Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 Prediction
(The Spread) – Game 1 of the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Finals is tonight and the Canucks find themselves as huge favorites. But can the Bruins surprise?
View Current NHL Stanley Cup Finals Odds
Oddsmakers from online sports book Bodog have made the Canucks –194 money line favorites over the visiting Bruins, who are +178 on the ML. The over/under total for Game 1 is 5.5 goals and the puck will drop at 8:00PM ET tonight.
The line has moved significantly in the Canucks’ favor since the opening odds were released last weekend. Vancouver opened as –175 money line favorites but quickly was bumped to –180. By the end of the opening day, they were –190 and are now as high as –200 at some books.
Current public betting information shows that of the 3,700-plus wagers placed on tonight’s game, 55% of the betting public favor the Canucks –194. It’s not surprising that the public is on a heavy favorite, although one would have thought that more than 55% would favor Vancouver tonight.
NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 Free Pick: I don’t like the feel of this Game 1. The Canucks opened as –174 money line favorites and quickly shot up, which could mean that the sharps pushed the action early. There’s every reason to like Vancouver in this one with Boston coming off a hard-fought series against Tampa Bay. But both teams should be well rested and quite frankly, the Canucks may come out a little rusty after finishing off the Sharks more than a week ago. I like the Bruins for their value. I think the line is skewed to heavily in Vancouver’s favor and not enough attention is being paid to Boston. According to latest NHL trends, the Bruins are 8-0 when Nathan Horton scores a goal this postseason and I like his odds of sneaking one past Roberto Lunongo tonight.
2011 NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS GAME 1 FREE PICK: BOSTON BRUINS
Want More From TheSpread.com? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook or Subscribe to Our News Feeds!