Sunday's Best NHL Bet
Philadelphia Flyers at Chicago Blackhawks (-200, 6)
Chicago has been pushed around by Chris Pronger and Philly’s blueline unit during the finals, and if the Blackhawks want to defend home ice they are going to have to push back.
The ‘Hawks must be more disciplined in Game 5 and will have to get more physical on the offensive and defensive sides of the puck.
"We all can pick up our play and our desperation level," said defenseman Duncan Keith. "This is it. It's a best-of-three now. There's nothing to save it for, there's nothing to conserve your energy for. It's full-out every shift, and that's the way it should be."
Vegas and bettors expect Chicago’s young, talented team to bounce back in this game. When the Blackhawks have won at home this postseason, the team has held opponents to an average of 2.28 goals per game.
Oddsmakers have bumped this total a half goal after a flurry of goals in the last two games and now with a push available, it’s time to hop back on the other side.
Pick: Under
What Bettors Need to Know: Flyers at Blackhawks
The Stanley Cup final is all knotted up at two games a piece with the Flyers holding serve at home and the Blackhawks looking to do the same in Game 5 at Chicago.
Bird droppings
The Blackhawks wanted to play more physical and take the fight to Philly but the added grit ended up sending the Western Conference champs to the sin bin on multiple occasions.
"We can't whack back," Hawks captain Jonathan Toews told reporters after the 5-3 loss in Game 4. "Retaliation penalties [are] definitely what stands out, especially to the officiating. We have to try our best to get under their skin and make sure they're whacking us back instead of us taking stupid penalties."
Chicago gave Philadelphia six power plays on Friday night, adding to the Flyers’ 16-9 edge in man advantages in the series.
Pronger relishing role as the bad guy
Flyers veteran Chris Pronger drew attention after he admitted he’d grabbed game pucks scored by the Hawks and threw them in the garbage.
“I’m sure there’s a method (to Pronger’s madness),” Flyers center Daniel Briere told the Toronto Star. “He seems to be disturbing a lot of people and we’re a team that disturbs a lot of people so I guess he fits right in.”
But Pronger’s real value to the Flyers has been on full display over the last four games. The hulking defenseman has neutralized Chicago power forward Dustin Byfuglien, he’s limited Hawks stars Toews and Patrick Kane’s space on the ice and he’s a plus-7 with three assists through the series’ first four games.
The former Norris Trophy winner would have to be considered a favorite to win the Conn Symthe Trophy should the Flyers prevail, but Pronger is quick to point out the sharp play of his defensive partner, Matt Carle.
''A lot of the time, [Carle's] defensive plays get overlooked,'' Pronger told the Chicago-Sun Times. ''He's very solid one-on-one. He may not be running guys over, but he gets in the way and forces guys to make mistakes.''
Carle, known more as a puck-moving blueliner, has a goal and two assists in his last two games.
Missing star power
Most hockey bettors expected Toews and Kane to lead the supremely-skilled Hawks past the rough-and-tough Flyers, but after four games Toews and Kane have just one goal between them in the Cup final.
Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville has tried shaking up the lines to try spark the two gifted offensive players, but the changes haven’t increased either star’s production.
"It's frustrating, but what are you going to do? You're not going to sit there and cry about it," Toews told ESPN.com. "You keep going out there the next shift and you try. You do a lot of good things out there, but it doesn't mean nothing if you don't produce, if you don't score, and we know that."
Leighton proves critics wrong… again
Several media talking heads suggested the Flyers should start Brian Boucher after starter Michael Leighton got pulled in Game 1 and was on the wrong side of a 2-1 result in Game 2.
But Flyers coach Peter Laviolette stuck with Leighton who was the team’s third-string netminder just a few months back. The move obviously was the right decision with Leighton playing an integral role in the Flyers’ two-game winning streak.
The former Hurricane backup backstop said he felt he played his best game of the series in Game 4 when he stopped 31 of 34 shots.
"I actually felt my best, too,” Leighton told the Philadelphia Daily News. “I was comfortable. I wasn't nervous.
"In the first period, I felt I made a couple saves that got me into the game early, and I think we fed off that."
Trends
- Chicago should be anxious to get back home. The club has lost its last 10 games in Philadelphia.
- The Blackhawks, who are heavy chalk in Game 5, are 4-0 their last four outings as favorites.
- The Flyers are 10-3 in their last 13 games but just 7-15 in their last 22 road games.
- Both the Flyers and Blackhawks have played above the total in four of their last five games.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Chicago Blackhawks
The Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks will both be trying to pick up a win on Sunday when they battle at United Center.
Claude Giroux potted the winner and Jeff Carter scored an empty-net marker as the Flyers defeated the Blackhawks 5-3 in Game 4 to even the Stanley Cup final at two games apiece.
The Flyers won that game as -115 favorites, while the eight goals sailed OVER the posted over/under (5.5) set by oddsmakers.
Mike Richards, Matt Carle, and Ville Leino added the other Flyers goals. Patrick Sharp, Dave Bolland, and Brian Campbell tallied for the Blackhawks.
Team records:
Philadelphia: 41-35-6
Chicago: 52-22-8
Philadelphia most recently:
When playing on Sunday are 7-3
Before playing Tampa Bay are 7-3
After playing Chicago are 4-4-1
After a win are 7-3
Chicago most recently:
When playing on Sunday are 5-5
Before playing Edmonton are 5-5
After playing Philadelphia are 4-6
After a loss are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games
Philadelphia is 15-4 SU in its last 19 games when playing Chicago
Philadelphia is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games
Philadelphia is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Chicago is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games
Chicago is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
Chicago is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
Next up:
Chicago at Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 9
PHILADELPHIA (55-41-0-7, 117 pts.) at CHICAGO (66-27-0-9, 141 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 3-3 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 3-3-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.3 Units)
PHILADELPHIA vs. CHICAGO
Philadelphia is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games
Philadelphia is 7-15 SU in its last 22 games on the road
Chicago is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
Chicago is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home