NHL Betting News, Match-Ups and Trends For Sunday 6/9/19

Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Sunday 6/9/19

The St. Louis Blues find themselves just one game away from winning their Stanley Cup as they lead the Boston Bruins 3-2 in their best of seven series. This came after the Blues defeated the Bruins in Boston, 3-2, in Game 5.

St. Louis jumped out to a 2-0 lead in this contest. After a scoreless first period, Ryan O’Reilly gave his team the lead with his sixth playoff goal just 55 seconds into the second. It remained 1-0 into the third when David Perron would net his seventh goal of the postseason a little over 10 minutes into the third. Just three minutes later, Jake DeBrusk would cut the deficit for the Bruins in half with his fourth goal, but Boston could get no closer.

Featured Game

Boston Bruins (-103) vs. St. Louis Blues (-120)

Boston Notes

After scoring 55 points through the first 20 games of the playoffs, the No. 1 line of Brad Marchand, David Patrnak, and Patrice Bergeron has been held to just two points in the last two contests. Not coincidentally, these have both been losses for the Boston Bruins.

Equally as concerning is the fact that the Boston power-play is 0-5 combined over the last two games. This after they had scored a goal in each of their previous seven contests.

St. Louis Notes

Jordan Binnington tied an NHL playoff record for victories in the postseason for a rookie with 15 and is also tied with nine road victories. He has been a huge difference in the turnaround for St. Louis, going 24-5-1 since being called up in January.

Blues forward Ivan Barbashev is suspended for Sunday’s game for an illegal check.

St. Louis is 7-1 this postseason in Games 5, 6, 7 and have outscored opponents 25-10 and these such games during the 2019 run.

Goaltending Matchup:

Tuukka Rask stopped in 19 of 21 shots in Game 5, but he is simply being outplayed right now. The two goals allowed in the last contest continued his streak of allowing three goals or less in 18 straight games now. The Boston goaltender has allowed 12 total goals through the first five games. Rask has a 1.97 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage through 22 playoff games this season.

Binnington is building an impressive legend, stopping 38 of 39 shots faced in Game 5. He has been unbelievably impressive since giving up five goals in Game 3, stopping 59 of 62 shots faced. Binnington has allowed 13 total goals in the five Stanley Cup games. He has a 2.46 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage in 24 games.

Stat Pack:

Bruins:
Goals For: 3.22
Goals Against: 2.09
Power-Play: 33.3%
Penalty Killing: 87.7%

Blues:
Goals For: 2.92
Goals Against: 2.767
Power-Play: 17.1%
Penalty Killing: 75.0%

Trends to Know

Boston Bruins are:

5-1 in their last six games on the road.
2-6 in their last eight games in the Stanley Cup finals.
36-18 in their last 54 games.

St. Louis Blues are:

20-8 in their last 28 games at home.
39-19 in their last 58 games.
7-1 in their last eight in Game 5, 6, and 7 of the playoffs.

Prediction

There is one rule when it comes to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The team that has the hot goaltender is the one you go with. After getting absolutely blitzed in Game 3, Binnington has been nothing short of brilliant. He is on his way to being the Conn Smythe Trophy and nothing would be better than to accept that award on his own home ice.

Boston look like they were unstoppable, but now they are vulnerable. Rask has played extremely well but would know offensive support, especially from the team’s No. 1 line, there is really nothing he can do. St. Louis is about to hoist the cup.

The total is set at 5.0 for this contest. Three of the first four games went over that total with Game 2 coming in at five with St. Louis winning, 3-2. We look for Game 6 to be very much like Game 5, as the tension is going to be high and neither team is willing to make a mistake that will cost them the Cup. Go with St. Louis to win 3-1.

Game 6 - Bruins at Blues
Kyle Markus

Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues pulled off a shocker in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, and now go home with a chance to clinch the championship. St. Louis was the underdog heading into this series but has a 3-2 lead heading into the all-important Game 6.

The Bruins are the more talented team so they will still be confident they can claim victory and head home for a do-or-die series finale. The Blues hope it doesn’t get that far and they will be the favorites to win Game 6 in NHL wagering.

Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals will feature the St. Louis Blues vs. the Boston Bruins at 8:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 9th, 2019. The Blues will host the matchup at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri and it will be nationally televised on NBC.

Odds Analysis

St. Louis is listed at -141 on the moneyline to win this game and claim the Stanley Cup. The Bruins are heading in as the +108 underdogs to win Game 6. The goal total is listed at five despite a low-scoring affair in Game 5.

Last Time Out

Ryan O’Reilly and David Perron each scored goals and Jordan Binnington did a great job in goal with 39 saves as the Blues upset the Bruins with a 2-1 win in Game 5. O’Reilly scored in the second period and St. Louis went ahead 2-0 on Perron’s score. The Bruins pulled back within a goal when Jake DeBrusk found the net in the third period, but they could not score again.

Boston had way more shots than St. Louis but couldn’t capitalize on the vast majority of the chances. The Bruins pulled their goalie with about a minute to go and had several shots in the frantic final moments but could not tie the game. St. Louis has now won two straight games in the Stanley Cup Finals to get on the cusp of a championship.

