The Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues are set to battle at the Enterprise Center in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. This East-West matchup will get going at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 1, and it is being televised live on NBC Sports Network.
Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues Odds
St. Louis (-120) is being picked as the favorite over Boston (+100), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 5 goals (-145 for the over, +125 for the under).
Boston is 62-39 straight up (SU) and has earned 6.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 55 of its matches have gone under the total, while 42 have gone over and just four have pushed. As the road team in 2018-19, the Bruins are 26-23 SU.
Following a regular season where they scored on 27.0 percent of all power-play chances (the third-strongest), the Bruins have been able to score on 31.7 percent of their postseason power play opportunities.
Boston’s offense attempted 32.8 shots per game in the regular season, leading to 3.2 goals per contest (ranked 11th overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the club’s managing an average of 33.3 shots on goal 3.3 goals per game.
With a .921 save percentage and 26.2 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (40-25-7) has been the primary option in goal for Boston this year. If Boston decides to rest him, however, the team may roll with Jaroslav Halak (22-18-4 record, .922 save percentage, 2.34 goals against average).
The visiting Bruins will be led by Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. Marchand (119 points) has tallied 44 goals and 75 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 37 different games. Pastrnak has 45 goals and 52 assists to his name, and has logged at least one point in 53 games.
Over on the other bench, St. Louis is 58-45 straight up (SU) and has earned 5.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 103 regular season outings, 52 of its games have gone under the total, while 44 have gone over and just seven have pushed. It’s 29-22 SU at home this year.
St. Louis has converted on 20.4 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked ninth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.0 percent of all penalties.
The Blues have been penalized only 3.3 times per game this season, and 1.6 per game over their last five at home. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 7.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jordan Binnington has denied 24.4 shots per game as the primary option in goal for St. Louis. Binnington has 37 wins, 16 losses, and three OT losses and has maintained a .922 save percentage and a solid 2.08 goals against average this season.
Ryan O’Reilly (31 goals, 61 assists) will pace the attack for STL.
Boston Bruins vs. St. Louis Blues Betting Predictions
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- For both of these clubs, the total has gone under in three of their past five outings.
- Six of Boston’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 6-0 in those games.
- Boston skaters registered 24.3 hits per game last season, while the Blues posted 23.1 hits per contest.
