Philadelphia switching roles for Game 6

Even the best of players will have an off day. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant haven’t always dominated every finals game they played in and Sidney Crosby and Steve Yzerman were not always the best player on the ice game after game in the Stanley Cup finals they played in. After four marvelous outings against Chicago, the Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger had one of those games.

Pronger, who’s been dishing legal and illegal hits for years, was pounded a few different times by Blackhawks’ players in Game 5 and ended up -5 for his time on the ice in the 7-4 defeat.

Credit Chicago coach Joel Quenneville for creative line switches that appeared desperate before the game and brilliant after it. Quenneville broke up his top scoring line of line of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien after they had totaled one goal and three assists in the first four contests of the Finals, mostly facing Pronger when on the attack.

Each player was placed on a different line and Pronger and the entire Flyers defense was thrown off. The 6’6 blue-liner was singled out since he had been such a pain to Chicago, being on the ice for six of the Blackhawks goals and in the penalty box for the other. Philly is 4-10 after playing a game where nine or more total goals were scored this season.

Pronger has logged the most ice time of any player in the series and having two days off should refresh him, plus Philadelphia is 24-7 at home since the midpoint of the regular season. Flyers coach Peter Laviolette will work to combat his club’s off night and remind them the home team has won every contest in the series thus far, so by just playing Philadelphia hockey, they can extend series one more game.

After Chicago’s overwhelming performance, the sports bettor has to use his polyhistoric references and realize though the Hawks won the last game, realistically, neither team has the momentum.

Chicago as least psychologically feels good having laid out Pronger a few times and possibly shaken the confidence of goalie Michael Leighton, who reportedly is not a sure thing to start in goal for this encounter. Expect to see Leighton between the pipes since he is 6-0 at the Wachovia Center and his teammates are 9-1.

The Blackhawks are 19-3 off a home win scoring four or more goals this season and are starting to feel like they might have found something. “I think we've been looking for that throughout the whole series,” Kane said. “With him (Pronger) on the ice, he's a big guy, but we feel we can get around him and make some good plays.

Though Pronger has been a huge part of the discussion between games, his coach adds perspective. “I think if we look just for Chris Pronger to do it, everybody will be in trouble," Laviolette said. "We are a team that, by all accounts, we win together, and usually it's a team effort. And when we lose, well, we do it as a team. Everybody could have been a little bit better last night. I'm sure Chris will have a big game and lead the way, but others -- we need to make sure that we have all hands on deck."

This all leads to Philly opening as -120 money line favorite and being shifted to +100 home underdogs by sports bettors, where they are only 10-29 in that role. Bettors are not expecting Chicago to go quietly and with position switched are 16-5 as favorites and with total Ov5.5, the Hawks are 6-0 OVER in road games after both teams scored four goals or more this year. The Flyers will look to batten down the hatches and are 11-3 UNDER after permitting five goals or more.

NBC and the CBC will have Game 6 at 8:00 Eastern as Philadelphia tries to extend home winning streak over Chicago to 11, dating back to March of 1998.

Desperation fuels Philadelphia Flyers

When you were a child, did you have one of those plastic punch-down toys? They usually had a clown face on it and when you would hit it, the toy falls over but had a base where it always would come right back up to be punched again. If you think about, the Philadelphia Flyers are a lot like this toy, you can smash it, bash it and kick it, but they get right back up looking for more.

Forget about all the other remarkable aspects the Flyers have done just to be in the Stanley Cup Finals, what they had to overcome emotionally in Game 3 was plenty.

Down 2-0 in the finals, Philadelphia needed video replay to take a 2-1 lead in the second period. Chicago roared back to take a 3-2 lead in the third period before stunned Philly fans, yet 20 seconds later Ville Leino tied the score at 3-all.

Off they went to overtime knowing any fluky Chicago goal would for all intents and purposes end their season. The Flyers Claude Giroux redirected Matt Carle’s pass past Antti Niemi for the game winner at the 5:59 mark, but only after having video replay confirm an early goal the Flyers crowd had thought had ended the contest at that juncture.

This is how everything is done hockey-wise in Philadelphia these days.

“Like I said this morning (Wednesday), 2-0 for us is comfortable,” coach Flyers Peter Laviolette said. “We’re OK with that. We know how to battle through it.” Philadelphia is up to 13-7 in the postseason after the victory.

This story takes on made-for-TV-movie quality with the tale Giroux had after the best contest of the series. While Giroux was having his pregame nap, he said he received a text message from a friend.

"He doesn't usually text me a lot," Giroux explained. "He said, 'I have a feeling you're going to score the overtime winner tonight.' I texted back and said, 'You're crazy.' I'm going to call him now. It's obviously a big goal. It's probably my biggest goal in my career." This gives him nine in the playoffs, compared to 16 during the regular season.

Chicago has been fantastic in stopping the Flyers top scoring unit led by Mike Richards, who have all but invisible. The Hawks should start turning attention to Leino, Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell line, who are doing most of the damage for Philadelphia.

The Blackhawks seven game road winning streak was snapped and though beaten, they are hardly down, knowing they could have just as easily been up 3-0 in the series.

“Right now it looks like they have the momentum in the series,” Patrick Kane said. “But if we take Game 4, then we put ourselves in a great position to go back and play in front of our home crowd and hopefully win it there.” Chicago is 8-1 on the road if the opponent has won 60 percent or more of their home games.

Sportsbooks have Philadelphia as -115 money line favorites to even the series, with total once again Ov5.5. The Flyers are 11-1 in last dozen favorite roles and 7-1 UNDER after a home game where both teams scored three or more goals this season. Chicago enters next contest as treacherous road underdog with 11-1 mark and 20-9 UNDER off a loss.

The Flyers continue to thrive when faced with dire circumstances and that is fine with defenseman Chris Pronger who has been a force.

“We've had an awful lot of adversity this year. We have had to learn on the fly," Pronger told reporters. "I don't think anybody has ever questioned [ourselves] in the locker room, anyway. I'm sure some of you clowns have, but we haven't questioned ourselves or questioned exactly what it is we're trying to do. We've struggled at times and been able to turn the corner and figure it out."

Philadelphia has defeated Chicago nine consecutive times in the City of Brotherly Love and is 7-0 after winning previous game in overtime.

The VERSUS Network will have Game 4 at 8:00 Eastern.

Is Philly finished?

The Flyers gave a much better overall accounting of themselves in Game 2 and dominated the last 20 minutes, but they don’t hand out Stanley Cups for trying, you have to win four games to take home this trophy which is large dilemma in Philadelphia.

The Flyers outshot Chicago 15-4 in the last period and against 80 percent of the teams in the NHL they would have won the last stanza 3-0 or more, however not every team has a goalie like Antti Niemi between the pipes, who made a handful of incredible saves to keep Philly shooters out of the net but once.

Philadelphia has remorse for not playing with the same passion the entire contest.

"I thought we were way too conservative in the first two periods," Philadelphia forward Danny Briere said. "We didn't give them much, I understand that. But it's not really our type of hockey. We didn't forecheck. We didn't create much offensively. We didn't spend much time in their zone." This left the Flyers 6-18 against good passing teams averaging five or more assists per game this season.

