St. Louis vs Minnesota: the Bluesemen to Take the Series' Lead

Prediction for the NHL St. Louis Blues vs Minnesota Wild match, which will take place on May 7. Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

St. Louis is one of the most consistent teams in the NHL in the regular season every time, making it to the Cup battles. Another matter is that they have reached the Stanley Cup once in their history. Craig Berube's team had an impressive regular season, but they had troubles already by the second game of the playoffs. Winning in Game 1, the squad left Minnesota almost without a chance - 4:0, but a day later, everything changed. In the second period's opening, the Bluesmen were trailing - 0:4. They could not recover and lost - 2:6.

Minnesota continues to evolve and they have certainly not yet reached its peak. The Wild looked great in the regular season and finished second in the Western Conference standings. But the playoffs are a different story, as experience of the cup battles is crucial and they lack it. In the first game it was especially noticeable, as Dean Evason's squad was confused in the first period, losing 0:2 and failing to catch up - 0:4. Then, the team came out for the second period with a different spirit and demolished St. Louis - 6:2. Clearly, Minnesota is growing as the playoffs progress.

St. Louis and Minnesota finished side by side in the Western Conference standings. After all, four points in 82 games is nothing, so this meeting would be as tense and intriguing as possible. The only thing that speaks in favor of the Bluesemen is their tremendous cup experience. They won the Stanley Cup with this core lineup, while the Wild are still just on their way to their first title. 

• St. Louis has lost only 3 of the last 20 games in regulation time.
• Minnesota has lost in the main time only 2 of the last 15 matches.
• Minnesota has not lost on the road during regular time in five straight meetings.
• St. Louis has beaten Minnesota in its last seven straight home games.

The rivalry between St. Louis and Minnesota was expected to be productive. In their last four head-to-head encounters, both scored 38 goals (9.50 average). That makes it all the more surprising that the Bluesmen thrashed their opponent 4:0 in the first playoff game, but by the second the teams put up a bright fight - 6:2.

Ivan Barbashev had the most productive regular season of his career. In 81 games, he earned 60 points (26 goals + 34 assists), more than double his previous personal best. The 26-year-old player had no scoring in his two starting cup games but he is a Stanley Cup owner with solid experience so we can certainly expect him to be a shooter in the playoffs. 

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