[Hman]

2019 Stanley Cup playoffs: Tonight's best bets

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With the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs in full swing, there are plenty of betting opportunities every night. Our experts -- Emily Kaplan, Chris Peters, Ben Arledge and Greg Wyshynski -- will be here each day throughout the conference finals and Stanley Cup Final, giving their best bets for the evening's games.


All odds courtesy of Caesars.

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Tuesday's game


San Jose Sharks (+145) at St. Louis Blues(-160)

Game 6 puck line odds: Sharks +1.5 (-200), Blues -1.5 (+175)
Game 6 over/under: 5.5 goals
Wyshynski: The Sharks aren't nearly as bad as they appeared in the final two periods of Game 5. But can they be as good as they were in the final two periods of Game 4, given the health of three of their star players? Whatever the Sharks are at this point in the series, here's what the Blues are: a team that has outscored the Sharks 7-1 since the travesty of an overtime in Game 3. They're a team that is winning the special-teams battle and has a forward group that is starting to take over games with its forecheck. They're a team that is 4-0 in the playoffs in elimination games or games that could force that scenario. And Jordan Binnington is not giving up an inch. I think the Blues close it out at home against a diminished Sharks team.


Pick: Blues ML


Peters: There are so many unknowns about this game that it feels like a trap. The Sharks have a number of injuries that could keep players out. The Blues have been surging and have been the better team for more of this series than not. However, San Jose is fighting for its playoff life, again. This is the fifth game the Sharks will be facing elimination this postseason alone. They always seem to find a way. Even though I think this team's luck is running out, and losing even one of Erik Karlsson or Joe Pavelski might be too much to overcome, I'm playing the hunch that this could be one of those wacky games in a postseason that has seen several. The Sharks have been good in games high on emotion and suspense. So I render this pick with much trepidation and uncertainty, but render it nonetheless.


Pick: Sharks ML and the under

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Western Conference series picks

Kaplan: Both teams are resilient, and both have been battle-tested. This shapes up to be a great series. While Martin Jones has turned his postseason around, I trust Jordan Binnington, despite being a rookie, to be the more consistent goalie. In the first four games of the playoffs, Jones had an .838 save percentage, was pulled twice and allowed six goals in the first two minutes of a period. I fear he has the capacity to regress to that, especially if the Blues can sustain pressure like they did against Dallas in Game 7. Stars goalie Ben Bishop was under siege, facing 52 shots, which included St. Louis outshooting Dallas 31-4 in the final two periods of regulation. The Blues have a super-talented top line, and their third line (featuring playoff X factor Pat Maroon, a physical presence with a knack for big moments) is clicking. Play "Gloria"! I'm taking the Blues in seven.


Arledge: The Blues were the hottest team in the NHL after the All-Star break, and they turned that momentum into big series wins over the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars. Now I think they'll take down the favored Sharks. The Blues run four lines deep, with three really good ones, and the defense has at least one offensive catalyst on each pairing. Oh, and goalie Jordan Binnington has been an absolute revelation, rolling out a .930 even-strength save percentage through two rounds after making a plausible rookie-of-the-year case with a 1.89 goals-against average in 32 regular-season games. St. Louis generates plenty of shot opportunities, especially when the game is on the line -- its 52.6 Corsi Close percentage is third among all 16 playoff teams -- and can't be counted out of any contest after securing two of its eight postseason victories by coming back from a third-period deficit. The Sharks will be the Blues' toughest opponents yet, but I like St. Louis to pay out as the underdog series winner.


Wyshynski: It has been remarkable to watch these two teams rise through the conference bracket because they both hit that "different hero every night" motif that championship teams possess. The Blues have seen players such as Jaden Schwartz, David Perron, Alex Pietrangelo, Vladimir Tarasenko and Pat Maroon come through in the clutch in different games. Same thing with the Sharks: One night it's Tomas Hertl, another it's Logan Couture, another it's Erik Karlsson. Heck, Barclay Goodrow and Joonas Donskoi have series-clinching goals. It has been fun.


This series comes down to two main factors: Which forecheck will exert its will on the other, and can the Sharks get enough pucks past rookie sensation Jordan Binnington to make up for the ones the Blues will get past Martin Jones? (This is no knock on Jones, who has been there when they needed him, but Binnington has been stellar.) I like the Sharks here, with home ice and some cosmic good fortune already in these playoffs, to take it in seven.



Peters: After getting Joe Pavelski back from injury, and with Martin Jones seemingly playing his best hockey of the season, the Sharks look loaded for bear heading into the Western Conference finals. The Blues have played excellent hockey throughout the playoffs, and Jordan Binnington has been unfazed by any of the glitz and glam of his first postseason. But there's something about this Sharks squad. As Greg noted, San Jose is getting contributions throughout the lineup. Brent Burns and Erik Karlssonlook like their usual, super-productive selves, with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Ultimately, it's Jones' return to form that has inspired more confidence in the men in teal for me. I think the Blues are going to push them, but the Sharks have the goods to go back to the Cup Final this year.

[MinnesotaFats]

NHL will give this to SJ somehow

[Snowball]

blues worth a decent bet imo

[cincinnatikid513]

sharks are done themoron is on them 6 to 0 blues

[goduke]

NHL will give this to SJ somehow

You still have so much anger from the Vegas series. Relax