What was particularly painful was letting down at the exact wrong moment. Ben Eager, a former Flyer, is a high energy enforcer who was moved from fourth line duty to the first line by coach Joel Quenneville with Jonathan Toews and Dustin Byfuglien, just seconds after Marian Hossa had broken scoreless tie.

Philadelphia had done exceptional work in keeping the Blackhawks top unit down and Quenneville wanted an individual to mix it up, especially after he had flatten a couple of Philly players earlier the game.

What could not have expected was Eager unleashing a blast just 28 seconds after Chicago had taken initial lead, that beat goalie Michael Leighton to the glove side. “It was awesome,” said Adam Burish, with whom Eager usually plays with on the fourth unit. “It was a beauty. It was almost like a practice drill; he comes flying down that wing and snaps one and he’s got a heavy shot when he lets it go.”

However, Chicago wouldn’t be 44-21 off a home win had it not been for netminder Niemi. The 26-year rookie has exceptional flexibility and he needed it throughout the third period with the Philly barrage. “We call him the octopus because he's got arms and legs going everywhere," Chicago forward Adam Burish said. "He was special tonight. Niemi was unbelievable in that third period. Some of the pucks, I don't know how he saw them."

Philadelphia might be dire straits (teams that sweep the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals are 31-2), however they are in familiar territory (think Boston series) and have leaders like Chris Pronger upon returning home where they are 22-7 the second half of the season.

"Yeah, I think we need to play with more desperation than we did, like the third period," Pronger said. "We need to play with that passion, energy, drive, determination, like we did in the third through the whole game. It needs to be 60 minutes."

The Flyers are 7-1 in the tournament at the Wachovia Center and 9-1 in last 10 since April 4. Sportsbooks have Philadelphia as -130 money line play with total lowered to Ov5.5.
With the unbalanced schedule in place, this will be just Chicago’s 10th visit to the City of Brotherly Love in 14 years and they have one win in the time span. The Blackhawks are 20-5 after playing exactly two consecutive home games this season and 8-1 UNDER in road tilts with six-game or more win streak.

The Flyers have lived dangerously almost all season, with their margin for error thinner than a skate blade and are 6-14 revenging consecutive losses to opponent as a favorite. The Flyers are 8-1 UNDER off a road failure by one goal this season.

The first game in Philly has an 8:00 Eastern start on VERSUS, with Chicago having won seven straight on the playoff road.

Game 2 of Stanley Cup expected to set the tone

Nervous netminders, unstable defense and a frantic pace led to the highest scoring Finals contest in 18 years as Chicago outlasted Philadelphia 6-5 in the opener. Here was the weird part, not one of the acknowledged scoring stars for either team put any rubber on the back of the net. If they find the range will the goaltenders will feel like they playing in the NHL All-Star where nobody plays defense or takes a hit?

For the Flyers, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne all came up empty. “I thought we had good looks. We just didn’t score and did everything but,” Richards said Sunday.

The Blackhawks trio of players, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien, who have been domineering in the postseason, all took responsibility for their Game 1 actions. “I think all three of us know it’s not as much what they did as it was what we didn’t do on the ice,” Toews said.

Chicago might be 31-12 against good offensive teams scoring 2.85 or goals a game this season, but realize allowing five goals, let alone in the Stanley Cup Finals won’t lead to many victories.
“It was such a long week…… just to kind of treat it as just another game and we're playing hockey," Toews said Sunday. "But everyone knows what's at stake here, so it's tough not to get excited about it.”

I think both teams maybe realized that maybe a little bit too much last night. You could definitely see that there was definitely some jitters early on."

The Hawks were efficient in chasing Philly goalie Michael Leighton, scoring five times on 20 shots. With a day to digest the situation, both teams understand they have to play better defense and settle in.

"I think tomorrow's going to be a better game from our side and I think Philly's going to play better too, so it's probably going to be a pretty good game tomorrow, but I don't think it's going to be high-scoring," predicted Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson.

All the talk of holding serve and winning on home ice to force a game seven is nonsense, as teams down 2-0 in the Cup Finals end up winning less than 13 percent of the time.

"Well, I look at it as an opportunity to steal home ice and tomorrow's not a do-or-die situation by any means," said Flyers defenseman Matt Carle. "Win or lose, we're going to be ready to go for Game 3 back in our barn, but we certainly want to try and steal home ice and that's the objective." Philadelphia has won eight of last 10 and is 7-1 with one day between games.

"Every loss is big in the playoffs. I'm not going to lie about that," said Danny Briere, who was outstanding in opener with four points. "But at the same time, coming in, everybody was talking how good the Blackhawks were. And not too many people -- I haven't heard anybody giving us a chance to win this series.

"What I liked is, [Saturday] night; we proved we belong with them. You know, maybe not to all the hockey experts, but in our room, I think we realize we can play and we can stretch the series and definitely come back in it."

Though Game 1 was fun and entertaining, a truer read on each team will be given Monday evening. Are the Blackhawks as good as many said coming into the series or does the Flyers grit and uncompromising determination matter more?

Online sports betting outlets have Chicago as -190 money line favorite with total U6 and they are 18-3 and 15-6 OVER off a home win scoring four or more goals this season. Philadelphia has lost 11 of 16 as a road underdog since Jan 16 and is 5-0 UNDER as the visitor after a road game where both teams score three or more goals this campaign.

The second confrontation of the Finals has an 8:00 start on NBC.

Stanley Cup Finals Preview

(2) Chicago vs (7) Philadelphia

The routes the two teams took to reach the Stanley Cup are very different, however not the methods. This doesn’t apply to just this season either, it goes back in time.

The Chicago Blackhawks last appeared in the Finals in 1992 and the Wirtz family had a long history of, how do you put this charitably, being frugal. In the late 1950’s and most of 60’s, Chicago was a lot like the Atlanta Braves under Bobby Cox, a great team with Hall of Fame players, but secured just one championship, that in 1961.

Once Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita moved on, the Blackhawks became just another team. After mostly years of ineptitude, Chicago put the resources into building a foundation with extremely young, talented players who moved so well it appeared they could lace them up with Apolo Ohno.

Last year the diligence and patience paid off as Chicago made it to the conference finals and this year their increased maturity and skill has them as the favorites to be Stanley Cup champions.

Though Philadelphia was not an Original Six team, being one of six expansion teams in 1969, they quickly became a league fascination. In 1974 the Flyers rocked the NHL establishment being the first non-Original Six squad to capture the Stanley Cup. With the likes of Bobby Clarke, Reggie Leach, Dave Schultz and Bernie Parent, the “Broad Street Bullies” were born and they captured another championship the following season.

Unlike the Chicago, Philadelphia has always been good, having the NHL’s second best winning percentage over the length of time of any franchise. The year after the cancellation of the 2004–05 NHL season, the rule changes reshaped the game and the Flyers were ill-prepared. Though they were still talented enough to be playoff team, Philadelphia was so slow looked like they were skating in puddles of water compared to their competitors.

