Saturday, April 22, 2017

Xcel Energy Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The St. Louis Blues travel to Xcel Energy Center to play the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, April 22, 2017 in Game 5 of their series. The Blues lead the series 3-1. The opening line for this game has the Blues at +160 and the Wild at -177.

St. Louis had a regular season record of 46-29-7 and on the road they had a record of 22-17-2. They finished 3rd in the Central Division. They've scored 235 goals and given up 218 goals for a point differential of +17. The Blues have an overall record of 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. For the season they have an ATS record of 43-36 and an over/under record of 34-36-12. Minnesota finished with a record of 49-25-8 including 27-12-2 at home this season. They were 2nd in the Central Division. They've scored 266 goals and surrendered 208 for a goal differential of +58. The Wild have a record of 5-3-2 in their last 10 contests. Their record against the spread is 46-33 while their over/under record sits at 42-31-9.

For expert handicapping advice on this game check out our NHL expert handicapper tips.

Valuable St. Louis Blues Betting Trends

The St. Louis Blues are 43-36 straight up

The St. Louis Blues are 34-36-12 against the over/under

Important Minnesota Wild Betting Trends

The Minnesota Wild are 46-33 straight up

The Minnesota Wild are 42-31-9 against the over/under

Key St. Louis Blues Injuries

04/20/17 C Paul Stastny Lower Body "?" Saturday vs. Minnesota
02/05/17 C Robby Fabbri Knee out for season

Key Minnesota Wild Injuries

04/20/17 GO Darcy Kuemper Illness "?" Saturday vs. St. Louis
04/20/17 C Erik Haula Undisclosed "?" Saturday vs. St. Louis

Player Spotlight

Vladimir Tarasenko has accumulated 75 total points this season for the Blues. He has 39 goals this season with 286 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He has a total of 36 assists on the season and averages 18.5 minutes played per game. Alex Steen has averaged 19.3 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 14% by scoring 16 goals on 117 shots. He has 35 assists giving him a total of 51 points on the season. Jake Allen has 33 wins and 20 losses this season in net for the Blues. He has had 1,620 shots against him and has given up 138 goals. He has made 1,482 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Mikael Granlund has accumulated 69 total points this season for the Wild. He has 26 goals this season with 177 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 15%. He has a total of 43 assists on the season and averages 18.8 minutes played per game. Eric Staal has averaged 18.6 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 28 goals on 211 shots. He has 37 assists giving him a total of 65 points on the season. Devan Dubnyk has 40 wins and 19 losses this season in net for the Wild. He has had 1,842 shots against him and has given up 141 goals. He has made 1,701 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Blues have 99 total points this season. They have scored 235 goals while giving up 218 goals. They have had 235 power play opportunities and have scored 50 goals on those chances for a percentage of 21%. The Blues have allowed 263 power play opportunities and given up 40 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 85%. They average 28 shots per game and as a team are shooting 10.09% for the season to this point. They allow 28 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Wild have a total of 106 points on the season. They have 47 power play goals on 224 opportunities thus far for a percentage of 21%. They have allowed 217 power play opportunities and have given up 37 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83%. As a team, the Blues have a total of 266 goals scored while they've given up 208 goals to this point. They average 31 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.53%. As a team they give up 30 shots per game and have a save percentage of 92%.

Advanced Statistics

St. Louis has a Corsi percentage of 49.5% as they've attempted 4,271 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 4,364 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is at 49.8% as they have 3,207 attempts while they've given up 3,229 shots on the defensive end. The Blues start possessions in the offensive zone 48.8% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 51.2% for the season. They have 2,438 face off wins compared to 2,411 losses, meaning their faceoff win percentage is 50.3%. On defense St. Louis has 1,688 hits and they've blocked 1,135 shots from the opposition.

Advanced Statistics

Minnesota has attempted 4,566 shots at full strength and they've given up 4,604 attempts, meaning their Corsi percentage is at 49.8% for the season. In terms of Fenwick percentage, they currently are at 50% as they have 3,444 shots while they've given up 3,443 attempts on defense. The Wild have an offensive zone percentage of 50.5% and their defensive zone percentage is 49.5% so far this season. They have a faceoff win percentage of 51.9% as they've compiled 2,550 face off wins this season and they have suffered 2,359 face off losses. On defense Minnesota has blocked 1,161 shot attempts and they have 1,284 hits as a unit.

Who will win tonight's Blues/Wild NHL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take Minnesota -177

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