Minnesota failed in its chance to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series, dropping Game 4, 6-1, to the visiting St. Louis Blues. The Wild now return to St. Louis where they’ve struggled in recent games. But if there’s one thing Zach Parise and the rest of the gutsy Wild can do, it’s steal crucial games. Can the Wild once again silence St. Louis’ fans? Read on for everything you need to know heading into this game.
There’s plenty more playoff hockey to be played. Check out our complete previews for the Penguins vs. Rangers and Senators vs. Canadiens.
[sc:NHLArticles ]Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues Preview
Series Scores & Schedule
Game 1- April 16, 9:30 PM ET, Minnesota Wild 4, St. Louis Blues 2
Game 2 – April 18, 3:00 PM ET, Minnesota Wild 1, St. Louis Blues 4
Game 3 – April 20, 8:00 PM ET, St. Louis Blues 0, Minnesota Wild 3
Game 4 – April 22, 9:30 PM ET, St. Louis Blues 6, Minnesota Wild 1
Game 5 – April 24, 9:30 PM ET, Minnesota Wild at St. Louis Blues – view all NHL lines
Game 6 – April 26, TBD, St. Louis Blues at Minnesota Wild
Game 7* – April 29, TBD, Minnesota Wild at St. Louis Blues
*If necessary
Betting on the Minnesota Wild
Two days after shutting out St. Louis, Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk was given a bad case of the blues. Dubnyk allowed six goals on 17 shots in just 36:50 on the ice. That type of performance from their starting goalie should be concerning for the Wild considering their backups have not fared too well against St. Louis. Darcy Keumper and Niklas Backstrom each lost their respective regular season starts against the Blues.
[sc:NHL240 ]To save their netminder some trouble, the Wild need to limit St. Louis’ open opportunities for shots. Minnesota finished with just nine blocked shots in Game 4’s 6-1 loss compared to 18 blocked shots in Game 3’s shutout. The Wild are in some tough luck, though. Dubnyk has allowed 3.33 goals per game in his last three starts at St. Louis, including the regular season finale.
For a chance to bring a 3-2 series lead back to Minnesota, the Wild need to ramp up their offense through excellent play from the frontline of Jason Pominville, Zach Parise and Mikael Granlund. Each of the three has a team-leading four points. Minnesota’s chance of stealing a win at St. Louis depends on their ability to create plays for the team.
The total has gone over in four of Minnesota’s past six games.
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Betting on the St. Louis Blues
You just can’t hold a star like Vladimir Tarasenko down for too long. He may have been shut out along with the rest of the Blues in Game 3, but he exploded back to life with his fourth and fifth playoff goals in Game 4. He has now scored five of the Blues’ 12 postseason goals thus far.
Tarasenko’s success has had a lot to do with Kevin Shattenkirk creating precious scoring opportunities. Shattenkirk assisted in both of Tarasenko’s Game 4 goals. The Blues defenseman shares a postseason-high seven assists with Anaheim’s Corey Perry. Having a game-changer like Shattenkirk should help St. Louis get past a usually stringent Minnesota defense.
Speaking of game-changers, Patrik Berglund is also an important cog in St. Louis’ overall play. He leads the postseason with a plus/minus of five. Berglund scored a goal in the Blues’ big 4-1 win at home for in Game 2.
Jake Allen is winning the goaltender battle for St. Louis. He now has a 1.51 GAA and a .935 save percentage after the first four playoff games. The Wild’s Dubnyk has a 3.06 GAA and a .864 save percentage in the playoffs thus far.
The Blues have won seven of their last 10 home games against Minnesota.
Writer’s Prediction
Tarasenko catches fire again to lead St. Louis to a 3-2 series lead.
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