The St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins will square off in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals. The current Stanley Cup Finals odds at BetOnline is displaying Boston as a money line series favorite of -155 and St. Louis is an underdog of +135. The series is set to begin at TD Garden in Boston on Monday.

Stanley Cup Finals Experience

St. Louis has made the NHL Playoffs in 35 of their 41 years of franchise existence. Yet, no Blues team has ever won a Stanley Cup. As a matter of fact, they reached the Stanley Cup Finals during their first 3 years in the NHL but haven’t returned since. The Blues last Stanley Cup Finals appearance came way back in 1970 when ironically enough they were swept in 4 games by Boston.

This will be the Boston Bruins 3rd Stanley Cup Finals since 2011. The Bruins won it all in 2011 when they rallied from a 2-0 series deficit to defeat Vancouver in 7 games. However, during the 2013 Finals they lost to Chicago in 6 games. The Bruins current roster has 5 holdovers (Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Tuuku Rask) from those 2 Stanley Cup Finals teams.

Starting Goaltenders

St. Louis had the fewest points in the NHL back on 1/2/2019. However, since that time they’ve gone 41-22 straight up and that includes 12-7 during postseason action. You can make a strong case that the Blues turnaround coincided with them committing to rookie Jordan Binnington as their #1 goaltender. Binnington has endured some shaking moments during these playoffs but was fantastic in the final 3 Western Conference Finals games against San Jose. The Blues won all 3 while Binnington posted a sensational 0.67 GAA and .974 save percentage.

Tuukka Rask has received his fair share of criticism in recent years from the local media and Bruins fanbase. Nevertheless, I don’t hear anyone complaining right now. Rask is 12-4 during this 2019 postseason with a terrific .942 save percentage. Additionally, Rask had shutouts in Boston’s series clinching wins over Columbus and Carolina.

I can’t help but give a huge edge in this department to Boston. Besides Rask having far more NHL experience than Binnington, and especially so at postseason time, he’s been the best goaltender by a wide margin throughout these playoffs.

Bruins Huge Special Teams Edge

St. Louis has gone a mediocre 12-62 (19.4%) on the power play in the playoffs. The Blues penalty killing has killed off an uninspiring 78% (32-41) of their opponent’s power play chances. Although, over their previous 5 games, they allowed only 1 goal in 9 shorthanded situations.

Boston’s power play has been sizzling hot during this successful postseason run. The Bruins have cashed in on 34% of their power play opportunities and that includes an even better 43.7% thru its last 5 outings. Boston has also shut down their opponent’s man advantage situations with a high degree of efficiency. Toronto, Columbus, and Carolina combined to go a mere 7-51 (13.7%) on the power play against Boston.

Home and Away Splits

The St. Louis Blues went a somewhat respectable 21-20 on the road during regular season action. Nonetheless, they’re an exceptional 7-2 in 9 away playoff games. Conversely, St. Louis has gone an uninspiring 5-5 in 10 postseason home games.

Boston has been an extremely good home team during their regular season and playoff slates. The Bruins are 35-15 at TD Garden heading into this Stanley Cup Final. Boston has also gone a very profitable 6-2 in their road playoff games and that includes winning its last 4 on enemy ice.

Final Analysis and Pick

I’ve already made it abundantly clear that Boston has received significantly better goaltending and special teams play compared to St. Louis during this postseason. Boston expected to be here, and especially after Tampa Bay was shockingly swept by Columbus in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The Bruins enter this series on a 7-game win streak.

St. Louis is elated to have reached this point. The Blues have shown plenty of resiliency as they faced elimination 3 times during their last 2 series and obviously survived in each instance. They’ve growingly resembled a team of destiny. Nonetheless, those that are destined don’t always attain the pinnacle of success. My 2019 Stanley Cup Finals pick aligns well with that previous statement.
Pick: Boston Bruins -155

Ross Benjamin is a top sports analyst and one of the sports industry's most respected handicappers. Follow him on Twitter: @RossBenjamin1 or visit his website at RBWins.com