Puck Drops on 2019 Stanley Cup Finals

2019 Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 Odds

I’ve Got the Blues

The St. Louis Blues are looking for their first ever Stanley Cup title. In fact, they are looking or their first ever Stanley Cup Final win. The organization reached the pinnacle of the NHL season in 1968, 1967, and 1970, but never won a single game. Their last appearance, almost half a century ago, was against none-other than the Boston Bruins.

Although they ended the regular season 3^rd in the Central Division, this year has been seriously up and down for the Blues. They found themselves in last place heading into January, which is pretty late in the season to stage a comeback. Utilizing their incredible depth chart, the Blues won 42 of their last 64 games, an NHL record. They are currently 12 of 19 in the playoffs.

 

The Blues started their postseason journey by overcoming the Winnipeg Jets 4 games to 2. The second round was a battle with the Dallas Stars where the Blue Notes eked out a Game 7 win in double overtime. In the Conference Finals series, St. Louis overcame the San Jose Sharks 4-2 to advance to compete for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

On a Roll

The Boston Bruins are running hot right now, winning 7 straight. They started the postseason going to 7 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, followed by a tough series with the Columbus Bluejackets. The Bruins advanced to the Finals with a sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes 11 days ago. They’ve had to wait almost two weeks to see who they’d be playing. The question is: will they be rested or will they be rusty?

The Bruins organization is the oldest team in the US and the third oldest in the NHL. They’ve won the Stanley Cup 6 times since their inception in 1924, the most recent in 2011.

 

The B’s have made the Playoffs in 72 out of their 95-year history, so they are no strangers to the pressure. They have the NHL record for most consecutive postseason appearances with a whopping 29 back to back seasons.

Finals Odds

The Bruins are favored to win this game at -152 at BetOnline with the Total set at 5. Boston is also favored to hoist the Stanley Cup. By the numbers, this match-up looks tight. Both Boston and St. Louis have scored 16 goals in each of the first two periods and 24 goals in the third period during this postseason run. If you are betting period by period scoring, the final frame looks good as the highest scoring, with over 40 percent of their total goals scored in that segment.

 

 

It’s also going to be a battle of the goalies. Both tenders have been absolutely clutch this postseason. Boston’s Tuukka Rask is the odds-on favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy and rookie Jordan Binnington of the Blues is playing lights out as well. Twenty-five-year-old Binnington has a .914 save percentage, while Rask is at .924. Both have tallied shutouts in the 2019 Playoffs.

Get ready for an intense series with few shorthanded opportunities. The Blues are No. 1 in fewest penalty minutes and the Bruins are No. 2 in that category. Check out our Live Betting Guide and start betting in-game on the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals!