St. Louis Blues vs Minnesota Wild Prediction, 5/1/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: St. Louis Blues vs Minnesota Wild

Date: Saturday, May 1, 2021

Location: Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Blues (+108) Wild (-128)

Jordan Binnington and the St. Louis Blues (23-19-6) are headed to Xcel Energy Center on Saturday where they'll take on the Minnesota Wild (31-14-4). The moneyline on this matchup has the Blues coming in at +108 and the Wild are at -128. The total opens at 5.5.

The Blues were on the right side of the scoreboard with a 5-4 victory over the Wild in their previous game. The Corsi for the Blues came in at 39 and the Corsi against at the end of this game was 57 meaning they had a Corsi rate of 40.6%. Their offensive zone starts were rated at 52.5% and they had a PDO at even strength of 103.3 for this game. St. Louis amassed 14 minutes in the box in this outing. The Blues had a solid offensive performance and it showed in the win. Their Fenwick was 31 and the Fenwick Against sat at 39, meaning they had a Fenwick rate of 44.3%. They accounted for 26 face-off wins when at even strength and were beaten on 30 opportunities to win the face-off. Furthermore, they had 2 chances with extra men on the ice and were able to notch 1 goal. In the game, they netted 5 of the 21 shots they tried.

The Blues have had 1,435 shots taken against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .897. At even strength, the Blues have allowed the opponent to score 111 goals while having 111 on the offensive side of the ice. St. Louis Blues opponents have totaled 152 power play opportunities (11th in professional hockey) and have a total of 37 goals in those chances. For the season, they have recorded 52 points and their points percentage is .542. St. Louis has tried 1,414 shots and holds a shot percentage of 10.0%. In reference to their goal scoring prowess, the St. Louis Blues have racked up 142 goals (13th in pro hockey) this season and have surrendered 148. St. Louis has tallied 139 power play opportunities and they have tallied 31 goals out of those advantages, giving them a rate of 22.30%.

The man in goal for this game is Jordan Binnington. Opponents have been able to score 279 goals against Binnington in his professional career and his goals against rate is 2.42. Binnington has taken the ice for 119 games over the course of his hockey career. His save percentage is at .915 during his 6,913 mins guarding the cage. He has accumulated an overall record of 69-32-13 and he started in 115 games. For his professional hockey career, Binnington has 65 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .565. Binnington has seen 3,266 shots against him and has recorded 2,987 saves.

When they were on the ice last, Minnesota went up against the Blues in a matchup where the Wild went home in defeat by a score of 5-4. Their PDO at even strength was 97 and their percentage of oZS was 47.5%. They had 1 opportunity on the power play in this game but weren't able to put one in the back of the net. Their Fenwick percentage was 55.7% by amassing a Fenwick of 39 and the Blues ending the game with a 31 Fenwick. The Wild recorded 4 goals of the 30 shots on goal they took. Minnesota went home with a 59.4% Corsi rating. This Corsi rating is telling of the kind of game that Minnesota played and they put on a good performance in this one.

Minnesota has attempted 1,375 shots (28th in the NHL) and has earned a shooting percentage of 11.42%, while allowing the opposition 1,507 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill rate of 82.43% on the other teams 148 chances on the power play, and their save percentage currently sits at 91.3%. They have earned 147 chances on the power play and they have a power play percentage of 18.37%. The Wild have earned 130 goals at even strength and 27 goals (21st in professional hockey) while having more men on the ice. They have allowed 131 goals to be scored by of a combination of 105 goals at even strength and 26 goals while they were shorthanded. So far this season, the Minnesota Wild have accumulated 157 goals, 66 points, as well as a points percentage of .673.

Across the rink you are expected to see Cam Talbot protecting the net. His opposition is averaging 2.59 goals/game and he has allowed 848 goals altogether. Talbot's rate of quality starts is 52.0% and he has qualified for 171 quality starting assignments in his career. He has started in 329 contests and has accumulated 19,611 minutes. Talbot has a lifetime mark of 167-129-29 and has been in goal for 343 games. He has a tally of 9,221 saves out of the 10,069 shots attempted, which gives him a save percentage of .916.

Who will win tonight's hockey game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Minnesota (-128)

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