Along the way to a Stanley Cup championship there are always near-death experiences and close calls that could have easily gone the wrong way for the eventual winner.
- Date & Time
- May 11th, 2019 8:00pm
- Location
- SAP Center, San Jose, California
- Media Coverage
- NBC
- Teams
Along the way to a Stanley Cup championship there are always near-death experiences and close calls that could have easily gone the wrong way for the eventual winner. And when a team does escape those close calls a feeling of destiny takes over at Top rated sportsbooks. That is certainly looking like the case with the San Jose Sharks. San Jose was as good as dead multiple times in their first round seven game series win over the Vegas Golden Knights. And they had another near disaster turned win in their second round seven game series win over the Colorado Avalanche. In the same way, if not for a stunning third period rally in game five at the Winnipeg Jets in the first round the St. Louis Blues would likely be on the golf links right now. The Blues and Sharks will now meet in game one of the Western Conference Final.
St. Louis Blues vs. San Jose Sharks Game 1
NHL Betting Online Odds
Road to the Conference Final
St. Louis upset the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the playoffs with a six-game series win. They needed a full seven games and two overtimes to score the second-round win at offshore sportsbooks over the Dallas Stars. San Jose pulled off one of the most miraculous playoff wins in NHL history in a seven game first round thriller against Vegas. In the second-round home ice was again their advantage with a seven-game clincher against Colorado.
Blues and Sharks ATS Stats
St. Louis has held good value at Online sportsbooks in road games with six payouts in their last eight games on enemy ice. Only one of the Blues last five road tilts have gone under the total. But few venues offer a better home ice advantage than the SAP Center. San Jose has won seven of their last nine games at the Shark Tank. Over the total has paid in 11 of the Sharks last 13 games on home ice.
Head to Head Series
This year the Blues won two of the three meetings between these teams but it must also be kept in mind that the home team was victorious in all three games in this head to head series for 2018-19. At the Shark Tank San Jose has won seven of their last 12 matchups with the Blues. Only two of the last seven between these teams at SAP Center have gone over the total.
Top Players
St. Louis left wing Jaden Schwartz has a team high eight goals along with three assists and a plus seven. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has two goals, nine assists and a plus two. Pietrangelo is often underrated but continues to prove his worth as a top tier blue liner.
For the Sharks centers Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl have been on fire with nine goals and five assists each. Defenseman Brent Burns has five goals and nine assists with a plus two. Burns has emerged as one of the NHL’s elite defensemen.
Between the Pipes
Following a terrible start to the playoffs in the series against Vegas, Martin Jones has been clutch for the Sharks. Jones has a .910 save percentage and 2.72 goals against average in the playoffs so far.
For St. Louis, rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington has a .915 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average. Binnington flashed nerves of steel with do or die saves in the game seven win over Dallas.
Blues vs. Sharks Betting Odds Free Picks
This is a matchup of two even teams in which the Blues have had the slightly better defense while the Sharks have shown a bit more offense. With all else even the Shark Tank could prove to be the difference.
Blues vs. Sharks Betting Pick: Bet the San Jose Sharks
Blues vs. Sharks Score Prediction: Sharks 3, Blues 1
