St. Louis Plays San Jose in NHL Western Conference Finals
The NHL Western Conference Finals begin on Sunday evening in St. Louis when the St. Louis Blues host the San Jose Sharks.
The current line has St. Louis slightly favored at -131, with San Jose at +119 and the over/under goal total on 5. The Sharks and Blues have played well during the regular season only to see their postseasons cut short with early exits.
However, this season the two teams have combined to win three Game 7s and one will be eventually moving on to the Stanley Cup Finals.
St. Louis had been knocked out of the postseason during the first round for three straight seasons before outlasting the Chicago Blackhawks followed by the Dallas Stars to reach their first conference finals since 2001.
The Sharks have reached their first conference finals since 2011 and their fourth in franchise history. San Jose avenged its squandering of a lead of 3-0 in a series with Los Angeles back in 2014 by knocking the Kings out in just five games this season during the first round.
San Jose followed that up by defeating the Nashville Predators in seven games to win the semifinals of the West.
San Jose was victorious in its two games played in St. Louis during the regular season, while the Blues defeated the Sharks in California 1-0 in their only trip to San Jose.
St. Louis goalie Brian Elliott has 419 saves during the playoffs this season. That figure is a new franchise record.
The Blues were swept in all three of their appearances in the Stanley Cup finals, while the Sharks have never advanced beyond this round to reach the finals.
San Jose had the worst record at home of any of the original 16 teams to make the playoffs. Their 18-20-3 home record was worrisome starting the postseason.
The Sharks started the postseason losing at home to the Kings, but since have won 5 straight on their home ice leading up to this series, including all four against Nashville.
The OVER has cashed in 5 of the past 6 games between the two teams played in St. Louis.
The OVER has cashed in 8 of the past 11 head-to-head games overall between the two teams.
San Jose has won 4 of its past 5 games against the Blues played in St. Louis.
Prediction: The Series will go to San Jose 4-2, as will Game 1 in a low scoring overtime thriller.
