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.

Monday Mania

Took a slight misstep at 1-2 and will attempt to correct that immediately starting with a perfect trend in one of the AL West battles. The Best System is 82.7 percent and Mike of the LCC has what he believes is NL winner! Good Luck

What I thought today – The referees are ruining the NBA playoffs while enhancing those in the NHL. (See tomorrow’s article for more details)

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

Free Baseball System -1) Play Against home underdogs with a money line of +100 or higher like Cleveland, averaging less than a home run per game, against a starting pitcher who gives up 0.5 or less HR's/start, with an AL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.300 to 1.400 on the season. Boston certainly appears the play backed with system that is 43-9, 82.7 percent.

Free Baseball Trend -2) The Angels are 11-0 after accumulating 17 or more base hits.

Free Baseball Pick -3) Mike went 9-3 over the weekend in all sports and has the Reds as his top play tonight.

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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)

Flyers have Montreal under the gun

Going into Monday’s potential Eastern Finals clincher, the Philadelphia Flyers know a couple of different things. The first is with a win, they will be playing for the Stanley Cup championship and second, who their opponent will be, the Chicago Blackhawks.

However, before thinking too far ahead, Philadelphia has to take down the peskiest team in the tournament, Montreal.

“With each series, it obviously gets harder and harder, but I don’t think you can look past that next game and that next win,” Philadelphia defenseman Chris Pronger said. “You’ve got to focus on closing out a team and being closers. We’ve got a team now down 3-1. We’ve got to get that fourth win.

“We’ve got to understand what it’s going to take, because they’re obviously a team that’s had their backs against the wall throughout the course of this playoff, through Washington and Pittsburgh, and they’ve been able to rally and come back. We obviously want to stymie that and make sure we’re putting our foot on the throat.”

The Flyers have won 21 of their last 28 home games and can advance to the Cups Finals for the first time in 13 years with a fourth and deciding victory over the Canadiens. Philadelphia is well aware the danger Montreal presents, having seen them come from behind against the Capitals and Penguins to win series and their 5-0 record in elimination games.

“We have to be careful,” Flyers forward Danny Briere said. “If there’s a team that would know that, it’s us, with what we were able to do in the previous round to the Bruins, and also what Montreal did to Washington and Pittsburgh. We’re definitely not going to take them for granted. There’s still one big win.

“We always say the fourth one or the last one is always the toughest to get against a team. We expect them to come out with a lot of desperation in Game 5, but at the same time, yes, we know we’re getting closer.” The Flyers know a thing or two about desperation, having trailed 3-0 to Boston before winning the next four.

Philadelphia has now won seven of last eight and shutout Montreal three times in the series with domineering defense and the fine goaltending of Michael Leighton, who only had to face 17 shots in last contest (one in the second period).

“One of our main goals was to play better defensively and I don't know how many times they came down the wing trying to fire pucks at me, and we had our 'D' men who stuck their stick out and it went up in the crowds," Leighton said. "We talked right before the game and said we want to block as many shots and stop them charging the net and we did. We definitely showed up to play."

For the Habs, the situation certainly appears bleak, but it is far from over as far as they are concerned, with their 9-4 record off a home loss by three or more goals. “We put ourselves in this hole and it is what it is. We’ve got to go and win a game,” Montreal defenseman Hal Gill said.

Sportsbooks have Philly as a -190 money line favorite with total Ov5 and they are 20-7 as home ice favorites. They will arrive at Game Five 10-4 UNDER in home games after a win by two goals or more this season. Montreal will try and manufacture one more miracle and is 11-5 after being defeated by three or more goals and is 10-3 UNDER on the road after scoring one goal or less this campaign.

The East Final has a 7:00 Eastern start on VERSUS and CBC and if Philadelphia does emerge victorious, one person who deserves a lot of credit is Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette.

It took him until the last few weeks of the regular season to convince this team how good it can be and he never let them get down on themselves in the Bruins series. After tonight, Philadelphia might be thinking about bringing home first Stanley Cup title since 1975.

Sharks have to take a bite out of Chicago

San Jose did pretty much what they wanted but one thing in their Western Conference finals opener against Chicago, win the game. The Sharks suffered a 2-1 loss despite outshooting the Blackhawks 45-40, committed no penalties compared to Chicago’s five and controlled the contest for long expanses of time.

Still it wasn’t enough with San Jose was 0-5 on the power play as Hawks goalie Antti Niemi was the difference-maker. “He’s been good for us all year,” Chicago forward Kris Versteeg said. “Everyone seemed to be doubting him except us. We’re confident in him. We have to give him a lot more help than we did tonight.”

The Blackhawks will take a split but have higher ambitions now and are 22-8 against offensive teams scoring three or more goals a game this season.

“The good news is there’s a lot of things we can improve on and that we can do better,” Jonathan Toews said. “When we looked at Game 1 watching the highlights on TV, it looks like they absolutely outplayed us. It didn’t feel that way on the ice. But we know our goaltending was huge keeping us in that game.”

