The San Jose Sharks and the St. Louis Blues are set to face off at the Enterprise Center in Game 3 of the NHL’s Western Conference Finals. The game will get started at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 15, and fans at home can watch it live on NBC Sports Network.
San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues Odds
The Blues (-145) are tabbed as the favorites over the Sharks (+125), and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
San Jose is 55-43 straight up (SU) and has lost 9.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. 56 of its games have gone over the total, while 38 have gone under and just four have pushed. The Sharks are 23-24 SU as a road team in 2018-19.
The Sharks’ offense attempted 32.7 shots per game in the regular season, leading to 3.5 goals per contest (ranked second overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the team’s attempting an average of 30.9 shots on goal 3.2 goals per game.
After accounting for the sixth-strongest power-play unit in the regular season (scoring on 22.7 percent of all chances), the Sharks have connected on 18.6 percent of their postseason power plays. Their penalty kill’s gone from 81.2 percent in the regular season to 82.8 percent in the playoffs.
Averaging 24.8 saves per game with a .898 save percentage, Martin Jones (46-32-6) has been the top option in goal for San Jose this season. If head coach Peter Deboer decides to rest him, however, the team may turn to Aaron Dell (11-16-4), who has a .884 save percentage and 3.19 goals against average this year.
On the other side of the ice, St. Louis is 54-43 straight up (SU) and has netted 3.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 97 regular season matches, 49 of its games have gone under the total, while 41 have gone over and just seven have pushed. It’s 27-21 SU as the home team this year.
The Blues have converted on 20.1 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s good enough for eighth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked ninth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.9 percent of all penalties.
Jake Allen (25.1 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in the crease for the Blues. Allen has 19 wins, 27 losses, and eight overtime losses and has maintained a pedestrian 2.83 goals against average and a subpar .905 save percentage this year.
San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The over has hit in three of San Jose’s last five games.
- San Jose has managed 28.4 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while St. Louis has been attempting 36.6 shots per game over its last five at home.
- San Jose skaters created 18.4 hits per game last season, while the Blues accounted for 23.1 hits per contest.