Like the Blackhawks, Philadelphia drafted and acquired players that could skate, score and defend and the last two months have been magical, making it to the Finals for the first time since 1997.

As speed has overtaken hockey, a further premium is being placed on blueliners who can skate and be physical to disrupt offenses. Both teams rank high in this department with Philadelphia having the likes of Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen and Matt Carle as its top defenders and Chicago countering with Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson.

The Hawks have been getting superior goaltending from rookie Antti Niemi, while netminder Michael Leighton (actually drafted by Chicago in 1999) is the perfect person to have between the pipes for this fairy tale playoff run for the Flyers. Niemi has permitted two or less goals in seven of last nine starts, while Leighton has hung four zeros since taking over for injured Brian Boucher.

Offensively, the Blackhawks have been lighting the lamp like a traffic corner, scoring 3.8 goals per game since Game 5 against Nashville. The line of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Dustin Byfuglien has been virtually unstoppable. Kane has everyone on the edge of their seats when he has the puck. Captain Toews is a Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) candidate with 26 points in 16 contests and Byfuglien has eight goals in his last eight games, with his 257-pound frame making him a human bridge - you can run into him but you suffer the damage to this immovable object.

Philadelphia has an ample supply of scoring power with Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Danny Briere. As Boston found out late and Montreal throughout the series, the Flyers had scoring depth over three lines, with youngsters Claude Giroux and Ville Leino making important contributions to keep the pressure on opposing defenses.

On paper this looks like mismatch. Chicago was one of the best teams from day one of the season, while Philadelphia underachieved most of the regular season before making late run to sneak into the playoffs on the final day.

The Blackhawks biggest edge appears to be in the net and starts the Finals 8-0 at the Madison Street Madhouse after allowing two goals or less in three straight games this season. It’s would seem foolish to sell the Flyers short, as an awful lot of events fell a certain way and they have taken advantage of every single one and are 11-4 in road games off a home win.

Do not foresee an upset for two reasons, Chicago is the better team and is on 7-0 roll as playoff visitor. Nonetheless, this series goes longer than expected with Philly’s dogged determination.

Pick- Chicago (-260) in six Philadelphia (+220)

NHL Eastern Finals Preview

(7)Philadelphia vs (8) Montreal

It hardly gets any nuttier in the NHL than this. The Philadelphia Flyers won a shootout on the last day of the regular season to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. After dismantling New Jersey in five games, all they did was become the third team in league history to come back and win a series after trailing 3-0. Yawn. Oh, and for good measure they were also just the third team in NHL history to trail by three goals in a Game 7 and still emerge the winner of the contest. (The first to do so in regulation however) Double Yawn.

The Montreal Canadiens are the most storied hockey team in history with the 24 Cup championships and all they did was become the first eighth seed to win a series down three games to one and follow that up by beating the defending champions Pittsburgh, having never led in the series until winning the seventh and deciding game. (Oh how common)
As truly wacky as this has been, the real fun starts now for the players and coaches, because the winner qualifies to play for Lord Stanley’s trophy.

Despite the stakes, one or both teams could crack from being physically and emotionally spent. Montreal has played two max series and faced elimination five times without wilting; can they muster up enough energy to continue? At least the Canadiens have been off since Wednesday, while Philadelphia has to lace up the skates less than 48 hours after one of the most improbable comebacks ever, what emotion can they bring to the rink to start the series?

When the playoffs first started, Montreal was going to be overwhelmed at the forward position, so much for that belief. They have skillfully used lack of size to their advantage, being quicker to the puck to dig it out against the boards, while being elusive enough to be stay away from big hits and get worn down.

Mike Cammalleri is the “terminator” for opposing playoff teams with 12 goals in 14 games (plus six assists) and he has been the most dominant offensive performer in the postseason. Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta are seasoned veterans having played most of their careers in Philly and they know what to expect.

P.K. Subban has emerged as a key member of the Canadiens' defense, blocking shots and standing up offensive players and goalie Jaroslav Halak has been unflappable as his demeanor has never lent itself to panic, despite all the obstacles.

Mike Richards, Daniel Briere and Simon Gagne have carried the offense load for the Flyers, each making significant contributions in the Boston gag-fest. They have the size and skill to make trouble for Montreal.

On the subject of size, is it clear now why Philadelphia traded future prospects for Chris Pronger. The long time defenseman is said to be too slow and lumbering to play at 35 years old, but he has logged the most ice time of any player at nearly 30 minutes a game and all he does is add to winning teams and has 11 points in a dozen playoff games.

Netminder Michael Leighton is being thrust into the spotlight. He doesn’t have to be better than the Habs Halak; he just has to be as good, which could be a tall order in its own right.
Both teams have been relentless in killing penalties and above average in man-advantage situations. Philadelphia is bit more prone to taking silly penalties and if Montreal is to advance to finals, they must capitalize in this area.

The Flyers are bigger, deeper and generally more skilled (this is old news to the Canadiens) and have to keep their wits about them and contain Cammalleri and make Halak uncomfortable in his net.

There is no surprise factor for either team, thus the better club that plays smarter and with more skill will move on. With not much to choose from, let’s ride the hot goaltender and slick assassin around the goal and take Montreal.

3Daily Winners Pick- Montreal (-115) in six over Philadelphia (-105)

Philadelphia Flyers hope not to crack

It doesn’t come up often in sports, but when it does it sends shockwaves thru the participating cities and ends up catching the attention of those following the sport from coast to coast. The Philadelphia hockey franchise and Boston Bruins have enjoyed many memorable meetings decades ago but this Game 7 could surpass all of those depending on the outcome. Even so, as this series heads to nerve-wracking deciding contest, it has already left a mark.

The History

One team wants to embrace history the other wants nothing to do with. Philadelphia has comeback from 3-0 series deficit to even up this Eastern semi-final confrontation. Philadelphia will attempt to become the third NHL team to win a series after losing its first three games Friday night in Boston. The other two successful teams were the 1975 New York Islanders and the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Flyers are the fifth different team to force such an occurrence (The Islanders did it twice) and the originally trailing team is 2-3 all time.

This year was the 17th time Boston has taken a 3-0 lead in a series and this will be the second time in their history (1939 they beat the New York Rangers) they will be playing seventh game.

What Philly changed

Flyers coach Peter Laviolette decided to attack the Bruins differently after falling behind 3-0 in the series and why not, what was there to lose at the time.

Philadelphia became more aggressive when Boston reached the blue line on offense and was aggressive in stick-checks, getting into passing lanes and giving total effort in blocking shots. Though it didn’t work at first in 5-4 overtime win in Game 4, the results the last two games has Boston putting the puck in the net once the last two contests on 54 shots.

With goaltender Michael Leighton coerced into action because of injury to Brian Boucher, the Flyers players blocked 30 shots plus the 30 Leighton stopped in Game 6’s 2-1 triumph. Philadelphia has won eight of last 11 with a day between games.

Where Boston went wrong

After playing almost flawlessly, Bruins players are hurting their own team taking penalties that lack discipline. Boston has been called for 13 penalties the last two games compared to Philly’s six and the Flyers are 2-0 in scoring in man advantage situations.

“We have to do a better job at being disciplined,” said Boston forward Milan Lucic. “They’re doing a good job with that, so we have to do an even better job than them. It’s important. It sucks for me in the second when we take a bunch of penalties in a row and I’m sitting on the bench for the last six minutes. It gets guys sitting around for a bit who don’t penalty kill. We have to do a better job as a team not taking penalties.”

It’s starting to look like the losses of Marcus Strum and David Krejci in this series are taking their toll for squad that wasn’t good offensively to begin with. Though Boston has kept up a good volume of shots on goal, the degree of difficulty for the goaltender has been relatively simple. The Bruins need a player or two to manufacture a goal for team that is 4-1 after scoring two or fewer goals.

What the numbers say

Boston is a -125 money line favorite with total of Ov5. The Bruins have taken seven of eight as home faves and have issues to deal with.

“I’m sure the pressure is mounting even more,” the Flyers Daniel Briere said. Boston is 1-8 at home after two or more defeats and 16-6-6 UNDER as a favorite of -110 to -150.

Philadelphia has all the momentum and conviction they are team of destiny, even if they are 3-9 as road underdogs. “Now that we’re here and now that we’ve climbed all the way back in this series, we want it too,” Briere said. “We have to realize that the last game will be the toughest to leave with.” The Flyers are 7-1 as visitors after a home win by a single goal.

This series finale has a 7:00 Eastern start on VERSUS with Philly 6-2-1 UNDER as postseason dogs. The winner will have home ice advantage in the East Finals against Montreal.

Are Montreal and Philadelphia teams of fate?

Montreal rubbed out the team with the best record in the NHL and is 60 minutes away from knocking off the defending Stanley Cup champions as the eighth seed, is this crazy or what? What about Philadelphia, they were nearly swept in four games by Boston, but an overtime goal and extremely impressive road shutout has them three periods away from evening up this series at 3-3 and having the Flyers going after history seldom seen. Are the Canadiens and Flyers teams destined to meet in East Finals? Everyone begins to find out Wednesday night.

Montreal at Pittsburgh 7:00E VERSUS

If the Canadiens beating Washington seemed improbable, what were the odds for them turning right around and taking Pittsburgh squad that has as much or more star power and better defense?

It turns out besides the players and coaches, there are two other nervous types coming into this win and move on Game 7. Those holding Pittsburgh series tickets at -435 have to be quaking, since whom in their right or left mind would have believed the Penguins would be in this predicament.

In addition, long shot bettors have to salivating at the thought of cashing a +365 series winner on Montreal, who once again takes a better team to the max and couldn’t be more confident and feeling less pressure than what they are.

“Game 7, it’s all about passion, details, and the team that’s going to want the game the most is going to win,” Canadiens forward Maxim Lapierre said.

Montreal has been like the guest that doesn’t know when to go home, hanging around to the point of annoyance and is 4-0 facing elimination. The Habs are a +210 money line underdog at Sportsbook.com, tell them something new. With a 7-6 record in the postseason, Montreal is inconceivable +11.55 units.

Pittsburgh can say they don’t feel the pressure, well that would not be truthful. Twice in their history the Penguins were decided home favorites heading into a Game 7, however they lost in 1993 and 1996. “This is a challenge for us,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said Tuesday. “It’s 3-3. There are some views out there this should have been an easy series. But we’re not losing. It’s tied. They’re here.”

The Pens are 30-8 at home after suffering a defeat, nonetheless, who the better team is right now? Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak, has outplayed his Pittsburgh’s counterpart Marc-Andre Fleury. If the Conn Smythe Trophy for Stanley Cup Playoffs most outstanding player was being handed out today, Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin wouldn’t be in the conversation. The most amount of talk would center on Halak or Mike Cammalleri, who has six goals for the Canadiens.

"No, not at all. For us, it is the reality," Cammalleri said when asked about if his team finds these circumstances unbelievable. "If you pinch yourself, you are beat. I remember when you first come into the league, if you start sitting around and staring in awe and catching flies, you'll be out pretty quick.

"Now, we belong and we're having fun. Now, we have an opportunity to go knock these guys off in Game 7, so let's go enjoy it."

Boston at Philadelphia 7:00E TSN

Forget the pipes and netting on the Philadelphia goal, what they really need is a revolving door. Netminder Michael Leighton was pressed into service in Game 5 after goalie Brian Boucher sprained MCL in his left knee, forcing Leighton into action as the seventh different player between the pipes with the heavy pads for the Flyers.

Leighton and Boucher became just the second pair to pitch a shutout in Stanley Cup playoffs history. Leighton hadn’t played since Mar. 16 because of a sprained ankle and was put on the active roster for the first time since then for the last contest. “My legs were shaking a little bit, I was nervous,” Leighton said. “Once I made a few saves, you kind of forget about that and just get focused. It kind of goes away.”

Off their 4-0 beat down of Boston, Philly has gone from a team just hoping to extend the series to one that envisions a seventh game with the momentum of three consecutive triumphs. The Flyers are 7-3 with day between games and have never given up.

“Even when we were down 3-0, we had the feeling we could win the series,” Flyers forward Simon Gagne said. “We could win some hockey games against that team.”

For the Bruins, the possibility exists losing the scoring prowess of David Krejci and Marco Sturm to injury in this series is finally catching up to the second lowest scoring squad during the regular season. Boston players and coaches were disconsolate about something else after the white-washing, the lack of effort.

"We lost battles from start to finish," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "They were the hungrier team tonight (Monday), and when that happens, you get those kinds of results."

Boston is 7-2 in road games after allowing four goals or more this year and comprehends its situation. "They came in and slapped us in the face," said Bruins veteran Mark Recchi. "Now we have to go there and realize that this is a series now."

Philadelphia is -135 ML home ice favorite, with total Ov5. The Flyers are on 6-1 run as chalk and 7-2-1 OVER after permitting two or fewer goals. Boston has won last four after compiling two or fewer pucks in the net and is 11-2 UNDER playing into double revenge.

Philadelphia is 2-6 vs. the Bruins at the Wachovia Center, but might have destiny on their side to force one more second round contest.

Boston and Pittsburgh try to win and move forward

The Bruins and Penguins have their first shot of moving to East Finals when they play Monday night. Boston theoretically has the easier task, playing on home ice at TD Garden, however they are not as large a favorite as Pittsburgh is on the road north of the border. Will both emerge victorious and get ready to meet each other or will they be forced to play another game?

Philadelphia at Boston 7:00E TSN

The Bruins can’t feel too bad losing to the Flyers in Game 4. Philadelphia had to win to avoid the embarrassment of being swept on their own frozen pond and Boston pushed them to overtime before falling.

Normally reliable defenseman Zdeno Chara turned the puck over at center ice, leading to the winner for Philly.

"We had our chances," said Boston coach Claude Julien. "There were chances in overtime for both sides. It's just the way it goes. Sometimes its one little mistake, one little miscue, and it's in the net."

The B’s are back home and are 41-16 having won three of their last four. This is a confident club, knowing what it takes from this point.

