Last Updated on May 29, 2010 4:00 pm by drew
Stanley Cup Finals Pick
It is time for the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals as the Chicago Blackhawks host the Philadelphia Flyers for Game 1 on Saturday night.
Bet NHL Future Odds
The Blackhawks are the No. 2 seed in the West while the Flyers are the No. 7 seed out of the East.
Oddsmakers from Online Sportsbook Sportsbook.com have made Chicago the clear favorites to win the series with a money line of -260 while Philadelphia has a line of +200.
Chicago finished the regular season with 112 points by winning 52 games. The Blackhawks scored 271 goals during the season and gave up 209. In the playoffs, Chicago disposed of Nashville 4-2 in the first round, Vancouver 4-2 in the second round, and San Jose 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals. In 16 playoff games, the Blackhawks are averaging 3.3 goals and 32 shots per-game while allowing 2.5 goals and 29.6 shots per-game. Antti Niemi has made 430 saves in the playoffs and has a 92.1 save percentage.
Philadelphia had 88 points in the regular season on 41 wins. The Flyers scored 236 goals and allowed 225. In the playoffs, the Flyers defeated New Jersey 4-1 in the opening round and then defeated Boston 4-3 in round two after being down 3-0 in the series. The Flyers then topped Montreal 4-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals. In 17 playoff games, the Flyers are averaging 3.2 goals 27.5 shots per-game while allowing just 2.1 goals and 28.5 shots per-game. Michael Leighton has made 199 saves in eight playoff games and has a save percentage of 94.8, which has been the key to the Flyers’ success.
These two met just one time during the season, with Philadelphia picking up a 3-2 win. The Blackhawks out-shot the Flyers 41-34, but Leighton recorded 39 saves in the victory.
As good as the Flyers have been in their last nine games, the Blackhawks have been equally impressive and have a deeper roster with more scoring power. While Leighton may be able to steal a few games for the Flyers, it seems as if Chicago is destined to win the cup this year.
Our Stanley Cup Finals Free Pick for this matchup is: CHICAGO -260
Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Trends
CHICAGO is 64-33 ATS (+18.4 Units) in all games this season.
CHICAGO is 31-13 ATS (+10.4 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
CHICAGO is 37-16 ATS (+11.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
CHICAGO is 43-26 ATS (+13.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 1-1-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.2 Units)
Stanley Cup Playoffs Injury Report
PHILADELPHIA
[GO] 02/08/2010 – Ray Emery out for season ( Hip )
[GO] 03/18/2010 – Michael Leighton out 8-10 weeks ( Ankle )
[F] 05/07/2010 – Simon Gagne is upgraded to probable Friday vs. Boston ( Foot )
[C] 04/28/2010 – Jeff Carter out indefinitely ( Foot )
[F] 04/28/2010 – Ian Laperriere out indefinitely ( Concussion )
CHICAGO
[D] 03/27/2010 – Kim Johnsson out indefinitely ( Concussion )
Stanley Cup Finals Series Odds
Philadelphia Flyers +200
Chicago Blackhawks -260
Blackhawks vs. Flyers Series Schedule:
Game 1 Saturday, May 29 at Chicago 8 p.m. ET NBC
Game 2 Monday, May 31 at Chicago 8 p.m. ET NBC
Game 3 Wednesday, June 2 at Philadelphia 7:30 p.m. ET VERSUS
Game 4 Friday, June 4 at Philadelphia 7;30 p.m. ET VERSUS
*Game 5 Sunday, June 6 at Chicago 8 p.m. ET NBC
*Game 6 Wednesday, June 9 at Philadelphia 8 p.m. ET NBC
*Game 7 Friday, June 11 at Chicago 8 p.m. ET NBC
*If Necessary
Bet NHL Future Odds
Posted: 5/29/10 4:00PM ET