Minnesota Wild at St. Louis Blues Betting Preview
13 May 2021
The Wild are going to finish in third place in the West Division, which was much better than expected in the preseason. Minnesota has a young roster, and they will have something to prove in the postseason.
St. Louis got off to a slow start to the season, but they have turned it on in recent weeks. The Blues have 61 points on the year, and they will be the fourth seed in the West Division.
The Minnesota Wild are the betting favorites at -120 in this Thursday night matchup against the St. Louis Blues.
Wild Need to Find Some Offense
The Minnesota Wild failed to light the lamp on Wednesday night, but this team has been great on the offensive end all season long. Minnesota is scoring 3.22 goals per game while giving up just 2.76 on the other end of the ice.
Rookie forward Kirill Kaprizov leads the team with 27 goals and 51 total points, and he looks like the future face of the NHL. Jordan Greenway has also been great this year, leading the team with 25 assists.
The Wild want to play extremely fast at both ends of the ice, but they also need to find a way to be physical against the Blues.
Veterans Carrying Blues
The St. Louis Blues have a pair of veterans that have been leading the way for this team all season long. David Perron leads the way with 38 assists and 55 total points, and center Ryan O’Reilly has a team-high 24 points on the year.
St. Louis has been getting better in special team play as of late, but this is still an area that needs to improve for the playoffs. The Blues still have a negative goal differential on the year, but this team will be a force in the postseason.
Goaltender Ville Husso had a shutout in the win on Wednesday night, and he could be back in the net in this one.
Blues Beat Wild at Home
Minnesota has been much better than St. Louis this season, but the Wild did not play well on Wednesday night. St. Louis is trying to build up some momentum for the postseason, and they were great in the win in the first meeting with Minnesota.
The Blues want to limit the scoring chances for the Wild, and that will give them another chance to take control. Minnesota will score on Thursday night, but St. Louis has a solid plan in place to beat the Wild.
St. Louis dominated the game on Wednesday night, and this veteran team should have what it takes to do it again on Thursday. Bet the St. Louis Blues -1.5 over the Minnesota Wild as the home team picks up an impressive victory.
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