The Dallas Stars have a big problem on their hands. They're being run off the ice right now because they just don't have a goaltender worthy of bringing them on a really deep push in May. The St. Louis Blues are happy to keep pouring pucks in the back of the net, but they'll hope their outburst in Game 3 doesn't leave their offense dry in Thursday's Game 4.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
It's tough to argue with the Blues as serious Cup contenders right now. They flat out dominated the Stars on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 series lead, and they were justified as -145 favorites. It wouldn’t be all that surprising if they were lined even higher in this game even though a much better effort by Dallas should be in order.
GOALIE REPORT
We feel like we're asking this question every night now of Lindy Ruff. Now what?
Ruff kept mum on his starting goalie for Game 3 of this series until just before the puck dropped. It didn't matter. Antti Niemi was terrible, allowing three goals on just 12 shots before getting the hook. Kari Lehtonen was no better, as he went just 23-for-26.
Brian Elliott wasn't remarkable in Game 3, but he didn't have to be with all of the help he got from his mates. He went 25-of-26 in saves for his sixth win of these playoffs. He'll have to do more work in this game for sure, but at least he's a consistent option unlike what's available in Dallas.
LIVE BETTING
This series has been all about responses so far. How a team has gotten back on its game after allowing a goal has been crucial.
We saw that in Game 1 when the Blues answered an early Dallas goal, but we also saw it with the Stars fighting back in the third.
In Game 2, the Blues responded to Dallas' opening goal by netting three straight, none of which the Stars had any answers to at the time. It took until the third for Dallas to strike back, but the Blues were able to win it in overtime after blowing the lead.
The response in Game 3 just wasn't there for Dallas, and that's a scary proposition for it moving forward. It only took 57 seconds for the Stars to blow their 1-0 lead in the first period, and St. Louis responded with four goals in just over 18 minutes without an answer to effectively kill the game right then and there.
QUICK PICK
If the Stars don't figure out how to respond to adversity in Game 4, they're as good as dead, not just in this game, but in this series as well. Their offense was completely lifeless every step of the way in Game 3, and their goaltending situation is obviously a mess.
We're big believers in giving a team a shot in the arm to try to get it over the hump, and changing goalies is the best way to do that. But changing goalies every time the wind blows the other direction as Ruff has done is generally the type of sign you see when a club is about to bow out of the playoffs.
That might be the case here for the Stars over the next few days.
NHL Odds: Blues 4, Stars 2
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