The Boston Bruins took Game 1 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals, thus extending their unbeaten streak to eight games. In other words, they haven’t tasted defeat since the second round of the playoffs, which feels like a very long time ago. Will the Bruins continue that trend? Or will the St. Louis Blues rebound and tie the series at 1-1 before heading home for Game 3? The Blues and the Bruins are +240 and -320 to win the series, respectively.
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Betting Preview for St Louis Blues vs Boston Bruins NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 2 on May 29 2019
Where: TD Garden, Boston
When: Wednesday, May 29, 2019, 8:00 PM ET
Line: St. Louis Blues (+145) vs. Boston Bruins (–165) – view all NHL lines
Series: Boston leads, 1-0
TV Broadcast: NBC
Betting on the St. Louis Blues (45-28-9 Regular Season)
The Blues were trending towards a huge upset win on the road in Game 1, but ended up choking and losing to Boston, 4-2. After going up 2-0, a lead they held until the second period, the Blues succumbed to the relentless attack of Boston and failed to answer any of the Bruins’ four goals. Nevertheless, rookie goalie Jordan Binnington deserves some praise for turning away 34 of 37 shots faced and allowing just a goal in five of Boston’s power play chances. One takeaway for the Blues from that loss is that they have to play with more discipline. The Bruins are the best power play team in the playoffs, and the Blues are lucky Boston went just 1-for-5 on the man advantage. On a positive note, the Blues saw their top line show up to work again, with Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn each scoring a goal in the series opener. The two have combined for six goals and six assists over the last five games.
The over is 3-1 in St. Louis’ past four contests away from home.
Betting on the Boston Bruins (49-24-9 Regular Season)
What rust? Well, the Bruins showed some of that early in Game 1, but ultimately managed to rid themselves of cobweb build-up after a long layoff, as they took the series opener in spectacular power. The Bruins showed resiliency in Game 1, stepping on the gas so hard that the Blues went clueless on how to stop Boston’s attack. The Bruins won the possession battle in that game with 38 shots to just 20 by the Blues. Netminder Tuuka Rask allowed two goals but was steady the rest of the way, finishing with 28 saves on 20 shots faced. Rask is definitely capable of putting up a more impressive performance, which is not good news for St. Louis. Whereas St. Louis got its offense entirely from its big dogs, the Bruins got theirs mostly from the secondary lines and from the blue liners. Once the big hitters get their rhythm for Boston, it could be a feast on offense for the team.
The Bruins are 4-0 straight up (SU) in their last four home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Boston wins, 3-1.
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