PREMIUM
Rogers' Opening Night TOTAL DOMINATION >> SIZZLING 64-35 Overall L29 Days!
(NHL) St. Louis vs. Pittsburgh,
Total: 5.50 | 106.00 Over
Result: Loss
Total: 5.50 | 106.00 Over
Result: Loss
The set-up: The Pittsburgh Penguins will raise the fifth championship banner in franchise history to the rafters Wednesday night before kicking off the season against the visiting St. Louis Blues on Wednesday. It was the Penguins' second straight Stanley Cup title, as they became the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the Detroit Red Wings in did so in1997-98. The Blues went 46-29-7 (3rd in Central Division) and were were eliminated by eventual Cup runner-up Nashville in the second round last spring.
St. Louis: The Blues have made six consecutive trips to the playoffs but have advanced to the conference finals only once in that span. They open this season looking to build on the momentum they generated last season after Mike Yeo replaced Ken Hitchcock behind the bench. St. Louis went 22-8-2 under Yeo and finished the regular season on a 15-2-2 run, regaining its defensive identity during a 15-game stretch in which it did not allow more than three goals. Veteran goaltender Jake Allen was floundering during the season but posted a 1.85 goals-against average after Yeo took over! Vladimir Tarasenko has amassed 116 goals over the past three seasons (had 39 goals and 75 points last season) but Patrik Berglund (23) was the only other player on the roster to surpass 20. The Blues attempted to address the scoring issue by acquiring Brayden Schenn, who tallied 25 times with Philadelphia while tying for the league lead with 17 power-play goals last season. Captain Alex Pietrangelo, coming off a career-best 14 goals, leads a solid defensive corps.
Pittsburgh: Long-time franchise goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was taken by Las Vegas in the expansion draft but the Pens are just fine in net, as 23-year-old Matt Murray has earned two Cup rings while technically a rookie! Sidney Crosby led the league in goals (44) and tied for second in scoring (89 points) while No. 2 center Evgeni Malkin supplied 72 points in 62 games. That All Star duo is hardly alone. Phil Kessel and Conor Sheary netted 23 goals apiece, Patric Hornqvist chipped in 21 and rookie Jake Guentzel contributed 16 before a spectacular postseason in which he led all scorers with 13 goals in 25 games. The Pittsburgh defense will receive a big boost with the return of standout Kris Letang, who appeared in only 41 games last season and missed the playoffs after undergoing neck surgery. Goaltender Matt Murray appeared in only 62 regular-season games but he's 22-9 with a 1.95 goals-against average in two Stanley Cup title runs.
The pick: The Penguins go for a third straight Cup, something that hasn't been done since the NY Islanders won four in a row from 1980 to 1983. However, it's way too early to talk about (or worry) about stuff like that. Pittsburgh is expected to be without winger Patric Hornqvist because of off-season hand surgery, while St. Louis is expected to be without Alexander Steen (hand), Jay Bouwmeester (ankle), Robby Fabbri (knee), Patrik Berglund (shoulder) and Zach Sanford (shoulder). Pttsburgh and St. Louis have split the two-game series in each of the past three seasons and with two top-notch goalies (Allen and Murray) in net tonight, the Under is a 10* play.
St. Louis: The Blues have made six consecutive trips to the playoffs but have advanced to the conference finals only once in that span. They open this season looking to build on the momentum they generated last season after Mike Yeo replaced Ken Hitchcock behind the bench. St. Louis went 22-8-2 under Yeo and finished the regular season on a 15-2-2 run, regaining its defensive identity during a 15-game stretch in which it did not allow more than three goals. Veteran goaltender Jake Allen was floundering during the season but posted a 1.85 goals-against average after Yeo took over! Vladimir Tarasenko has amassed 116 goals over the past three seasons (had 39 goals and 75 points last season) but Patrik Berglund (23) was the only other player on the roster to surpass 20. The Blues attempted to address the scoring issue by acquiring Brayden Schenn, who tallied 25 times with Philadelphia while tying for the league lead with 17 power-play goals last season. Captain Alex Pietrangelo, coming off a career-best 14 goals, leads a solid defensive corps.
Pittsburgh: Long-time franchise goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was taken by Las Vegas in the expansion draft but the Pens are just fine in net, as 23-year-old Matt Murray has earned two Cup rings while technically a rookie! Sidney Crosby led the league in goals (44) and tied for second in scoring (89 points) while No. 2 center Evgeni Malkin supplied 72 points in 62 games. That All Star duo is hardly alone. Phil Kessel and Conor Sheary netted 23 goals apiece, Patric Hornqvist chipped in 21 and rookie Jake Guentzel contributed 16 before a spectacular postseason in which he led all scorers with 13 goals in 25 games. The Pittsburgh defense will receive a big boost with the return of standout Kris Letang, who appeared in only 41 games last season and missed the playoffs after undergoing neck surgery. Goaltender Matt Murray appeared in only 62 regular-season games but he's 22-9 with a 1.95 goals-against average in two Stanley Cup title runs.
The pick: The Penguins go for a third straight Cup, something that hasn't been done since the NY Islanders won four in a row from 1980 to 1983. However, it's way too early to talk about (or worry) about stuff like that. Pittsburgh is expected to be without winger Patric Hornqvist because of off-season hand surgery, while St. Louis is expected to be without Alexander Steen (hand), Jay Bouwmeester (ankle), Robby Fabbri (knee), Patrik Berglund (shoulder) and Zach Sanford (shoulder). Pttsburgh and St. Louis have split the two-game series in each of the past three seasons and with two top-notch goalies (Allen and Murray) in net tonight, the Under is a 10* play.