“Just play the same way: Play to win," said right wing Mark Recchi, who had two more goals Friday night. "We came in here (Philadelphia) and played two pretty good games. They battled hard and got a big win. But we're going home. We've got home-ice (advantage) in this series and we've kept it.”

The Bruins have to revert back to defensive-style, which has allowed them to be 36-13 when they permit two or less goals. Offensively it is about finding the right opportunities and the importance of center Patrice Bergeron is greatly enhanced with of fellow C David Krejci out for the rest of the playoffs with broken wrist.

Boston is a -145 money line favorite with total Ov5 and they are unbeaten at home in the postseason (5-0) and 7-0 as Bean-Town favorites. The Bruins are 14-4 UNDER in dark home jerseys when playing with two days’ rest.

Philly survived their first elimination game and is 9-2 away after a one goal victory on home ice. Nevertheless, the Flyers are 3-9 after a game where nine or more total goals were scored this season.

Pittsburgh at Montreal 7:00E VERSUS

The Canadiens have kept Sidney Crosby locked up, as he has failed to score in this series and has been held without a point in three of five conflicts. This has shifted the focus over to Evgeni Malkin, last year’s regular-season scoring champ and playoff MVP.

Malkin has been a factor in each contest against Montreal, but he was dominating when his team needed him most with series tied 2-2. Malkin controlled the puck for long stretches of time in the Canadiens zone. He led Pittsburgh with six shot attempts in Game 5 and though he didn’t score, he set up a power-play goal by Kris Letang, and later controlled the rubber in the offensive zone before Sergei Gonchar tallied what would be the winner in tight 2-1 tussle.

"It's great to watch. It's great to have him on your team," said veteran forward Bill Guerin, who returned to the lineup after an undisclosed injury kept him out of Games 3 and 4. "When he takes it to that level, it's really, really hard for other guys to stop him. Even two guys, he's going to make it difficult on you. If he's not taking it to the net himself, he's going to find somebody. If he gets in that zone of playing, it's really difficult for the other team."

The Pens have won five of last six as visitors and are -175 ML pick to close out series. Pittsburgh is 5-1 as visiting favorite of -151 to -200 and are 27-14 UNDER in road games after allowing one or fewer goals in previous contest.

Montreal doesn’t sound like a team getting ready to play golf and have the summer off. “We're not going to go away. You know that," Habs forward Mike Cammalleri said. "Now we just have to win one game at home and we're right back where we want to be."

The Canadiens might be 6-14 as playoff underdog, but all six wins have come this postseason and if they can contain Pittsburgh again and limit them to two goals, they are 26-14 when the opponent registers that scoring total.

Philadelphia and Vancouver pleased to be home

The Flyers and Canucks gladly return home. Philadelphia has tennis in mind tonight trying to hold serve in their rink and get back into series. Vancouver earned the always desired split on the road in the first two contests, however it was the manner in which it happened that left them unfulfilled. Two home teams with the same thought process, protect home ice.

Boston at Philadelphia 7:00E VERSUS

It’s often funny how life works, especially if you are goalie Brian Boucher of Philadelphia. Boucher has been around the NHL for a number of years and was in goal in his first go-round with the Flyers a decade ago when they trailed Pittsburgh 0-2 in playoff series. Thanks in part to some of his heroics, Philadelphia rallied and overcame the deficit for just the second time in their history. Boucher will be called on again 10 years later to perform the same miracle.

“We were pretty down going to Pittsburgh, feeling pretty bad about ourselves,” Boucher said.

“We had not played well the first two games. We’re at home here. That’s one of the advantages. To be honest, we could probably play a bit better.”

The Flyers will look to achieve flying start on home ice and get back into this Eastern semi-final and have five of last six at Wachovia Center, including four in a row.

Philly hasn’t played poorly, just lacking that something extra that wins games.

“It’s not that we’ve played bad, but just play with more desperation than we’ve shown the last two games,” forward Danny Briere said. “We need a little bit more of the way we played in the first round against Jersey, kind of take their will away. I think we can do a better job of that.”

The Flyers as -155 money line favorites with total at Ov5; however they are just 5-13 revenging consecutive losses to same foe in favorite’s role. Philly is 13-3 UNDER off a one goal defeat.

Boston comes in brimming with confidence with the offense clicking, having score 12 goals in last three contests, the most since they totaled 14 in three games way back on Dec. 5-12. The Bruins are 40-16 having won three of four and are 14-5 UNDER as visitors with three or more straight wins.

Chicago at Vancouver 9:30E VERSUS

The Canucks waylaid Chicago 5-1 in the opening contest of the series and grabbed a 2-0 lead in Game 2 in the Windy City, but left their killer instinct in the locker room and let the Blackhawks off the hook.

Vancouver had only 15 shots in the final 55 minutes (zero in two critical third period power play chances), as Chicago scored the last four goals of the contest and evened the series.
Never has a road split felt so hollow. The Canucks have ghosts in their closets and need to get past these events in order to win the series. Last season they lost an eerily similar game to Chicago in the fourth game of the playoffs and never recovered, losing in six.

"We’re not even thinking like that right now,” Canucks forward Ryan Kesler said. “Game 4 last year is out of our mind. You guys are acting like it’s over. It’s not over by any means. We lost a game. So what? We could have been up 2-0. So what?”

Though Kesler comes off a little testy, he has to feel good about being back at the GM Place where Vancouver is 32-12 this campaign.

The Canucks top center Henrik Sedin was asked what his team learned from Monday’s fallout. “We played on the outside too much,” Sedin said. “We didn’t create enough offensively.” His club is 13-4 off a road loss by two goals or more this season.

Chicago’s advantage coming into the series was bigger, stronger forwards against Vancouver’s ordinary defense and with Ben Eager and Adam Burish back in the lineup (missed Game 1 with lingering ailments) the Hawks were more aggressive in offensive end and won the physical battle.

“They put their meat in the lineup and they did the job,” defenseman Shane O’Brien of Vancouver said. “Their guys are going hard to the net, snowing (Luongo), bumping him, slashing him. We’ve got to play a lot meaner, a whole lot grittier.

“It’s playoff time. I was upset with the way we kind of didn’t respond physically and emotionally. There has been a lot of talk about the fine line of not scrumming up, this and that. But at the end of the day, we’re playing for the Stanley Cup here. You’ve got to push back. Show them that you want it.”

Vancouver is -150 ML pick and is 11-2 after conceding two or more goals in third period. With total at Ov6, the Canucks are 6-0 OVER at home in the second round of the playoffs.

Chicago will attempt to use the momentum they created and are 16-3 after lighting the lamp four or more times at the United Center.

Eastern Conference NHL Playoff Preview

The wreckage the lower seeds did in the East changed the entire playoff picture. Most believed Pittsburgh would have a challenging time repeating as Eastern Conference champions for a third straight year, but with the top three seeds now on vacation the Penguins are unquestionably the team to beat now. Pittsburgh is a -165 favorite to rule the East, with their dubious opponent Montreal at +700. Three weeks ago it would be hilarious to believe Boston (+375) or Philadelphia (+400) would have an inkling of opportunity to be in the Eastern finals, yet one of them will.