San Jose isn’t devastated by the loss and they know that have clean up miscues and get back to playing how they are capable.

“For the most part we played pretty well,” Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle said. “We made a few defensive mistakes. But again, to get 45 shots against a team like that, keep them at two goals. It could have gone either way.” The Sharks are 35-16 when playing against a team with a winning record.

San Jose is a -140 money line pick on home ice for Game 2 with total Ov5.5. The Sharks are 25-7 after allowing two goals or less in consecutive games and are 5-2 OVER in last seven contests. Chicago keeps peppering the net and is 7-1 on the road after five straight games with 30 or more shots on goal. The Hawks are 14-6 OVER having won four of their last five outings over the last two seasons.

This West Finals has a 10:00 Eastern start on VERSUS and TSN and the underdog has won four in a row in these meetings.

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)

NHL Western Conference Preview

With no disrespect to Detroit, this is the matchup most hockey fans wanted to see and large factions believe the winner will go on to win the Stanley Cup the way the Eastern Conference has played out. Chicago’s loss to Detroit on the last day of the regular season gave San Jose the top seed by a single point and home ice advantage in this series.

These teams have many similarities, including sportsbooks having both of them as +160 wagers favorites to bring the Cup home to their city when the postseason concludes.

Chicago has 60 wins this season and San Jose has 59. Both have 32 wins this year on home ice and each has played well on the road with the Blackhawks having one more triumph than the Sharks at 28.

Both bring ample offensive firepower that will test the others defense and goaltending. San Jose’s “Big Three” of Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau awoke after disappointing series against Colorado and overwhelmed the Red Wings with eight goals and 12 assists. This was especially important for Thornton (eight points) whose playoff appearances mostly have had a David Copperfield feel of disappearing.

The most consistent scorer for the Sharks has been Joe Pavelski, who followed up five goals against the Avalanche with four more against Detroit. Pavelski has carried the power play with five in the net and have three game winners. San Jose is 35-15 against teams that have winning records.

Chicago has a myriad of scorers as evidenced by 11 players having 10 or more goals during the regular season. In fact, nine different forwards tallied a goal in Vancouver series. Prominent names like Jonathan Toews (4 goals), Patrick Kane (3) and Kris Versteeg (3) all help carry the scoring load and massive Dustin Byfuglien (4) was like a tank in front of Canucks goal in last series, proving the Blackhawks are at their best when being able to keep the opposing goalie and defense busy in front of their own net.

The Hawks defensemen are more offensive-oriented, swiftly taking the puck into the other end to exploit weaknesses, however are vulnerable occasionally being caught up ice. San Jose has a better blend of two-way defenders and guys that shutdown opposing teams at the blue line.

Both netminders have been solid between the pipes. The Sharks Evgeni Nabokov has been sharper in net this playoff campaign and is among the reason why his team returns to West Finals for the first time since 2004. “We're going to go as far as Nabby takes us. He's been the backbone of this team all year long," Thornton said after the clincher against Detroit.

Chicago’s defensive lapses are why goaltender Antti Niemi has allowed four or more goals six times in the playoffs. When given normal protection by his defenders, he’s risen to the moment. Chicago is 23-9 against good passing teams averaging five or more assists per game this season.

The Blackhawks have been stronger in special teams play converting 25 percent against Vancouver and they have kept opponents out of the net 88.7 percent of the time and cashed in with three shorthanded goals as well.

San Jose has been average in both situations by comparison (19.3 percent with man advantage and 84.2 percent in penalty kills). If the Sharks expect to win this series, they have to be better on the road, where they are below average in each instance.

The Blackhawks won three of four meetings this season.

“Simply put, we didn’t play very well against Chicago and we’ll have to play a lot better to win,” San Jose coach Todd McLellan said. “We need quicker starts against Chicago. We always seem to be behind the eight ball. For us to get into a track meet with this team won’t be very productive for us throughout the series.”

San Jose can advance to Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history if they stay disciplined and maintain edge in special opportunities (+19 in power play chances) and find ways to break thru against Blackhawks’ penalty killers. They cannot lose a home game as Chicago has worn down opponents as the series went further along.

Chicago is the deeper team, with more varied scoring options. The Hawks can’t take as many silly penalties, especially with how deadly Joe Pavelski has been. The Blackhawks outshot the Sharks 157-98 this season, which shows what kind of pressure they can maintain. If they can continue this, they play for the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1992.

3Daily Winners Pick - Chicago (-105) in six over San Jose (-115)

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.

Monday Plays are up

Took it on the chin again yesterday (still 23-11) as Boston had several failed attempts to score but was swept by Baltimore of all teams. The Top Trend is a totals play in the AL Central. The Free play is in the AL West and the Best System is a division matchup and is unqualified (less than 80 percent) play with a very good record. Good Luck

What I thinking today- I’m starting to remember why betting the Stanley Cup playoffs are so hard.

I’d rather lose a MLB game in the bottom of the 9th than lose in extra innings. (1-5 so far this year) Having chances to win and not coming thru.

