Minnesota Wild vs St Louis Blues Game 5 Prediction and Betting Odds

Minnesota Wild vs St Louis Blues Game 5 Preview

WagerTalk NHL handicapper Kevin Dolan offers his thoughts on Game 5 of the Minnesota Wild vs St Louis Blues series in Minneapolis. St Louis captured all three regular season meetings against the Wild, but Minnesota appears to be hitting its stride in the playoffs.

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Tuesday, May 10	NHL Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars
Moneyline:	Minnesota Wild -140 vs St Louis Blues +120
Puckline:	Wild -1.5 (+190) / Blues +1.5 (-220)
Total:	6.5 Goals (Over -105 / Under -115)
Game Time:	9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT
Arena:	Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis
TV:	ESPN

Minnesota Wild vs St Louis Blues Analysis

There’s no splitting divisional rivals on Tuesday as the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild are all square heading into Game 5 with Minnesota looking to hold home ice advantage after dropping Game 4 to the Blues.

Minnesota lost all three games to St. Louis in the regular season but looked excellent in Games 2 and 3 of this playoff series blowing out the Blues by four goals in back-to-back games last week.

Binnington Looking To Repeat

Jordan Binnington made his first start of the postseason in Sunday’s win over the Wild with 28 saves out of 30 shots for an impressive .933 SV%, and he’s expected back in nets later tonight for a repeat of that.

However, those numbers were marked improvements over his season long numbers this year which saw Binnington have seven starts with a sub-.850 SV% or less along with a -6.45 GSAA average on the season also, good for just 49th in the league.

Wild’s Underrated Defense

While the Minnesota Wild weren’t considered one of the elite defensive teams this season by mainstream media, digging under the hood a little shows the Wild have been extremely undervalued in this regard this season.

Minnesota was second in the league on overall xGA this year on total defensive chances allowed and also on total scoring chances allowed as well (both behind the Boston Bruins at No. 1).

Even more impressive is the fact the Wild led the league on total opponent high danger scoring chances this season as well and that should stand them in good stead moving forward in these playoffs.

Minnesota Wild vs St Louis Blues Game 5 Prediction

Despite Minnesota’s impressive defensive numbers this season, we actually lean to the over in Game 5 later tonight.

Kirill Kaprizov has been in exceptional form for the Wild over this series, scoring five goals over the four games so far (joint best in the playoffs), and has the No. 1 shots-to-goal percentage in the playoffs as well.

With St. Louis dealing with a serious lack of defensemen ahead of Game 5, plus the danger Binnington might regress into mid-season form later tonight also, we could well see the scoreboard light up in this one at either end and we’re taking the over 6.5 goals between the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild in Tuesday’s Game 5 matchup.

NHL Betting Guide

Thanks to the ever-expanding sports betting industry, there are now a variety of ways to attack the betting market outside of the traditional point spreads, moneylines and totals. Few sports have seen an increase of betting popularity like hockey, and we now have several different ways to wager on the NHL and international leagues. Check out our NHL Betting Guide with helpful terms and tips for novice bettors.

Puck Time | NHL Predictions for May 10

Join Andrew McInnis, Carmine Bianco and Don Buster for Tuesday’s edition of Puck Time as our panel of professional hockey handicappers break down tonight’s NHL playoff betting card. Six of the eight opening round series are tied at 2-2, including all four that are on the ice tonight. Who will emerge from the deadlock with an advantage? Join the Puck Time crew every week day at 11am ET / 8am PT as we discuss the NHL betting slate from a variety of handicapping angles.

WagerTalk Live Odds Screen

WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NHL moneylines, puck lines and betting percentages for all of Tuesday’s playoff games, including this Minnesota Wild vs St Louis Blues showdown, from your desktop or phone.

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Meet the Author

‘The sharpest sports mind in Ireland’ is how one prominent newspaper dubbed Kevin Dolan after he became the first foreigner ever to win the World Series of Handicapping tournament back in 2015. “The Irishman” made his start wagering on GAA, football, soccer and boxing, all to immense success. Since becoming a professional bettor, he has since lit up the sports betting scene in the U.S. and abroad, winning two handicapping awards and writing a best-selling book on sports handicapping named ‘The Complete Guide to Sports Betting’.

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