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.
Game 2 puck line odds: Blues +1.5 (-190), Bruins -1.5 (+170) Game 2 over/under: 5.5 goals
Wyshynski: Despite the Blues being emphatically outplayed for 29 minutes of Game 1, it was still just a one-goal game until Brad Marchand's empty-netter. That the Blues lost factors into this pick too: They've beaten the spread in every game they've played after a loss in the postseason (7-0). I think some of the issues from Game 1 are correctable for the Blues -- like taking five penalties against a historically great power play, which is inexcusable. I'm not sure if this adds up to a win over a blazing-hot Bruins team, but I think it will lead them to within the goal and a half.
Pick: Blues +1.5 (-190) puck line
Peters: The Blues have been one of the great counterpunchers this postseason. Though they've lost back-to-back games twice in these playoffs, the second game was always a much better effort and a much tighter contest. That has led to all but one of their games following a loss this postseason hitting the under. The question now, however, is if the Bruins are like any of the Blues' previous opponents. That dominant stretch over the last 35 or so minutes of Game 1 showed a Bruins team locked in and without any rust from the long layover. Tuukka Rask remains locked in on top of the dominant possession Boston enjoyed in the latter half of Game 1.
According to ESPN Stats and Information research, Rask's .940 save percentage is the best for a Bruins goalie in the postseason in the past 50 years while facing a minimum of 100 shots. I like the Blues' chances of keeping this tighter after making the necessary adjustments, but I don't know that they'll get enough shots to test Rask as much as they'd need to, in order to have success.
Pick: Bruins 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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2019 Stanley Cup Final: Best bets for Game 2
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