NHL Game 7 Best Bets: Expert Picks & Blues vs. Jets Analysis

Written by

Daniel Dobish

Published on May 3, 2025

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The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs officially wraps up Sunday at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets play Game 7 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series. It's the second Game 7 of the first round, after the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars did battle on Saturday. We'll focus not only on the line and total, but we'll also make some prop picks. Let's get started.

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Expert NHL Betting Tips for May 4

For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.

St. Louis Blues vs. Winnipeg Jets Game 7 Betting Insights

It's been a series of domination by the home team, and the Presidents' Trophy winners from Winnipeg are likely counting their lucky stars that this decisive game is on home ice.

The Jets won Game 1 by a 5-3 count, and Game 2 by a 2-1 margin. Winnipeg also won at home in Game 5 by a 5-3 score. However, in St. Louis, the Blues won Game 2 by a 7-2 score, while walloping the Jets 5-1 in Game 4. The Blues pounded the Jets 5-2 in Game 6, winning all three games at Enterprise Center by an average margin of 4.0 goals per game (GPG). The Jets won their three home games by just 1.7 GPG, so home-ice advantage is real, at least in this series.

In Game 6, Philip Broberg scored a goal in the first period to get the Blues off to a good start. Robert Thomas had the primary assist, giving him six helpers in this series through six games.

In the second period, Cole Perfetti had a power-play goal at 5:43 to level the score, but then the Blues kicked it into high gear. Nathan Walker, Brayden Schenn and Cam Fowler scored three goals within 2:06 of each other, flipping a close game into a 4-1 lead. Fowler, by the way, has set a franchise record for points by a defenseman in a series with 10.

Alexei Toropchenko added one for good measure at 16:57, giving St. Louis an insurmountable lead. Radek Faksa had two assists, giving him four helpers in the series. The last goal did Connor Hellebuyck in again, as he was pulled after two periods, allowing five goals on 23 shots.

The odds-on leader for the Vezina Trophy will likely be glad if he never sees Enterprise Center again. He has been pulled in all three starts in St. Louis in this series, giving up at least five goals in all three starts. Hellebuyck allowed five goals on just two occasions during the regular season, with one start coming in Vancouver on March 18, and another loss at home against Toronto back on Oct. 28. He allowed four or fewer goals in all other starts, which is what makes this so shocking.

Hellebuyck is 0-3-0 with an ugly 7.24 GAA and .758 save percentage in three starts in St. Louis, while going 3-0-0 with a 2.33 GAA and .879 save percentage in three starts in Winnipeg. While he hasn't stood on his head at home, those are certainly some stark split contrasts.

Jordan Binnington has won three of the past four starts in this series, and he hasn't allowed more than four goals in any single game. He is 3-3-0 with a 2.54 GAA and .897 save percentage, going 0-3-0 with a 3.44 GAA and .861 save percentage in three starts in Winnipeg. Those aren't great numbers, but they aren't nearly as bad as Hellebuyck's road splits.

If you're looking for a Game 7 hero, Faksa scored a Game 7 goal to sink the Golden Knights last season in the first round as a member of the Stars. Keep him in the back of your mind if/when it gets late, and the score is close.

Winnipeg has been "jet-tisoned" from the playoffs (see what I did there -- I won't do it again) in the first round in each of the past two seasons. Does the team have the Presidents' Trophy curse, or will Winnipeg break free of that and advance to the second round?

The good news for the Jets is that they welcomed back Nikolaj Ehlers from a foot injury in Game 6. While he was scoreless with a minus-2 rating, his presence in Game 7 will make up for the potential loss of Mark Scheifele, who did not even travel for Game 6 due to a potential upper-body injury after a crushing hit by Schenn in Game 5.

We'll back the Blues to steal Game 7 on the road, despite the Jets feeding off the "whiteout" crowd in Winnipeg. It won't be enough to get the job done. We'll also go with the Under, as both goaltenders should clamp down, perhaps even sending this one to overtime to decide a winner.

Top NHL Player Props and Odds

Looking to the props, let's focus on Ehlers to get to at least three shots on goal (SOG). He had three SOG in Game 6, and he'll be a major piece of the offense, especially if desperation sets in late. The sniper should be letting it fly fast and furious.

Looking to the Anytime Goal Scorers, Pavel Buchnevich (+280) is a value for the chance to nearly triple up. The 30-year-old Cherepovets, Russia native had a hat trick in Game 4, and he had three goals and seven points in the first four games of this series. He is scoreless in the past two games, so I feel he is due.