Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Monday 6/3/19
The Boston Bruins regained the home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals by dominating Game 3, 7-2. That gives Boston a 2-1 lead in the series.
The Bruins would dominate this contest from the start, scoring three first-period goals, and netting for unanswered tallies before St. Louis would get on the board. Patrice Bergeron got the scoring started with his ninth goal of the playoffs, a power-play goal, and Charlie Coyle and Sean Kuraly would add a goal late in the frame.
Boston would score their third goal with just 10 seconds left in the first and then would add a goal 41 seconds into the second when David Pastrnak scored the second power-play goal of the game for Boston. After St. Louis got on the board at the 11-minute mark, Torey Krug scored the Bruins third power-play goal of the game. That would chase Jordan Binnington from the contest.
Each team would add power-play goals in the third, as Boston outscored St. Louis 2-1 in the frame earning the 7-2 victory.
Featured Game
Boston Bruins (-107) vs. St. Louis Blues (-114)
Boston Notes
The Bruins “Perfection Line” had another big contest, as Patrice Bergeron scored a power-play goal and added two assists. Defenseman Torey Krug also had a huge night, adding three assists in scoring a power-play goal of his own. His four points tied a franchise record for points in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Boston power-play scored four goals in Game 3, knocking Jordan Binnington out of the game for the first time this season. The Bruins scored on all four of their power-play opportunities.
St. Louis Notes
There was a lot of grumbling from the St. Louis coaching staff about the number of power plays that Boston received, but St. Louis actually had one more power-play chance than the Bruins did. Boston just capitalized, scoring on all four of their power-play opportunities while St. Louis scored on just one of five. St. Louis was also beaten at the face-off circle, losing 56% of the draws.
Ivan Barbashev has four points (3 goals, assist) in his last seven games.
Goaltending Matchup:
Tuukka Rask continues to dazzle, winning nine of his last 10 starts now. Rask stopped 27 of 29 shots he faced and did not allow his first goal and tell this contest was well in hand. The Boston goaltender has a 1.91 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage in the playoffs. He has not allowed more than three goals since Game 4 in the first round of the playoffs and has allowed two goals or less in seven of his last eight starts.
Binnington took it on the chin in Game 3, allowing five goals on 19 shots before his night was over. that is the fourth time in these playoffs that he is allowed at least five goals in a game, but has responded by allowing two goals or less in the following three contests. The St. Louis goaltender has a 2.54 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.
Stat Pack:
Bruins:
Goals For: 3.50
Goals Against: 2.00
Power-Play: 35.9%
Penalty Killing: 86.9%
Blues:
Goals For: 2.91
Goals Against: 2.77
Power-Play: 18.1%
Penalty Killing: 72.7%
Trends to Know
Boston Bruins are:
5-0 in their last five games on the road.
2-4 in their last six Stanley Cup Finals games.
36-16 in their last 52 games.
St. Louis Blues are:
19-8 in their last 27 games at home.
37-19 in their last 56 games.
4-1 in their last five games on Monday.
Prediction
The St. Louis Blues got beaten badly in Game 3, but they have responded with victories in the last two such contests. That includes twice against the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference finals, where the team allowed three total goals after allowing five in each of the prior contests.
We thought the two teams would split these two games in St. Louis, but figured it would be the Blues that would come away with the victory in Game 3. We stick to our principles here and believe that the series will be tied at two heading back to Boston.
The total is set at 5.5 and we look for this to be a low-scoring affair. Binnington rebounds to prove why he was the Calder Trophy winner. Look for the St. Louis Blues to win 3-2.
NHL
Dunkel
Monday, June 3
Boston @ St. Louis
Game 7-8
June 3, 2019 @ 8:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Boston
15.639
St. Louis
12.134
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 3 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-110
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-110); Under
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NHL
Long Sheet
Monday, June 3
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BOSTON (63-29-0-10, 136 pts.) at ST LOUIS (58-35-0-11, 127 pts.) - 6/3/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 43-24 ATS (+7.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 280-200 ATS (+15.4 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
ST LOUIS is 22-10 ATS (+10.5 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
ST LOUIS is 37-25 ATS (+4.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 25-13 ATS (+11.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 216-169 ATS (+46.9 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
BOSTON is 42-21 ATS (+8.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 38-23 ATS (+8.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BOSTON is 25-15 ATS (+6.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 5-4-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.2 Units)
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NHL
Monday, June 3
Trend Report
Boston Bruins
Boston is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Boston is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 6 games on the road
Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Boston's last 10 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of St. Louis's last 9 games
St. Louis is 1-11 ATS in its last 12 games at home
St. Louis is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games at home
St. Louis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Boston
St. Louis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 7 of St. Louis's last 10 games when playing at home against Boston
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by Kyle Markus
Stanley Cup Finals Game 4 Preview
Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues
The Boston Bruins didn’t look uncomfortable at all on the road in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals, dominating the St. Louis Blues to retake the lead in the series. The Blues have to play better next time out in Game 4 or risk being put in a tough spot.
St. Louis is the slight favorite in this matchup and a win would send the Stanley Cup Finals back to Boston knotted at two games apiece. This is a humongous showdown and the Blues have to take advantage of the home ice in NHL wagering. Boston, meanwhile, would simply love for a redux of the previous showdown.
Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals will feature the Boston Bruins vs. the St. Louis Blues at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, June 3rd, 2019. The Blues will host the matchup at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri and it will be nationally televised on NBC.
We'll have NHL odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals.
Odds Analysis
The Blues are slight favorites to even this series at two games apiece, as they are the -120 favorites on the moneyline to win Game 4. The Bruins are listed at +100 to pull the minor upset. The goal total is set at 5.5 goals, with the “under” the -135 favorite and the “over” listed at +115. The Blues are the +241 underdogs to cover the -1.5-goalline, while the Bruins are listed at -295 to lose by one goal or win this contest.
The Bruins are the heavy favorites to win the Stanley Cup at -350 while the Blues are listed at +281 odds to pull off the upset and hoist the trophy in NHL gambling.
Last Time Out
After losing Game 2, the Bruins made quick work of the Blues in this one. They scored three goals in the first period and then cruised to the 7-2 victory. Center Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists, defenseman Torey Krug had a goal and three assists and left winger David Pastrnak added a goal for Boston.
The Bruins’ winning streak of eight games was ended in Game 2, and some wondered how Boston would react as the series shifted to St. Louis. But the Bruins showed no ill effects by scoring the first four goals of the contest. St. Louis needs to tighten up its defense or else the Bruins are going to seize control of this series in Game 4.
Suspension Update
Blues center Oskar Sundqvist was suspended for Game 3 of the series after a hit on Boston’s Matt Grzelcyk in Game 2. Sundqvist will be back for Game 4 and is hoping to have a helpful impact for St. Louis.
Sundqvist had an assist in Game 2 and has a goal and two assists over his past five playoff games. He finished the regular season with 14 goals and 17 assists. Some on the Blues didn’t agree with the suspension but it is water under the bridge now and now St. Louis will welcome him back.
Free NHL ATS Picks
The Bruins are clearly the superior team, but playing on the road is not easy. Boston could win this game, but the best idea is riding with the Bruins to cover as 1.5-goal underdogs on the spread. Boston seems likely to lose by one goal if that happens, so this wager will cover bettors even if the Blues manage to tie the series at two after Game 4 in NHL gambling.
The “over” is the better call on the goal total.
Best Bet: St. Louis Blues 4, Boston Bruins 3