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2019 Stanley Cup Final: Game 1 bets and series picks
2019 Stanley Cup Final: Game 1 bets and series picks
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With the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs reaching a crescendo, there are plenty of betting opportunities for each game. Our experts -- Emily Kaplan, Chris Peters, Ben Arledge and Greg Wyshynski -- will be here each day throughout the Stanley Cup Final, giving their best bets for that evening's game.
All odds courtesy of Caesars.
Monday's Game 1
St. Louis Blues (+140) at Boston Bruins(-155)
Game 1 puck line odds: Blues +1.5 (-190), Bruins -1.5 (+170)
Game 1 over/under: Five goals
Wyshynski: The Blues won Game 1 in their first two rounds and then dropped it to the Sharks in the third round. The Bruins were the opposite, losing in the first round and then winning Game 1 in the following two series, all of them at home. The Blues are a strong road team and have traditionally fared well in Boston, winning eight of their past 11 games in Beantown. They make a statement and win Game 1.
Pick: Blues +140
Peters: The long layoff is a concern for the Bruins to some extent, but only for Game 1. With how well the Blues played, outscoring the Sharks 12-2 after the hand-pass loss in Game 3, I think the Bruins are going to come in flying. Boston never looked uncomfortable against the Hurricanes, but that wasn't true in its previous two series, as it lost Game 1 against the Maple Leafs and needed overtime in Game 1 against the Blue Jackets. Three of the Bruins' four losses this postseason have also come on home ice.
If ever there were a time for the Blues to jump on the Bruins, it is in Game 1. Both teams seem built in the same mold and have two goaltenders playing at the top of their games. I'd expect a low-scoring affair, but I think this game offers the Blues an opportunity to come out with a win.
Picks: Blues (+140) and the under
Stanley Cup Final series picks
Wyshynski: It's almost charming that after one of the most unpredictable Stanley Cup playoffs in recent memory, the championship round pits the two teams playing the best hockey in the postseason against each other. No Cinderellas. No juggernauts. Just good regular-season teams that are rolling at the right time. What's fun about this series is how similar these teams have looked in the past couple of rounds: rolling four lines, getting exemplary goaltending, winning the special-teams battles and paying the physical toll. That said, I like the Blues (+145) to win the series in six games. Boston has home ice, but the Blues have won two of their three series without it, going 7-2 with a plus-9 goal differential. They're peaking at the right time.
Peters: There are some valid concerns about the Bruins having an 11-day layoff, but their seven-game winning streak heading into the break is far more telling about their play. Should Boston come out flat against the Blues early in Game 1, it would matter a little bit, as it makes that game harder to win. But there hasn't been an instance in this postseason when the Blues looked totally vulnerable. They're healthy and locked in. That's especially true of goaltender Tuukka Rask, whom I view as the X factor in the series. As good of a story as Jordan Binnington has been, Rask has been the better and more consistent goaltender this postseason and has played in a Stanley Cup Final before. I think the Blues will give Boston absolutely everything they have, as they're coming in hot too. But I think experience matters, and the Bruins have a lot of it. Bruins in seven.
Kaplan: I like the Bruins in seven, and I think this one will be a slugfest. A good power play isn't essential for a Stanley Cup run (Boston's PP actually wasn't very good in the 2011 playoffs), but let's note that Boston's man-advantage unit is going at a historic pace. Rask has been unbelievable, and yes, the 11 days between games might affect him most, but I can't imagine that the veteran will be fazed by it. While both teams have all four lines clicking, Boston's top line is more dangerous and has the capacity to steal games single-handedly.
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