(4)Pittsburgh vs (8) Montreal

On occasion in sports, an individual will do something so unusual, their name will be associated it. In baseball, Mario Mendoza was a slick fielding shortstop in the 1970-80’s, but was a terrible hitter during his career and his name became used as the Mendoza Line, for batters hitting above or below .200.

If goalie Jaroslav Halak can continue to play like he did against Washington and Montreal could upset Pittsburgh, a hot goal-tender might forever me known as having the “Halak Effect”. Montreal became the first team to knock off a No.1 seed in the first round since the NHL playoffs went to present format in 1994 and though dominated frequently in puck possession and shots, they played well enough and made sure the Capitals felt the mental pressure and let Halak do the rest.

An understated aspect of what the Canadiens accomplished was they were quicker to the puck and willing to block shots with the body and clogged passing lanes to mess up Washington’s timing. Though the Caps had a ton of shots, quality was certainly lacking.

Pittsburgh has the benefit of watching more tape on Montreal and has the confidence of being in The Finals the last two years, which will make them tougher to rattle. This is where the Habs have to continue to forecheck expertly and Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta and Tomas Plekanec have to score. Montreal will begin the series extremely confident and is 18-10 in road games after two or more Under’s.

Sidney Crosby continues to be dumbfounding and he leads by example, which is why Pittsburgh is unflappable. Lose first game at home to Ottawa, win the next three. Lose Game 5 to clinch series and trail in next contest on the road 3-0, score four straight goals and wrap up series, nothing to it.

With Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Stall, Pittsburgh has a relentless attack that offers no quarter for opposition. The trio had 25 points in six games (10 goals and 15 assists) and each is a creative operator, which leaves Montreal with situations they cannot prepare for. A rested Penguins squad is all but unbeatable with 13-0 record playing five or fewer games in two week window.

Metminder Marc-Andre Fleury will let in the occasional soft goal, but is sturdy when needed most and savvy veteran Sergei Gonchar is dependable blue-liner along with other lesser known teammates on this star-studded squad. They will try to take advantage of the Canadiens frailties in the second round that shows 3-16 record.

Pittsburgh will attempt to crack the Halak code and grab leads to unsettle Montreal. The Penguins do play looser than necessary and Montreal will have to take advantage of each opportunity and try and bottle up the Pitt power play similar to what they did to Washington. The Canadiens will battle valiantly, but come up short like they did in losing three of four this season.

3Daily Winners Pick- Pittsburgh (-435) in six over Montreal (+365)

(6) Boston vs (7) Philadelphia

The Bruins secured a playoff berth on the second to last day of the season and now have home ice advantage in the Eastern semi-finals vs. Philadelphia club that needed to win last regular season contest just to be invited to the postseason. Go figure, it must be the Stanley Cup playoffs.

This series is expected to be very physical and reminiscent of the 1970’s when the Big Bad Bruins battled the Broad Street Bullies.

Philadelphia had New Jersey’s number all season and got into the Devils’ heads and exploited even their smallest weakness. The Flyers will have fewer dependable scoring options without Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne, both out for the series because of foot injuries, which leaves youngsters Claude Giroux James van Riemsdyk and Ville Leino to pick up the scoring slack. The Flyers still have offensive firepower with Michael Richards (eight points) and Daniel Briere, both very sharp at present.

The strength of the Philly is the blue-liners with the always reliable Chris Pronger and Matt Carle matched together along with Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn, giving the Flyers the best group of defensemen still left in the East. Goalie Brian Boucher turned back the clock and has remarkable .940 save percentage and 1.59 GAA; however it is safe to assume if Philadelphia takes the six-plus penalties per contest they had against the Devils, there will be hell to pay after conceding only four goals. The Flyers enter round two on 7-2 run.

Boston doesn’t have a lot of offensive weapons, which is why coach Claude Julien took his chances and turned the Bruins into physical, tough-minded defensive team, leaning on goaltending as the last line of defense. Though the Bruins didn’t lead until the later stages of the games they won over Buffalo, they manhandled the Sabres and wore them down. Zdeno Chara was tougher than day old pork chop and has taught the cub Bruins how to take the body and clear the puck out of their zone when pressured.

Rookie netminder Tuukka Rask held up well in permitting 14 goals in his first six playoff games but will have to deal with the always annoying (if he’s not on your team) Daniel Carcillo, who is known for creating mayhem.

Boston outscored Buffalo by one goal in their series and won the special teams battle 6-0 for the difference. The Bruins power play could be further enhanced with the return of their best center Marc Savard, who probably earns most of his playing time in man-advantage situations and rebuilds his strength taking intermittent shifts. Boston starts series with 38-16 mark having won three of four.

Miroslav Satan had a reputation as soft player, which is how Boston was able to sign him at midseason with all their injuries; however he had two game-winning goals and three assists in last series. David Krejci has been one of the Bruins best players the last six weeks, yet he will need help against the bigger Flyers and Marco Sturm has to do more than just take his shift, he has to produce points.

For fans that love hitting, this series is a true delight. These teams divided four games, with Boston taking the last two. Home ice means zilch when these two collide, with the visitor 14-5 in last 19 matchups. I’ll use the slightest of leans with Philadelphia being more skilled offensively and as good defensively. Leave open to change my mind after seeing how goalies perform in series opener and take adjusted series odds if necessary.

3DW Pick- Philadelphia (+130) in seven over Boston (-150)

NHL high seeds try and break bad juju

One of the most feared predators on the planet is the shark. They come in all sizes and shapes in the water, from the 50-foot whale shark, to the fiercest meat-eating monster, the Great White. Not every shark is consider a danger to man, like the pygmy ribbontail catshark, which is 6 to 7 1/2 inches in length or the oft times docile San Jose Sharks, who are almost timid when April and May come around.

If this team were based in New Orleans, an exorcism would be preformed to break the curse, because no team could be as continually brilliant year after year in the regular season and fold like a cardboard box in the postseason. Maybe the these Sharks need one of the teams from CSI or the gang from Criminal Minds to determine a profile as what the - H E double hockey sticks - is wrong with this team.

In Game 1 against outclassed Colorado club, the Avs Chris Stewart fires centering pass into toward the goal and San Jose’s Rod Blake’s skate redirects the puck past helpless goalie Evgeni Nabokov with 50 seconds in the game to give the Avalanche unexpected 2-1 road win.
Game 2 the Sharks out-shoot Colorado 52-22, but need goal with 32 seconds to tie and eventually win in OT.

Game 3 was tense scoreless struggle thru regulation, although all the pressure was on Avs netminder Craig Anderson, with San Jose putting on relentless pressure with incomprehensible 42-7 edge in shots on goal the last two periods. Just as fans were getting back in their seats for OT, San Jose’s Dan Boyle’s errant pass managed to beat his own goalie and Colorado led in series 2-1.

“We didn’t beat their goalie,” Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. “We found a way to beat ours.”
Exasperation can’t describe the emotions San Jose players and fans have to be feeling, as they have seen this remake of Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day” before and they are 4-10 in road games after losing their previous game in overtime.

