The Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues are all knotted up at two games a piece as they head to a critical game five on Friday night. The Blues will be the host for this game as they have home ice advantage over the Stars in this series. Both the Stars and Blues have each won a road game already in this series, and it is totally up for grabs.
St. Louis was able to win games one and three in this series, but each of them were just one-goal decisions. The Stars have been a little more dominant in their two wins in the series; winning games two and four by two goals apiece. Neither team is very explosive on the offensive end of the ice, but they both feature terrific goaltenders. The St. Louis Blues are -145 over the Dallas Stars in game five of this series.
Rookie Leads Stars in Game Four
Rookie Roope Hintz scored a critical goal in the Stars game four victory, and is tied for the team lead in goals this postseason with five. Alexander Radulov was the star in the first round with four goals, but has found the net just one time in this series. The Stars were one of the worst scoring teams in the NHL during the regular season, and not much has changed for them in this series. Dallas needs to slow the game down, and win with their defense and goaltending.
Ben Bishop is the man in the net for the Stars, and he is trying to get some revenge on the team that drafted him in the Blues. Bishop is giving up just 2.24 goals per game so far this postseason, and he has the ability to carry this Stars team to the Western Conference Finals. Dallas really stymied the Blues in their game two road win, and will try to do the same thing in game five.
Blues Must Protect Home Ice
The St. Louis Blues have been a great road team during the postseason, but they have struggled to hold serve on home ice. St. Louis has gone just 2-3 at home so far in these playoffs, and that is a cause for concern heading into game five. Rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington is giving up just 2.80 goals per game in the playoffs, but he has been very up and down.
Vladimir Tarasenko is one of the most feared goal scorers in the NHL, and he appears to be hitting his stride. Tarasenko scored a power-play goal in the game four loss and now has five goals through the first ten games in the playoffs. Jaden Schwartz leads the Blues with six playoff goals, but St. Louis struggled to get shots in game four.
St. Louis Take 3-2 Series Lead With Win
Dallas should have the momentum heading into game give, but the Stars have struggled to be consistent in the playoffs. A lot of pressure is riding on goalie Ben Bishop, and he is going to face a tough task in this game. Look for the Blues to get an early goal and use that to propel them to a victory in game five. Bet the St. Louis Blues -145 over the Dallas Stars on Friday night in the NHL Playoffs.