Injury Report

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara suffered a broken jaw in Game 4 but he still was able to play in Game 5 despite the pain. Chara was one of the most used defensemen on the team, finishing with 16 minutes played. He wore a full face mask on the ice but didn’t finish with a goal or an assist as the Boston offense was held in check. He finished with a negative-1 plus/minus as St. Louis scored when he was on the ice.

While the injury is a serious one, Chara did not seem hindered and should be good to go for this Game 6 matchup. His presence is certainly a boost for the Bruins.
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NHL
Dunkel

Sunday, June 9

Boston @ St. Louis

Game 11-12
June 9, 2019 @ 8:25 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
12.619
St. Louis
14.125
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-120
5
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(-120); Over
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NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, June 9

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BOSTON (63-31-0-10, 136 pts.) at ST LOUIS (60-35-0-11, 131 pts.) - 6/9/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 62-64 ATS (-28.3 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 60-46 ATS (+4.0 Units) in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 45-24 ATS (+9.5 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 23-13 ATS (+9.1 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
ST LOUIS is 44-25 ATS (+12.1 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 39-25 ATS (+3.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 27-13 ATS (+13.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 27-9 ATS (+13.4 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 11-2 ATS (+8.4 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
BOSTON is 38-25 ATS (+6.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 0-5 ATS (-8.3 Units) in home games on Sunday games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 6-5 (+1.7 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 6-5-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.6 Units)
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NHL

Sunday, June 9

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Trend Report

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Boston Bruins
Boston is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games
Boston is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
Boston is 11-1 ATS in its last 12 games on the road
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 7 games on the road
Boston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Boston is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
Boston is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Boston's last 11 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
St. Louis is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games
St. Louis is 2-11 ATS in its last 13 games at home
St. Louis is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games at home
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston
St. Louis is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Boston
St. Louis is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 8 of St. Louis's last 11 games when playing at home against Boston
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Bruins vs Blues NHL betting picks and predictions: Don't declare Bruins dead just yet
Monty Andrews

Jordan Binnington's 38 saves were the difference in St. Louis' stunning 2-1 road victory in Game 5, and gives Binnington a rookie record-tying 15 wins in the postseason.

The St. Louis Blues are a win away from their first-ever Stanley Cup title – and if they hope to hoist hockey's most famous chalice in their own arena, they'll probably need another terrific performance from their unflappable rookie goaltender as they host the Boston Bruins in Game 6 on Sunday night.

Jordan Binnington's 38 saves were the difference in St. Louis' stunning 2-1 road victory in Game 5, and gives Binnington a rookie record-tying 15 wins in the postseason. But don't rule out Boston, which outshot the Blues 39-21 in its hard-luck Game 5 loss and already has a 7-2 win in St. Louis in this series.

BOSTON BRUINS AT ST. LOUIS BLUES (-115, 5)

QUICK-HITTER

Game 5 didn't produce a first-period goal, but it certainly wasn't for a lack of trying – particularly from the Bruins, who produced plenty of quality scoring chances but couldn't find paydirt. Boston had 17 of the 25 first-period shots in that one, with both sides coming up empty with the man advantage. Given that the Blues and Bruins combined for 11 first-period goals in the first four games of the series, we're optimistic that these teams will get back to putting goals on the scoreboard in the opening 20 minutes.

PREDICTION: Over 1.5 first-period goals (+120)

PERIOD BET

Binnington and the Blues were somehow able to fend off the Bruins' furious first-period charge in Game 5, but the B's have been a difficult team to contain in the early stages of the game, producing six first-period goals through the first five contests. And Boston has been generating plenty of opportunities in the early going, averaging nearly 13 first-period shots over their past three games after opening with back-to-back eight-shot first periods in the first two. We like the Bruins to score in the opening 20 minutes.

PREDICTION: Boston over 0.5 first-period goals (-120)

TEAM/PLAYER BET

At the risk of front-loading your Game 6 betting card, there's another solid value play in place if you assume, as we do, that the Bruins are a good option to score a first-period goal. We've already gone over the reasons why we believe this to be a compelling option, so why not shave 4 1/2 minutes off the end of the opening frame and take the Bruins to score inside the game's first 15:30? If they come out as strongly as they did in Game 5, this prop has a decent chance of cashing.

PREDICTION: Boston first goal: Before 15:30 elapsed (+120)

FULL-GAME TOTAL

Recency bias is quite a thing. That 2-1 result in Game 5 has led to a half-goal drop in the Game 6 total, despite the fact that these teams combined to average 6.5 goals over the first four games of the best-of-seven. Binnington has been sensational, but still owns a pedestrian .898 save percentage at home in the postseason, and Boston has already shown itself capable of scoring in buckets against him. We favor these teams producing enough offense in Game 6 to convert the over on the alternate total of 5.5.

PREDICTION: Over 5.5 (+120)

FULL-GAME SIDE

The Blues will certainly welcome the opportunity to win their first Stanley Cup on home ice, and have been the superior team over the previous two games. But let's not forget that St. Louis has still been outscored at Enterprise Center for the postseason, boasting a minus-3 goal differential. They're also a dismal minus-30 in penalty minutes at home – and a lack of discipline against a lethal Boston power play could very well be their undoing. We're not quite ready to declare this series over.

PREDICTION: Boston -105
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