Tuesday's Best NHL Bets
Chicago Blackhawks at San Jose Sharks (-140, 5.5)
The Sharks thought they were done with all this talk about a postseason curse. San Jose rolled over the defending Campbell Trophy winners, the Detroit Red Wings, in the conference semifinals and appeared to have shaken any hex holding them back in the playoffs.
But, after a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of the Western Conference final Sunday, the curse chatter is starting again. The Sharks did everything in their power to win Game 1, firing 45 shots on goal but coming up with just one power-play goal.
“There’s a lot of emphasis on Game 2 now,” center Joe Pavelski told reporters. “We have to win. On home ice you want to win at least one, definitely. We’re on our heels a little bit and we have to respond.”
San Jose’s powerful offense has sputtered in the past three games. It managed just one goal in a 7-1 loss to Detroit in Game 4 of that second-round series. Then, it netted just two goals to eliminate the Red Wings with a 2-1 victory in Game 5. Add those efforts to Sunday’s close loss and the Sharks have managed just four goals on their last 106 shots.
With Chicago boasting one of the most underrated bluelines in hockey, scoring chances are going to be hard to come by. And with both goaltenders playing well, Game 2 could finish much like the series opener.
Pick: Under
Montreal Canadiens at Philadelphia Flyers (-155, 5)
The Canadiens’ faith in their goaltending will not be shook. Not even after suffering a 6-0 thumping at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final Sunday.
"No concern about that whatsoever," Michael Cammalleri told the Montreal Gazette. "Jaro's had games where pucks have gone in on him before and he's come back and played spectacular.
"Carey's also someone we have tons of confidence in. I don't think he's let in a goal in practice in two weeks. We love our goaltending."
But while Cammalleri isn’t stressing over the poise between the posts, he should be concerned about the Habs’ play on the other end of the ice. Montreal, which ranked 25th in the NHL in scoring, is not a good offensive club. If it wasn’t for Cammalleri and Brian Gionta catching fire in the playoffs, the Canadiens wouldn’t have made it out of the first round.
Montreal’s luck could be running out. The Habs actually outshot the Flyers 28-25 Sunday but managed just five shots on goal in the third period. Cammalleri registered only one shot for the game, failing to pick up a point for the first time in the last four games.
After tapping into a miraculous offense in the first two series, the well is running dry for the Canadiens in the conference final.
Pick: Philadelphia
Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers
The Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers will both be gunning for a victory on Tuesday when they meet at Wachovia Center.
Michael Leighton made 28 saves for the shutout on Sunday as the Flyers beat the Canadiens 6-0 in the opener of the Eastern final.
The Flyers were winners as -130 home favorites in that contest, while the combined score went OVER the night's posted total (5).
Braydon Coburn, James van Riemsdyk, Danny Briere, Simon Gagne, Scott Hartnell, and Claude Giroux all scored in that win for the Flyers.
Team records:
Montreal: 39-33-10
Philadelphia: 41-35-6
Montreal most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 4-6
Before playing Philadelphia are 5-5
After playing Philadelphia are 7-3
After a loss are 6-4
Philadelphia most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 5-5
Before playing Tampa Bay are 6-4
After playing Montreal are 7-3
After a win are 7-3
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Montreal's last 15 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montreal's last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Philadelphia is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Philadelphia's last 15 games when playing Montreal
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing at home against Montreal
Next up:
Philadelphia at Montreal, Thursday, May 20
Chicago Blackhawks vs. San Jose Sharks
The Chicago Blackhawks and the San Jose Sharks will both be trying to pick up a win on Tuesday when they battle at HP Pavilion.
Dustin Byfuglien had the game-winning goal on Sunday as the Blackhawks topped the Sharks 2-1 in the opener of the Western final.
The Hawks were winners as +110 road underdogs in that contest, while the combined score fell UNDER the day's posted total (5.5).
Patrick Sharp had the other Chicago goal in that win, while Antti Niemi made 44 saves. Jason Demers had the lone Sharks marker.
Team records:
Chicago: 52-22-8
San Jose: 51-20-11
Chicago most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 7-3
Before playing Edmonton are 5-5
After playing San Jose are 5-5
After a win are 6-4
San Jose most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 4-6
Before playing Toronto are 4-4-1
After playing Chicago are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Chicago is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing San Jose
Chicago is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against San Jose
San Jose is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
San Jose is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 7 games when playing Chicago
Next up:
San Jose at Chicago, Friday, May 21
MONTREAL vs. PHILADELPHIA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montreal's last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Montreal's last 15 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing at home against Montreal
Philadelphia is 8-14-2 SU in its last 24 games ,when playing at home against Montreal
CHICAGO vs. SAN JOSE
Chicago is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
San Jose is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Chicago
San Jose is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Eastern Conference Finals Game Two (Philadelphia Leads, 1-0)
MONTREAL at PHILADELPHIA
MONTREAL: 10-4 SU revenging a loss by 3+ goals
PHILADELPHIA: 1-5 SU off 5+ wins
Western Conference Finals Game Two (Chicago Leads, 1-0)
CHICAGO at SAN JOSE
CHICAGO: 15-5 SU off BB games allowing 2 or less goals
SAN JOSE: 10-4 Under after scoring 1 or 0 goals last game
MONTREAL (47-39-0-11, 105 pts.) at PHILADELPHIA (50-38-0-7, 107 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 10-8 (+0.7 Units) against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 10-8-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
11 of 18 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.4 Units)
CHICAGO (61-26-0-8, 130 pts.) at SAN JOSE (59-23-0-12, 130 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 7-6-0 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.7 Units)
NHL News and Notes Tuesday
Flyers now on serious roll, winning last five games after falling behind in last series 3-0 to Boston. Philly scored six goals on just 25 shots in first game of series, going 2-6 in 10:16 on power play (Canadiens were 0-4 in 6:29 with man advantage). Montreal was down 3-2 in last series, 3-1 in first round but won both series, so they're not out of this yet; they've won five of their nine road playoff games.
Blackhawks were outshot 45-40 in wild 2-1 win in Game 1; Chicago did not have power play in game (Canucks were 1-5 in 7:39 with man edge). Chicago won six of last seven games against the Sharks, winning four of five this year; they've won their last four games in Shark Tank. Five of last seven series games went over total. San Jose won seven of last nine games, with last four wins by a goal. Chicago won last six road games, scoring 24 goals. Sharks won five of their last six home games.