We haven't seen Devan Dubnyk have to answer many questions for the Minnesota Wild (48-30-5-3) since joining the team.
Whether he can rebound or not from a disaster of a Game 4 at home will determine whether or not his team will survive Game 5 against the St. Louis Blues (53-26-3-4).
ODDS ANALYSIS
The oddsmakers almost feel like they're trying to bait you a little bit into believing that St. Louis is better than it actually is. A -140 betting line is a big betting line, right along the lines of what we saw in Game 4.
The betting world though, is all about overreaction and the reaction to the overreaction, so just by that logic, Minnesota would be the better bet, just as St. Louis was the better bet in Game 4.
GOALIE REPORT
Can Dubnyk bounce back? That's the real question which begs to be answered. Allowing six goals on 17 shots was just far too many, and Mike Yeo should probably be ashamed of himself for letting Dubnyk stay out there beyond the fourth goal.
Jake Allen needs no bouncing back. He has only won two of the four games in this series, but he hasn't allowed more than two goals in any game. We're still not sure that Allen is the type of man who could be ridden all the way to the Stanley Cup, but he is doing the job right now for Ken Hitchcock and company.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"We may have been a little cocky. We felt really good and rightfully so. We felt good about the way we played the last game. I don't know if we thought it was going to be an easy game or if we thought they were going to pack it in, but that wasn't the case at all." – Minnesota forward Zach Parise on why his team was beaten in Game 4
SITUATIONAL BETTING
The situation live bettors should be looking at is whether or not Dubnyk looks strong in the goalmouth or not early on. Dubnyk, maybe more so than any other goalie in the playoffs, had looked dominant in the pipes, standing tall and attacking the puck instead of letting it come to him. If he shows that same intensity in Game 5, you should immediately be live betting on Minnesota. If not, it could be another long day in the pipes for him, and the Wild could be in a heck of a lot of trouble.
PROP TALK
Neither team has ripped off even 30 shots on goal in a game in this series, and neither goalie has stopped more than 25 shots either. As a result, if you were betting the under for the number of total saves for either goalie in this series in each game, you would be 4-0 either way. Expect that to continue on Friday night.
ANALYSIS & PREDICTION
This has been a tough, relatively clean series, and that should continue on Friday night. Most are going to be wondering if Dubnyk will show any nerves, but once he gets back in the pipes, we think he is going to be just fine.
We actually worry more about the Blues, who’ve gotten no offense whatsoever in this series outside of Vladimir Tarasenko and haven't won a Game 5 at home in this run under Hitchcock. This one screams of a classic, and it feels like Minnesota is going to end up on the right side of it.
Minnesota 3, St. Louis 2
The NHL lines for this Friday game will first be available at BookMaker Sportsbook. Minute-by-minute puck-lines, totals, moneylines and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker's new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here, and start wagering today! Game 5 of this series between the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues will commence on Friday, April 24, 2015 at 9:30 p.m. ET at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. The contest will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network.