Colorado is playing like they are walking around with four-leaf clovers under their sweaters and are 10-1 on home ice after winning in extra session. San Jose is a -160 money line favorite with total of 5.5 at Bookmaker.com and has to feel they are firing the puck into 1x1 black hole area, with Anderson stoning everything. The Sharks are a very lonely 3-9 in last dozen road games.

Another team that needs a hug is second seeded New Jersey, who must hate orange and black. If hockey periods were like boxing scoring, the Devils would probably be ahead 5-2-2 on points thru three games, yet trail 2-1 to Philadelphia after Daniel Carcillo’s overtime goal in Game 3.
New Jersey is now 2-7 against Philly this season and just don’t seem to matchup up well against them and the Flyers have great confidence facing the Devils.

That feeling of confidence has extended to goalie Brian Boucher, who is playing only because of injuries to top two Philadelphia netminders and is seeking the most improbable of journey’s, trying to lead the Flyers to East Finals, like he did a decade ago.

Philadelphia is 8-3 on their pond over New Jersey the last three seasons and is currently a +100 underdog, with the Devils 2-8 as road favorites.

Unless New Jersey can break the spell the Flyers have over them, they might be headed back home down 3-1 in the series.

Last exit to make NHL postseason

The hockey season is down to a precious few days and several teams have been fighting for survival just to make the playoffs, let alone worrying about what happens when they get there. Each conference has teams fighting to hang on or struggling to get in, looking to join the chase for the Stanley Cup. Here is look at the possibilities for all the contenders.

Eastern teams presently in

Montreal, Boston and Philadelphia occupy slots six thru eight in the Eastern Conference. Canadiens coach Jacques Martin has all but confirmed that Jaroslav Halak will be the starting goaltender for the remainder of the regular season. Montreal is 19-20 SU on the road and has winnable games at the New York Islanders and at Carolina before returning home to close the season against Toronto. Montreal should emerge as sixth seed.

After finishing second in goals scored a year ago in the NHL, the Bruins have been last most of the season putting the puck in the net and their only saving grace has been defense, with only New Jersey allowing fewer goals. Boston has home games against Buffalo and Carolina; however that isn’t necessarily a good thing for team that is 3-14 SU on home ice since Winter Classic at Fenway Park. Boston’s last game at Washington may be critical, however the Capitals might not bring best effort having wrapped up everything for the playoffs.

Philadelphia has lost nine of last 12 and has placed itself in precarious position. The Flyers can determine their own fate playing home and home with the New York Rangers whom they lead by a point in the standings. Right now Philadelphia also has an edge in a tie-breaker, with the first aspect looked at being number of wins.

Eastern teams trying to move up

The Rangers have won five of six including last three in a row and could use wins over Buffalo and Toronto to set up “all in” matchups with the Flyers. “We do not want to be the New York Rangers team that didn't make the playoffs," Brandon Dubinsky told the New York Post. "That's really important to us.”

Atlanta had a brutal close to the season schedule-wise, facing Washington and Pittsburgh twice along with taking on New Jersey. The Thrashers already lost to the Caps and Penguins last week and have to come up with six points in final three games to realistically even have a chance. Against this type of competition, that could be too tall an order.

Western teams presently in

Detroit has placed themselves in good position in the West, winning 10 of 13 and being as healthy as they have been all season. Rookie Jimmy Howard’s fine play between the pipes is the biggest reason why the Red Wings have gone from being a shaky participant to virtually in and has two matchups with Columbus that should give them the stamp of approval.

Of all the teams fighting to make the postseason, the Los Angeles Kings are the most impressive on their body of work for the year. The Kings are +22 in goal differential, basically the same as New Jersey and Phoenix, both who are comfortably in the playoff picture. L.A. can end Anaheim’s faint hopes with a victory and should earn two easy points hosting Edmonton before closing out the regular season at Colorado.

The Avalanche is gasping for air having tumbled to eighth in the West standings, by virtue of losing seven of nine. This young squad by appearances is just worn out from a long season after playing beyond expectations most of the year, which is evident on the defensive end, conceding three or more goals in all but one of their defeats. Playing at Edmonton should be a win; however with games at Vancouver, plus Chicago and the Kings on home ice, nothing is secured yet. The Avs are 24-15 SU on home ice which could help.

Western teams trying to move up

Calgary is attempting to make late charge, winning six of last 10, but its anemic offense will have to come up big vs. San Jose, Minnesota and at Vancouver to sneak into the playoffs.
Anaheim and St. Louis mathematically are still alive; however each has to win remaining contests to even get a sniff.

Only 11 days till Christmas

Could Bengals and Cowboys have played any worse? Their efforts (?) caused us a 1-2 day sorry to say. We have a couple of good systems going today; check what you like from today’s articles. We have a prefect trend in the NFL today in game write-up, thus thought we’d add a Top pucks Trend. Sal is having success and offers his best NBA tonight. Good Luck

What I thought today – As of Friday I really the Arizona Cardinals at -3, however the line moving in their direction and a system I discovered that favors the Niners, now I’m on the fence and may have to pass.

On Twitter at: www.twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Systems -1) The Orlando system which is listed below is very good as is the Monday night one in football.

Free Hockey Trend-2) The Philadelphia Flyers are 2-11 when playing six or more games in 10 days over the last two seasons.

Free Basketball Pick -3) Sal is on 10-3 run in the NBA and is playing Dallas this evening.

Paul Buck’s Monday Night Magic- Guaranteed

Do yourself a favor for the Bowl Season, order this guide, you will thank me.

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NHL Playoff Preview – Eastern Conference

The NHL Stanley Cup tournament is set, now we just need the games to begin. Before we arrive at that point starting Wednesday evening, it is time to breakdown what should happen and we will start in the Eastern Conference, where a lower seed has pulled at least one upset each of the last two years. Odds are courtesy of Bookmaker.com.

(1) Boston vs (8) Montreal

For Boston Bruins fans this is an uncomfortable matchup. Are the Bruins better, yes, they have hardnosed players and though not having a scorer in the top 11 in the league, they finished second in the NHL in scoring. Boston’s top three lines all can score, making them dangerous across the board and they do not allow opposing netminders like Montreal’s Casey Price to catch his breath often. The Bruins slumped for about a month, from the first part of February to the mid-point of March, mostly due to injury. Nearly all the injured players have returned and they closed 8-2.

Montreal can play with the Bruins, despite the disparity in seeding. The Canadiens have the physiological edge having won 24 of 31 playoff series and in 2002 and 2004 they beat Boston as the lower seed, just like this time. If the referees allow more physical play, Montreal will be at a serious disadvantage, since they are in hockey terms “soft”. After having the best power play each of the last two years, the Habs fell to 13th, while Boston’s improved to fourth.

There is no compelling argument to make for Montreal with goalie Casey registering five wins in last 18 games between the pipes, however it’s the Bruins and Canadiens and anything is possible. Boston needs to jump on Montreal at home and they were 29-12 on home ice this season with the Canadiens having lost 15 or last 20 road games.

