The St. Louis Blues seem to enjoy blowing 3-1 leads. They were up three games to one against the Blackhawks in the series before losing Games 5 and 6, and they rallied to win Game 7 when most figured they were dead in the water.
On a smaller scale, they were up 3-1 in the third period against the Dallas Stars in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals before blowing the two-goal cushion. No one figured they'd be able to win in OT, but David Backes found the back of the net on the power play to steal home ice advantage.
Now, St. Louis will be back at it on Tuesday night in a Game 3 which will give either it or Dallas a crucial 2-1 edge.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Blues always needed to get home ice advantage in this series at some point, and now that they have it, they're going to be the overwhelming favorites to advance to the Western Conference Finals. They were short dogs at +102 and +104 in the first two games of this series, and they're sure to be around -125 or so on the moneyline in Game 3.
There's no reason to change the total of a flat 5 after the over and under split in the first two games in Dallas.
GOALIE REPORT
Now what, Dallas? Lindy Ruff elected to pull Kari Lehtonen after he allowed three goals on just five shots in Game 2 in favor of Antti Niemi. Niemi proceeded to stop his next 19 shots, but he allowed the game winner in OT.
Neither one of these men have been consistently good throughout these playoffs, and it will be interesting to see what Ruff chooses to do in the pipes for Game 3. Either way, the goalie in the net had better get off to a good start, because the hook is going to be tight for sure.
Brian Elliott really needed a bounce back performance in Game 2, and he sure got one. The stats weren't amazing with 31 saves on 34 shots, but the final result could've been so much worse after he allowed the two goals in during the third period. Elliott made some big saves in OT, five in total, and now he's 5-3-1 to show for his work in these playoffs.
LIVE BETTING
Antoine Roussel can complain all he wants about the suspect nature of the interference call he was saddled with in overtime which led to St. Louis' game-winner, but he has to stay out of the box in this game. He was in the sin bin three times, and the Blues found the back of the net on two of his three penalties.
Roussel himself has now committed seven minors in his last five games, and for a man who only had 13 goals and 16 helpers in the regular season, we're not sure he needs to be on the ice.
This will be another interesting roster decision for Ruff to make, especially with Tyler Seguin able to return from his Achilles injury on Tuesday.
QUICK PICK
The Blues seem to have taken the momentum here in this series, but we still think the Stars have the better of the two rosters. That's contrary to popular belief for sure, but we're going to keep riding this horse until it breaks down.
Dallas badly outshot St. Louis in each of the first two games of this series, and for the most part, it has set the tempo better than the Blues have imposed their physical will.
As long as the Stars keep fighting to push the pace, we think they're the better team to bet in this series over the long run.
NHL Odds: Stars 4, Blues 2
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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 3 of this series between the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues will commence on Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at 9:30 p.m. ET at the Scottrade Center. The contest will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network.
