home games.
Writer’s Prediction
St. Louis wins, 3-2.
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