Pick- Boston (-325) in six

(2) Washington vs (7) N.Y. Rangers

If one has a hockey preference towards end to end action and scoring or prefers tight low scoring hockey, both will be in evidence in this series. The Capitals scored 272 goals, the third highest total in the league. They are led by Alex Ovechkin, who finished second in points scored and they have a whole stable of forwards that can all bury the puck in the net, with the likes Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin. Washington isn’t going to scare anybody with its defense that ranked 19th in goals surrendered. Goalie Jose Theodore is a wild card of sorts and has to prove he can be consistent, which is not his trademark.

The Rangers are as comfortable as any team in the league with a 1-0 lead, since they were sixth in defensive scoring and dowdy 28th in putting the puck in the net. Though Henrik Lundqvist didn’t have his usual glimmering numbers in net, he’s capable of turning into a brick wall at any time. The matchup of the Rangers number one penalty kill unit and the Caps second ranked power play will be key. Even with the Blueshirts having offensive issue, they still have seasoned playoff vets like Scott Gomez and Chris Drury who can light the lamp and Sean Avery could get Theodore off his game with his antics.

Washington won three of four meetings this season, but didn’t dominate as 14-11 total score shows. If the Capitals receive a better than average effort from Theodore, they will pepper the net to wear down New York. The Caps are 37-14 on home ice, but don’t have a ton of experience in Stanley Cup action. If the Rangers can take advantage of Washington being up ice and capitalize a few times, they can lock up the net against Ovechkin and company. The Rangers are 8-1 in this playoff round the last two years.

Pick- Washington (-215) in seven

(3)New Jersey vs (6) Carolina

For fans that don’t watch or follow the NHL until the playoff chase begins, seeing New Jersey and Carolina colliding is like putting on your favorite most comfortable shirt. This will be the fourth postseason matchup between these teams over the last eight years. Carolina lost two meaningless games to close the season and was on 12-3 roll prior to that. Goalie Cam Ward put the clamps down on opposing snipers, giving the Hurricanes much needed confidence. The return of forward Erik Cole gave Carolina three complete lines and Eric Staal and Ray Whitney have made the Hurricanes exceedingly dangerous.

New Jersey isn’t the same boring team that played the neutral zone trap; this team actually tries to score as opposed to just picking spots. The return of future Hall of Famer Martin Broduer was welcomed, though he finished just 4-7 and hasn’t been nearly as effective in the postseason in years. Zach Parise has become an elite point producer for the Devils; however he will be marked man, as Carolina will try to find out if New Jersey has any secondary scorers.
New Jersey first has to stop Staal, since Carolina is 22-5 when he scores. The Devils have to win home games and won 24 of last 32 contests at the Prudential Center. These teams are very similar and goaltending will be tantamount and a piece of evidence could make the difference in this series. The Hurricanes blue-liners have outscored their New Jersey counterparts by better than 2 to 1 on the season. If that continues, Carolina will advance.

Pick- Carolina (+120) in six

(4) Pittsburgh vs (5) Philadelphia

Sometimes announcers will trot out clichés like, “These two teams don’t like each other” and the fact is it just isn’t true. However, when it is true, that just leads to a heighten sense of excitement for a best of seven series. This is the Keystone State clash and these teams went toe to toe in the East Finals a year ago. Both teams are different from 2008, but how either could win is still pretty much the same. How Philadelphia handles players named Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal will help determine their fate. All three are as healthy as they have been all season and why replacement coach Dan Bylsma was able to steer the Penguins from 10th in the East to fourth with 18-3-4 finish.

Philadelphia can bring a little offense to the party as well, having six players that totaled 20 or more goals, including four like Jeff Carter who broke the 30-goal barrier. The Flyers blew last game of the season to lose home ice advantage in this series, which places added pressure on goalie Martin Biron to perform at high level, something he has struggled over stretches of games.
To say these teams are evenly matched is an understatement. They finished the regular season with 99 points each and scored the exact same number of goals on the season at 264. Neither is stellar in there own end and they are separated by a one in goals allowed. Pittsburgh prefers to dazzle opponents with its array of stars and scorers, which means Philly has to hit, to slow down Penguins. Whatever team that can win the special team’s battle with gain an edge and it is more incumbent on the Flyers to do so, since Pittsburgh is better five on five.

Pick- Pittsburgh (-155) in six

NHL Quick Starts or Fast Failures

The second half of the NHL season commences and questions surround many teams. All the players know it is time to get serious and start building to the end season and either secure playoff positions or improve them to each teams liking. Hockey bettors are seeking angles of value to be placed in the right spot in order to capitalize on opportunity. Here is a look at various teams and what might happen short term, based on numerous factors.

In the Western Conference, the races are much tighter, with the difference between the fifth slot and 13th just 10 points. Phoenix holds the fifth position at present. They will call upon coach Wayne Gretzky for leadership. The franchise is in financial turmoil, with team owner Jerry Moyes having his own money challenges and the team reportedly losing 30 million a year. With the Coyotes having a realistic shot at first playoffs since 2002, the distractions outside the rink could undermine was has been a surprising season.

Edmonton is next in line in the West and was 7-3 before the All-Star break and would like to continue momentum starting with four home games before packing for the road seven of the next eight. Vancouver slid terribly before the break with 2-8 money line record and coach Alain Vigneault is feeling his seat being set to simmer unless the Canucks start playing well again. Like the Oilers, the four home games have to be taken advantage of, as seven of following eight will be away.

Minnesota is currently ninth in the West and many hockey pundits like the fact they have allowed the fewest goals in the conference and manage to overlook they are tied with Los Angeles for next to last in goals scored. The Wild is only 13-12 on home ice and better take advantage of 8 of 11 in their own rink to start second half. Columbus is right with Minnesota and has played significantly better at home with 13-8 mark and opens with seven of eight in Nationwide Arena.

Dallas also is getting calls to climb back in based on history and experience. Most hockey experts can’t see goalie Marty Turco playing any worse (dismal .885 save percentage) and if he returns just too normal, let alone getting hot, the Stars could sneak in.

In the East, Pittsburgh is in 10th slot and a long way away from last spring’s Stanley Cup finals. Yes, there has been a ton of injuries the Penguins, however they have played more like they have been in denial they didn’t win the Cup last season. Whatever the reasons, WAY too much talent not to make the playoffs.

Florida starts one point behind Carolina for final position in the Eastern Conference and will play nine of 13 in south Florida and will have to do better .500 at home ice.

Buffalo has moved up with 7-3 run and is playing more team hockey. If the Sabres can keep playing with the same togetherness, they could catch Philadelphia, who starts the second half with five of six in road uniforms, though Tampa Bay, St. Louis and Atlanta are all very winnable road encounters.

Montreal might be shopping for veteran net-minder and are assigned nine of 13 games away from home to commence second half.

New Jersey was an afterthought after losing goaltender extraordinaire Martin Brodeur, somehow they managed to keep playing Devils hockey and Scott Clemmensen has been very solid between the pipes with 19-10 record. New Jersey won seven of 10 before the All-Star game to take over first place in the Atlantic and is just two points out of second place in the East behind Washington, plus rumors are circulating Brodeur could be back in five to six weeks. Watch the Devils; they could be turning up the heat.