Despite the regular season not being over, we have a guaranteed Blues vs Wild NHL playoff series in round 1 of the western conference. This was the first confirmed matchup of the upcoming 2022 NHL Playoffs. It is not yet known which team will be the higher seed, as both teams are neck and neck in season standings.
Minnesota has the slight advantage to become the top seed in this Blues vs Wild NHL playoff series, but if the regular season is an accurate indication, St. Louis may just have the upper hand almost everywhere else.
Let’s take a look at the betting odds and season history for the series, and give our Blues vs Wild NHL playoff prediction.
Blues vs Wild NHL Playoff Series Preview and Stream
Round 1 | NHL Playoffs
St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild
Date: May, 2, 2022
Time: 9:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Enterprise Center – St. Louis, MO / Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN
Coverage: ESPN+
Goaltending:
STL: Ville Husso (25-6-6/2.47/.921 – Expected Starter) / Jordan Binnington (18-14-4/3.13/.901)
MIN: Cam Talbot (32-12-4/2.77/.911 – Expected Starter) / Marc-Andre Fleury (27 – 23 – 5/2.94/.907)
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Blues vs Wild Record | Regular Season History
Every Blues vs Wild game in the regular season was two things; close and high scoring.
In three meetings, the teams combined for 28 goals and went to overtime twice. St. Louis came out victorious in each contest, but did have the advantage of playing on home ice twice, an advantage which importance cannot be understated in this Blues vs Wild NHL playoff series.
The Wild and Blues have the third and fifth best home records, respectively, in the NHL. Whichever team can steal a game on the road may very well end up the victor in this series where wins may be hard to come by, but goals probably won’t. It is probably unrealistic to think the nearly 9.5 goals per game average we saw between these teams in the regular season can hold up over what will likely be a six or seven-game series. However, over bettors should not fear as there is sure to be continued offensive success.
Beyond goals, this playoff series offers a very intriguing set of goaltenders. None of which have had particular success against the opposing squad all season long. Minnesota expected starter Cam Talbot struggled mightily against the Blues this season. Starting all three contests, Talbot allowed 16 goals (5.33GAA) on his way to an undesirable .814 sv%. These numbers are atrocious compared to Talbot’s very respectable season averages of 2.78/.911.
The good news for Wild fans is that their team went out and signed one of the best, most consistent goaltenders in NHL history, Marc-Andre Fleury. As the starer for a much worse team in the Chicago Blackhawks, Fleury also played the Blues three times, making 94 total saves on his way to a 3.33 GAA and .899 sv%.
The Blues goalies split time against Minnesota, each averaging 4.00 GAA, with Husso posting a .891 sv% and Binnington with .897.
Blues vs Wild NHL Playoff Series Betting Odds
NHL Betting odds for Blues vs Wild are taken from BetUS Sportsbook.
Moneyline: STL: (+125) | MIN: (-145)
Series Total Games: 5.5 — Over: (-190) | Under: (+145) / 6.5 — Over: (+200) | Under: (-300)
Series Spread: STL: +1.5 (-165) | MIN: -1.5 (+125) / STL: -1.5 (+200) | MIN: +1.5 (-300)
Public (Spread) Betting via Action Network: STL: (41%) | MIN: (59%)
Odds to Win Stanley Cup: STL: (+1600) | MIN: (+1800)
Blues vs Wild NHL Playoff Series Keys to Victory
St. Louis Blues: The Blues rank near the top of almost every important stat and category in the NHL. They need to continue being who they have been all season. Stay consistent and continue to do the things they’ve done well all season long, particularly on the special teams. The Wild and Blues are ranked within one spot of each other in five on five scoring, but nowhere near the same in powerplay or penalty kill effectiveness. The Blues score the second most powerplay goals in the league, while killing off their own penalties at a top-5 rate. They can create an edge for themselves, and carve out a way to victory by excelling on special teams.
Minnesota Wild: The Wild absolutely have to stay out of the penalty box. For everything St. Louis is, they are not. They don’t score at a high rate with the man advantage, but what’s worse is their inability to kill off a penalty. Opponents average 24.3% success against the Minnesota four-man unit, worse than all but seven teams in the NHL. They also need their young offensive stars to shine bright against a veteran and experienced St. Louis club. Kirill Kaprizov has over 100 points this season, if he doesn’t show up at his best, the offense falls apart. Finally, after countless years of early eliminations, Minnesota fans have got to be praying for and counting on a little Marc-Andre Fleury playoff magic.
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Blues vs Wild NHL Playoff Series Prediction
Our Blues vs Wild NHL playoffs prediction comes down to a gut feeling. Despite having some very good teams, the Minnesota Wild have not been beyond the first round of the NHL playoffs since 2015. The roster they have assembled this year is better than any of the five playoff teams that have come since then. They have more star power, experienced leadership, knowledge and experience between the posts and so much more. It is time for this team to shake its stigma and make a real run at the Stanley Cup.
The Blues have already beaten the Wild three times this year. Do you view that as an advantage, or disadvantage at this point? We believe it could be a detriment because, if this series goes the distance, the Blues would have to win seven of 10 total games against an extremely good Wild team.
We fully expect seven games, but wouldn’t be shocked to see six if one of the aforementioned goaltenders can get hot and steal a game via shutout. Regardless of the outcome, this is a series that even very casual hockey fans should have on their radar.
Our NHL betting Blues vs Wild playoff prediction will be Minnesota Wild Series Moneyline at BetUS.
Blues vs Wild Prediction and NHL Playoffs Picks
Minnesota Wild – Series ML (-145)
*continue to check back on FlurrySports.org as more picks and updated odds will be available upon release*
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