NHL Stanley Cup Final 2019: Blues vs. Bruins Game 7 Odds, Props and Predictions
June 12, 2019
In Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, the Boston Bruins have an opportunity to replicate the results that earned them their last championship in 2011.
Eight years ago, the Bruins fended off elimination in Game 6 against Vancouver before clinching the Stanley Cup in Game 7.
In fact, that was the last Stanley Cup Final to reach the maximum amount of games, with a majority of the series since then going to six games.
St. Louis enters TD Garden as the underdog, but it has displayed a remarkable ability to bounce back from losses and win on the road throughout the postseason.
Game 7 Odds and Props
Boston (-166; Bet $166 to win $100)
St. Louis (+154; Bet $100 to win $154)
Total Goals
Over 3.5 (-380)
Under 6.5 (-200)
Over 4.5 (-150)
Under 5.5 (-137)
Over 5.5 (+130)
Under 4.5 (+210)
Over 6.5 (+275)
Point Spread
Boston -2.5 (+300)
Boston -1.5 (+170)
St. Louis +1.5 (-200)
St. Louis +2.5 (-350)
Prediction
Boston 5, St. Louis 3
Boston is averaging 5.3 goals per game in its three Stanley Cup Final victories.
The Bruins are coming off a 5-1 victory at Enterprise Center in Game 6, and they are expected to come out fast in the first period in order to put all of the pressure on the road team.
Since Game 4 against Columbus in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Boston has scored at least four goals in seven of its eight victories, and it scored three in the lone game that does not fit that criteria.
In their last four home wins, the Bruins have totaled 19 goals, including the four goals they put past Jordan Binnington in Game 1.
Although they have a much different team from the 2011 squad that won Game 7 in Vancouver, the Bruins put four goals past the Canucks in the series-clinching victory.
Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara are the few players left over from the title-winning squad in 2011, and their Game 7 experience will be valuable, and it is likely Marchand or Bergeron score like they did eight years ago.
Since this is an elimination game and St. Louis is playing for its first-ever Stanley Cup, we expect the Blues to counter with some type of offensive surge at some juncture of Game 7.
In St. Louis' two wins that followed defeats in the Stanley Cup Final, it scored seven combined goals, including three at TD Garden in Game 2.
The Blues could be considered as the Game 7 pick by some because they are 7-2 in games after losses and have won at least two road games in each of their four postseason series.
St. Louis' ability to bounce back from defeats will keep it close as it tries to match Boston's offensive production.
Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko, who lead St. Louis with four and three goals in the series, respectively, should be at the center of the team's most dangerous attacking threats.
If they are able to beat Tuukka Rask at least once in the first period, Game 7 could turn into a back-and-forth shootout.
If that is the case, Boston could have the advantage because all of its lines have been able to score during the series, with 15 different scorers compared to eight from St. Louis.
A high-scoring Game 7 would buck a trend of low-scoring final games in the Stanley Cup Final, and it is what we expect given the strengths of both sides and the whirlwind of momentum changes that could be experienced at TD Garden.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Hockey Reference.