Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues Betting Preview
The St. Louis Blues will host the Boston Bruins in an East vs. West late-season matchup on Tuesday.
The Blues boasts one of the league’s top offenses, while Boston has been one of the best at keeping opponents off the scoreboard, offering an intriguing matchup on Tuesday night.
St. Louis hopes to increase their winning streak to double-digits Tuesday, coming into their meeting with the Bruins having won nine games in a row.
The Blues (46-20-10) are in second place in the Central Division, battling it out with the Minnesota Wild (47-21-7), who sit just one point behind St. Louis.
Boston enters Tuesday’s matchup having broken a season-high three-game losing streak Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Bruins (46-24-5) have clinched a playoff berth and are currently sitting in the top wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. Down the stretch, they’ll have to fend off the Washington Capitals (42-23-10) for the top wildcard spot.
St. Louis is listed at -130 over Boston.
Bruins Hope to Get Offense Going As Playoffs Approach
The Bruins recently broke a three-game losing streak, but another troubling streak has emerged as the season winds down. Boston has scored two goals or less in five straight games (2-3-0).
Offensively, the Bruins average just over three goals a game (3.08 GF/G), putting them right around the middle of the league.
Leading goal scorer David Pastrnak (38 goals) has been out of action with a lower-body injury since early April Pastrnak hasn’t played for the Bruins since April 4 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Brad Marchand has also been a significant contributor for the Bruins, sitting second in goals with 31 and first in points with 73.
The Bruins’ strength this season has been their defense. On the year, they average 2.68 GA/G, the fourth-best in the NHL behind the Calgary Flames (2.49 GA/G), New York Rangers (2.47 GA/G), and Carolina Hurricanes (2.43 GA/G).
The Bruins are stingy when it comes to allowing goals; they don’t allow many opportunities toward their net either. On average, Boston allows just over 28 shots per game, the third-best mark in the NHL.
Defenseman Charlie McAvoy has been a standout on the blueline, tallying a team-high 44 assists.
In net, Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman have split duties for Boston. Swaymany has made 35 starts, going 21-12-3 with a .917 SV% and a 2.34 GAA. Meanwhile, Ullmark has made one more start than Swayman, going 23-10-2 with a .912 SV% and a 2.57 GAA.
Blues’ Offense Looks to Stay Hot
The Blues are currently on a nine-game winning streak and look to make it ten on Tuesday night.
Offensively, the Blues average 3.76 GF/G, fourth-best in the NHL behind the Toronto Maple Leafs (3.86 GF/G), Colorado Avalanche (3.87 GF/G), and Florida Panthers (4.19 GF/G).
St. Louis also boasts the NHL’s top shooting percentage (12.4 S%). Vladimir Tarasenko leads the Blues in goals with 33 and points with 76.
Six more Blues have scored 20 goals or more this season, including Pavel Buchnevich (27), David Perron (26), Jordan Kyrou (25), Brayden Schenn (24), Ivan Barbashev (24), and Brandon Saad (22).
Defensively, the Blues have been solid, allowing 2.84 GA/G, which is 10th in the NHL.
This season, Ville Husso and Jordan Binnington have split starts in net for St. Louis. Husso has made 35 starts, going 24-6-5 with a .923 SV% and a 2.44 GAA. Binnington has made 34 starts, going 16-13-4 with a .903 SV% and a 3.14 GAA.
Betting Prediction
The Blues and Bruins met just seven days ago. Tarasenko led the way for St. Louis, scoring two goals in a 4-2 victory.
St. Louis enters the game on fire, while the Bruins haven’t been playing their best hockey as of late.
The Blues have scored five goals or more in six of their last nine games. While the Bruins have kept many offenses in check this season, to win, their offense will likely have to go toe-to-toe with St. Louis’ deep roster.
St. Louis has the fire-power and depth to break through Boston’s strong defense. St. Louis -130 is the pick to play for this one.
