The St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets settle their first-round series on Sunday night.
The pregame narrative: Very few people expected St. Louis to push Winnipeg to the brink of elimination. I’m betting on the Jets powering through, however, thanks to a strong performance from Connor Hellebuyck. Additionally, the under on the game total and Jordan Kyrou‘s point prop round out my ticket.
Check out my Blues vs. Jets best bets for Game 7 of the opening round.
Blues vs. Jets best bets
Best Bet: Jets 60-minute moneyline (+120)
Home-ice advantage has earned its moniker in this series.
The home team is an undefeated 6-0 thus far, and I expect that trend to continue in Game 7.
Winnipeg has been excellent at Canada Life Place all year long. It went 30-7-4 in the regular season and has outscored St. Louis, 12-7, there in this series.
The Blues were a mediocre 20-16-5 as a visitor in the regular season and haven’t proven they can win on the road in the playoffs.
Hellebuyck has been better at home in this series. The likely Vezina-Trophy winner has posted a sub-.800 save percentage in all three road games in this series, but has topped that mark in all three home games.
I’m also anticipating Hellebuyck having his strongest game of the series. The American netminder hasn’t been as sharp in the playoffs, but he’s capable of stepping up with an absolutely stellar performance at any moment.
Key stat: Winnipeg has won nine of its last 10 home games against St. Louis in regulation.
Quick picks
Under 5 goals (+112): I’m expecting Hellebuyck to be at his best in this game, which is a big reason why I’m backing the under.
If Hellebuyck is sharp, then St. Louis won’t contribute much to this total. In the same token, I’m also expecting Jordan Binnington to be stellar.
Binnington has an impressive track record in big contests. He backed the Blues to a Stanley Cup title in 2019, holding the Boston Bruins to one goal in Game 7. He also lifted Canada past the United States of America, 3-2, at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Mark Scheifele’s injury status also plays heavily into this wager. The Jets centre was electric in this series, notching six points in five contests. Even if he does suit up, he’ll likely be far from fully healthy in this game.
Kyrou to not score 1+ point (-122): I can get behind fading anybody on the Blues with low expectations for their offence.
Kyrou has underwhelmed in this series. He had two points through the first three games but is pointless since. Neither of the winger’s points came at even strength, making him very power-play dependent for production.
St. Louis’ power play has fallen off across the last four games, clicking at a lowly 16.7% rate.
I don’t expect Kyrou to rise to the occasion and will fade him at this price.
Blues vs. Jets best bets made at 2:53 p.m. ET 05/03/2025.
Stevie’s an avid NFL, NHL, and tennis bettor who has no problem talking himself into the underdog. His previous stops include Yahoo! Sports Canada and Toronto Metropolitan University, where he received a degree in Sport Media.