The St. Louis Blues and the Dallas Stars are ready to face off at the American Airlines Center in Game 4 of the NHL’s Western Conference Semifinals. This Central Division matchup will get going at 9:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 1, and it’s being shown live on NBC Sports Network.
St. Louis Blues at Dallas Stars Odds
Dallas (-125) is being picked as the favorite over St. Louis (+105) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 5 goals. The odds for betting the total sit at -110 for the over and -110 for the under.
St. Louis is 51-40 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 3.4 units this season. 47 of its contests have gone under the total, while 38 have gone over and just six have pushed. This 2018-19 Blues team is 25-20 SU on the road.
Following a regular season where they scored on 21.1 percent of all power-play chances (the eighth-best), the Blues have connected on 21.4 percent of their power plays in the postseason. Their penalty kill has gone from 81.2 percent in the regular season to 77.3 percent in the playoffs.
St. Louis’ offensive attack attempted 31.6 shots per game in the regular season, resulting in 3.0 goals per outing (ranked 14th overall in the NHL). In the postseason, the club’s maintaining an average of 30.1 shots on goal ( 2.8 goals per game).
Boasting a .905 save percentage and 25.1 saves per game, Jake Allen (19-27-8) has been the primary option in goal for St. Louis this year. If head coach Craig Berube decides to rest him, however, the team may roll with Jordan Binnington (30-11-2), who has a .923 save percentage and 2.06 goals against average this year.
Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Blues. O’Reilly (83 points) has tallied 30 goals and 53 assists, and has recorded multiple points 20 times. Tarasenko has 37 goals and 35 assists to his name, and has logged at least one point in 49 games.
Dallas is 48-43 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 91 regular season outings, 51 of its games have gone under the total, while 28 have gone over and just 12 have pushed. It’s 26-19 SU at home this season.
Dallas has converted on 20.9 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 fifth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
The Stars have been penalized 3.5 times per game this season, and 4.2 per game over their last five games. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 7.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Ben Bishop has denied 27.7 shots per game as the top choice in goal for Dallas. Bishop has 33 wins, 22 losses, and three OT losses and has maintained a solid 2.03 goals against average and a .934 save percentage this season.
The Stars will be led on offense by Tyler Seguin (36 goals, 51 assists).
St. Louis Blues at Dallas Stars Free Picks
Free Pick: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in three of their last five outings.
- St. Louis has managed 32.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Dallas has been attempting 39.4 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Four of Dallas’ last ten contests have been decided by two or more goals, and the team is 4-0 overall in those games.
- St. Louis skaters created 23.1 hits per game last season, while the Stars forced 22.7 hits per matchup.
