Sharks vs. Blues Game 4 Prediction: NHL Playoffs Betting Odds
The St. Louis Blues can guarantee themselves at least one more home game with a victory in Game 4 on Friday night against the visiting Sharks, while San Jose could move one win from potentially clinching a second-ever spot in the Stanley Cup Finals with a victory. The Boston Bruins almost surely await the winner of the Western Conference Finals.
Sharks vs. Blues Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Analysis
On the updated Sports Interaction series line, the Sharks are -250 favourites with the Blues at +187. Boston, which had a chance to sweep Carolina in the East Finals on Thursday night, is the -139 Stanley Cup favourite. San Jose is +200 and St. Louis +450.
Thanks to Wednesday’s 5-4 overtime win in St. Louis, history is on the Sharks’ side to advance. In any NHL conference finals or semifinals series, the winner of Game 3 when the series was tied 1-1 does advance 76.1 per cent of the time.
San Jose Sharks
San Jose’s crazy success in odd-numbered games in these playoffs continued with Wednesday’s victory as the Sharks are now 9-1 with a plus-15 goal differential in odd-numbered games compared to 1-6 in even-numbered games. Blueliner Erik Karlsson, acquired before this season in a blockbuster trade from Ottawa, scored the winner at 5:23 of OT in Game 4. The goal should have never counted because it was set up by an apparent hand pass from Timo Meier. Officials huddled after the goal, but it wasn’t a reviewable play.
Logan Couture got the game to overtime for the Sharks with his playoff-leading 14th goal at 18:59 of the third. That ties the franchise record, while the NHL single postseason record for goals is 19. Karlsson also had the first goal of the game. Joe Thornton added two goals for the Sharks. Rather amazingly, it was the first-ever multi-goal playoff game for the 39-year-old Thornton, a future Hall of Famer in his 176th postseason game.
St. Louis Blues
Wildly entertaining Game 3 with five goals scored in the second period, four by St. Louis (first time in 19 years the team had that many in any postseason period). The Blues found themselves down 2-0 after one and 3-1 early in the second. Vladimir Tarasenko’s sixth goal of these playoffs cut the Sharks’ lead to 3-2, David Perron’s fourth tied it, and Perron scored again at 18:42 of the second on the power play to give St. Louis the lead. Alas, rookie netminder Jordan Binnington couldn’t hold it. He allowed five goals on 32 shots. Blueliner Colton Parayko had three assists.
The Blues vastly outhit the Sharks (43-21), were 1-for-1 with the man advantage (team’s first PP goal since Game 4 of the last round), blocked more shots and had more takeaways but still lost. Defenceman Vince Dunn left with an upper-body injury and didn’t return. He has seven points in these playoffs and his status is TBA. It’s the first time in these playoffs the Blues are down 2-1.
SJ
STL