For both the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues the road to the Western Conference Final has been improbable, perilous, but also the ultimate thrill ride for those who had the nerves of steel necessary to watch. While neither team was a preseason favorite the quality of both squads has become apparent. It is no accident that San Jose and St. Louis are in hockey’s final four. They are deep, complete, well coached and have the most important element of all; Good Goaltending. Saturday night the Sharks will host the Blues in game one of the best of seven Western Conference Final.
St. Louis Blues vs. San Jose Sharks Game 1
Date and Time: Saturday, May 11, 2019, 8 p.m. ET
Location: SAP Center, San Jose, California
NHL Betting Online Odds at Bookmaker.eu: Blues +113, Sharks -133, over under 5.5, Blues +1.5 -245, Sharks -1.5 +203
Blues vs. Sharks TV Coverage: NBC
Odds Analysis
Live betting looks to be quite fluid for this game. While home ice at the Shark Tank will draw action towards San Jose, the Blues will get their share of money from value seekers due to their strong goaltending and depth. The ebbs and flows of this game will be reflected in what could be some of the most exciting live betting seen in the playoffs so far.
St. Louis Blues Current Form
The Blues eliminated the favored Winnipeg Jets 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs and followed that up with a dramatic seven game series win over the Dallas Stars in round two. St. Louis eliminated Dallas in the second overtime of game seven when local boy made good Pat Maroon scored at 5:50 mark. St. Louis dominated the game and carried the play with a 54-30 shot advantage.
San Jose Sharks Current Form
San Jose is coming off back to back seven game series wins over the Vegas Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche. The Vegas series will go down as one of the most dramatic in the history of the NHL Playoffs. San Jose had to win a game six in overtime at Vegas just to force a game seven. In that seventh game at home they rallied from a 3-0 deficit midway through the third period to win in overtime. It is near death experiences and close calls such as that where feelings of “destiny” do come into play.
The Coaches
When Craig Berube took over the Blues following the firing of Mike Yeo, St. Louis had wallowed with the worst record in the NHL. Eventually the Blues began to listen to Berube and went 38-19-6 under his leadership to nearly win the Central Division. Berube is likely to cash in with a nice contract as permanent coach after the playoffs.
Peter DeBoer has led both the Sharks and the New Jersey Devils to the Stanley Cup Final during his head coaching career. DeBoer put together a masterful second round plan against Colorado and its star forward Nathan MacKinnon. The shutting down of Big Mac was a major factor in the Sharks advancing to the Conference Final.
Free NHL Live Betting Odds Pick
Martin Jones of the Sharks and Jordan Binnington of the Blues have been clutch in goal. San Jose has had slightly better scoring in the playoffs than the Blues. But St. Louis has been the better defensive team. With all else equal the Shark Tank could be the difference. The Sharks have won three in a row over the Blues at SAP Center. An intangible factor is Sharks captain Joe Pavelski. His return from injury in game seven was a decisive factor as Pavelski scored the first goal and added two assists. His presence and performance caused the fans to blow the roof off the SAP Center.
NHL Live Betting Odds Picks: San Jose Sharks
NHL Live Betting Odds Score Prediction: Sharks 3, Blues 1
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