Vegas Play of the Day: Predators at Blues

By Jesse Granger

Wednesday, April 26, 2017 | 9:43 a.m.

We’ve entered the third season of the annual South Point-lined Play of the Day competition, effective July 1.

Starting bankrolls have reset to $10,000, with the maximum bet being to win $1,000 and the minimum wager $300. Ray Brewer won the 2015-2016 season, after Taylor Bern prevailed in 2014-2015. Bern stepped away in the middle of the 2016-2017 season with a 16-12 record and $13,317 bankroll, with Mike Grimala taking his place.

St. Louis Blues minus-120 vs. Nashville Predators: $480 to win $400

No team made a bigger impression in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs than the Nashville Predators. The young Predators swept the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks and made it look easy, putting the rest of the league on notice.

But because that series went by so quickly, they are now an inexperienced team with nearly a week off between games. Now they face the Blues who weren’t too shabby themselves in the first round, knocking off the Minnesota Wild in five games. Most of the public will favor the Predators, who are the flavor of the week, but I think the Blues take game one at home.

The goaltending matchup might cancel itself out in this series because both Pekka Rinne and Jake Allen are playing out of their minds in the playoffs. Rinne allowed only three goals in four games against Chicago, and Allen saved 174 of the 182 shots he faced against Minnesota.

The matchup that will determine this game, and the series, will be Nashville’s quick forwards versus the Blues’ strong defenseman. Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg combined for three goals and eight assists against Chicago, but the Blues may have the best blue line in the NHL. Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester will pose a much stiffer test for the Predators, especially on the power play.

Nashville was only 1-for-8 (12 percent) on the power play against Chicago, while the Blues held the Wild to only 3-of-18 (16 percent) in the first round. St. Louis was just as good all season, ranking third in the league in penalty kill percentage.

I think this will be a hard fought series that goes six or seven games, but I feel comfortable taking the Blues as a slight home favorite in game one.

Current Standings: Grimala (8-11, $8,733), Granger (15-18-1, $8,727), Keefer (42-36-3, $7,880), Brewer (29-29-1, $7,485)