Pretty much the last thing anyone expected to happen in the series between the St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks is for the defending champs to lose two consecutive games on their home ice. Now all of a sudden, the Blues are on the verge of an epic triumph against the current Cup holders, but they'll really want to take care of business on Thursday night in Game 5 to finish this thing off.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Blues were never really the heavy favorites to win this series even after taking 1-0 and 2-1 series leads. There was always that little bit out doubt placed for awfully good reason due to the fact that the Blackhawks have always seemed to find ways to come back in series like this.
Maybe this time is different, though. St. Louis has looked the part of a championship side, and Ken Hitchcock knows that the opportunity is here to strike. The Blues were only very slight favorites in Game 1 of this series, and they were slight dogs in Game 2. In all likelihood, Chicago will be the favorite in this one in spite of the fact that it's on the road due to the must-win nature of the affair.
GOALIE REPORT
Should we be criticizing Corey Crawford at this point? Granted, he's going up against a really good offensive team, but after stopping the first 17 shots he faced in regulation and overtime against the Blues in Game 1, he's only posted a .886 save percentage and has given up 10 goals in that span. Those are the numbers of a goalie who should be headed to the bench, not back to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Brian Elliott though, certainly gets a pass for the three goals he allowed on Tuesday night in Game 4 of this series. Sure, it helps that the Blues won, but he also has a 1.70 GAA and a .954 save percentage in this series. Again, those are the numbers of a championship goalie instead of one set to bow out in the first round of the playoffs.
Elliott's history in the postseason had been grim before this year, and though there's certainly still plenty of work left for him to do to finish this series and perhaps do more work from there, he's certainly trending upward.
LIVE BETTING
When you go back and look at the runs the Blackhawks went on over the years, they've always had their core guys come up big, though they've always had one or two players who flew under the radar who made all the difference in the world.
Isn't it scary that that's what the Blues look like right now? Kevin Shattenkirk, David Backes and Vladimir Tarasenko have been amazing in this series, but what about Jaden Schwartz? Sure, Schwartz has been a 20-goal scorer in the past, but this year he had just eight goals and 14 helpers in 33 games. He's got four points in his last three games in this series, and he's put in some really quality shifts for his squad. He's making a big difference right now, and he's a man to watch out for most certainly in this game.
QUICK PICK
The Blackhawks are in a lot of trouble, and they're going to know it right out of the blocks on Thursday night. Our gut is that this series is ending here. We expect to see the Blues jump out of the gates early and pick up a goal, maybe even two in the first 10 minutes or so. Chicago will fight back from there, but in the end, we find a lot more value on a home side which could be getting plus odds than a road team which has suddenly lost a couple games in a row and has to be reeling like it hasn't at any point during this fantastic run.
NHL Odds: Blues 4, Blackhawks 2
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Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The matchup between the Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues will start at 9:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 21, 2016 at the Scottrade Center. Game 5 of this series will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network.
