Stanley Cup Final Odds: Bruins Favorites For Game 5 Vs. Blues

The Boston Bruins will be back on home ice on Thursday night as they face the St. Louis Blues in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final as -155 favorites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara suffered a reported broken jaw after taking a puck to the face in Boston’s 4-2 loss in Game 4 on Monday, further complicating the team’s injury woes going into Thursday night’s Blues vs. Bruins betting matchup at TD Garden.

The injury to Chara adds to the growing list of hobbled Bruins rearguards. Kevan Miller remains out indefinitely as he deals with a lower body injury, while Matt Grzelcyk has been in concussion protocol since taking a hit from Oskar Sundqvist in Game 2. Grzelcyk returned to practice on Wednesday but has yet to receive clearance to return to game action.

The injuries raise a concern for the Bruins, who have built their successful playoff run on stingy defense. However, Boston weathered the storm without Chara in the lineup earlier this season, going 10-7-2 over a 19-game run that started in mid-November, including a 6-2-0 run on home ice during that stretch.

The Bruins allowed 37 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss in Game 2, but have otherwise been steady in playoff dates at TD Garden since their Game 7 win over Toronto in the first round, going 6-2 in their past eight and giving up just 2.25 goals against per game.

However, Boston’s great defensive play has not translated into consistent results in totals betting. With the Bruins scoring an average of almost four goals per game over their past eight home dates the OVER has prevailed on five occasions, according to the OddsShark NHL Database. Despite that trend, the total is favored to go UNDER 5.5 on Thursday night, with -145 odds.

The Blues return to Boston on a high after knotting the series at 2-2 with Monday’s victory as narrow -115 chalk. St. Louis now looks to leverage its success on the road during the playoffs as the team seeks to claim its first-ever series lead in the Stanley Cup Final while pegged as +135 underdogs for Game 5.

The Blues have won eight of 11 on the road this spring, including their victory in Boston in Game 2, but continue to trail on the NHL series prices as +140 underdogs, trailing the Bruins, who remain set as -160 favorites.