The Wild didn’t disappoint in their first game at Minnesota in this year’s playoffs. They dominated top-seeded St. Louis en route to a 3-0 win, taking the series lead two games to one. But the Blues remain one of the best road teams in the league, and Vladimir Tarasenko can never be counted out. Can the Blues even up the series before heading back to St. Louis for Game 5?
Read on for everything you need to know heading into this explosive Western clash. In the meantime, get your playoff hockey fix with our complete previews for the Ducks vs. Jets and Rangers vs. Penguins.
[sc:NHLArticles ]St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild 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 at Minnesota Wild – view all NHL lines
Game 5 – April 24, TBD, Minnesota Wild at St. Louis Blues
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 St. Louis Blues
Well, Vladimir Tarasenko can be stopped. After getting a hat trick in Game 2, St. Louis’ star forward was held without a shot on goal Monday night for Game 3. Tarasenko was also held without a shot on goal in Game 1.
[sc:NHL240 ]But keeping him contained may be too far-fetched, even for Minnesota’s stringent defense (2.4 goals against per game, sixth in the regular season). Tarasenko had three regular season points in two games at Minnesota’s Xcel Energy Center. Including Game 2’s hat trick, he now has nine points in his last seven games against the Wild overall.
In order to open up Tarasenko for some precious scoring opportunities, the rest of the Blues need to be able to threaten Minnesota’s defense. Kevin Shattenkirk should be an excellent conductor for St. Louis’ attack. He leads the Blues with four points (all assists) in the playoffs.
Patrick Berglund, Alexander Steen and Jaden Schwartz could threaten to net their fair share of goals after each scoring a goal in the series thus far. A few goals should be enough to keep the Blues in the game or even take the lead especially with an excellent netminder like Jake Allen in between the pipes.
Allen has been solid in three playoff games thus far. He has a .933 save percentage and has allowed just five goals. Allen should get the start again, considering the Blues’ other goaltender Brian Elliot is 1-2 with a 3.80 GAA in three games against the Wild in the regular season.
The Blues have lost three of their last four visits to Minnesota.
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Betting on the Minnesota Wild
What discipline these Wild ones have. The Minnesota Wild took Game 3 without a single trip to the penalty box. But it’s not like Minnesota dodged a bullet by avoiding the man disadvantage. The Wild have the best penalty kill percentage (86.3 percent) in the league, which should help cancel out St. Louis’ top-four power play (22.3 percent).
Minnesota was as impressive on the attack as it was in keeping one of the league’s best offenses off the boards. Jason Pominville and Zach Parise fed off one another, each assisting in the other’s goal. Mikael Granlund wasn’t to be left out of the party, assisting in both goals as well. Nino Niederreiter put the final nail in the coffin, converting an empty-netter in the dying minutes of the game.
Parise and Pominville both have the second-most points in the postseason (four) thus far. Granlund has been a vital cog in Minnesota frontline this postseason, ranking second in the league in plus/minus (+4). This excellent frontline should be able to exploit the Blues’ goalie, Allen, who has allowed 14 goals (six at Minnesota alone) in his last six games on the road.
Playoff rookie goalie, Devan Dubnyk, saved all 17 shots he faced for his first career-playoff shutout. The Wild gave their excellent netminder plenty of help with 18 blocked shots. The Wild had allowed the Blues to score 2.71 goals per game in their last seven home games prior to the Game 3 shutout. Minnesota lost five of those games.
Dubnyk has lost three of his last four home games for the Wild.
Writer’s Prediction
The Wild shut out Tarasenko yet again. Minnesota wins Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead to St. Louis.
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