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

Free Baseball System -1) Play Under on road teams like the Tigers when the total is 8.5 to 10, who average 4.7 to 5.2 runs a game against a below average AL starter (ERA= 5.70 to 6.20), with a good bullpen that converts on 75 percent or more of their save opportunities. In the last 13 years this system is 38-11.

Free Baseball Trend -2) The Kansas City Royals are 10-2 OVER the against division opponents this season.

Free Baseball Pick -3) The Left Coast Consensus is on Oakland to top Texas 6-0.

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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 Western Conference Playoff Preview

All four series favorites captured their first round conflicts and moved on to the next round. This sets up a pair of excellent matchups and each is expected to be a long series. Oddsmakers really have these teams bunched to emerge as finalist in the Stanley Cup from the West. Off their still unsteady play, San Jose is no longer the favorite in the Western Conference, as they and Detroit are both +250 to play for Stanley Cup. Chicago is the new choice at +200 with Vancouver all not the far behind at +300.

(1) San Jose vs (5) Detroit

San Jose might be the series favorite, but that is only because they would have four home games if the series went the limit.

These are two teams that know each other well, as coach Todd McLellan was on the Detroit staff until taking the San Jose job two years ago. McLellan installed the puck-possession style that has made the Red Wings so difficult to beat for more than decade.

If the Sharks really expect to make the West Finals, their top line cannot continue to be faulty like they have been for several years in the spring. Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton once again added almost nothing and linemate Danny Heatley was not or is not 100 percent. Joe Pavelski’s line saved the Sharks from upset (22 points in series), however Detroit is world’s better than Colorado, especially at playoff time.

Veteran netminder Evgeni Nabokov was beaten twice by his own teammates, yet still conceded just 1.76 goals allowed with .926 save percentage. San Jose needs fast start and is 31-14 playing against a team with a winning record this season.

The NHL didn’t do the Red Wings any favors, having them start this next series less than 48 hours after finishing off Phoenix in Game 7. Thou Detroit had a couple of off games on home ice, they out-scored the Coyotes 17-6 winning the last three contests in the desert and they will have psychological edge over San Jose, based on performance after the regular season concludes.

While clichés are frowned upon into today’s world, they still work. Detroit’s best players have knack for playing their best when needed (something San Jose’s don’t), with Henrik Zetterberg’s 11 points being the finest example.

Netminder Jimmy Howard had plenty of uncomfortable moments against Phoenix, but when he made snap glove save on the first shot from the Coyotes in Game 7, it was apparent he was locked in. San Jose has a great deal more talented snipers that can bury the puck in the net and Howard will need Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski and other defensemen to keep the pressure off him. Since the Olympic break, the Wings are 20-8.

Detroit took three of four during the regular season and has won six of last eight at HP Pavilion in San Jose dating back to playoffs on May 2, 2007. This is where pedigree counts and the Red Wings have it.

3Daily Winners Pick- Detroit (-105) in six over San Jose (-125)

(3)Vancouver vs (2) Chicago

A pair of Western Conference division champions will clash in this round. This is a rematch from one season ago and both teams believe anything less than visit to the Cup finals would be a major disappointment.

Thus far the two teams have been a mirror image of one another. Each started the playoffs sluggishly losing two of three and went on to win the last three contests and bring momentum into this round.

Vancouver can live up to their dreams as long as the Sedin brothers stay at their best. Just a few seasons ago Daniel and Henrik were considers postseason pushovers, no more, as they scored five goals and added 13 assists between them. They were involved in every meaningful goal against Los Angeles and will have to continue to dominate if they want to extract revenge on Chicago.

Roberto Loungo has a Gold Medal in 2010 to help him forget when he was open door, allowing the Blackhawks to score seven times in single contest last May. Loungo had a similar flashback in Game 3 against the Kings, as they lit the lamp five times; however he appears to have regained his composure and wants prove he’s the better goalie in this series. Vancouver starts round two 20-6 after two or more Over’s.

Chicago fate in this series might not rest with the Canucks; it might be right in the mirror. Too often the obviously more talent Blackhawks were unwilling to do the dirty work against Nashville and dug a hole for themselves. This could happen more easily with larger repercussions as Vancouver is upgrade ability-wise. When it counted, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa came thru and they will be counted on again for Chicago to press on.

Rookie Antti Niemi was solid between the pipes with 2.15 GAA, which included keeping the Preds out of the net twice in the series. He’ll need the help of defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook to keep the Sedin’s busy away from the goal. The Hawks are 40-18 when they register three goals.

These teams split four battles, each winning once on the road. The first two games went Under and the last two went Over the total. Vancouver’s greatest weakness is the blue line. They couldn’t harness good Kings power play unit (seventh in the regular season), permitting 10 goals. Though Chicago’s man advantage crew isn’t as strong as L.A.’s, this could become deciding factor in tight series.

3DW Pick- Chicago (-145) in seven over Vancouver (+115)

Montreal and Washington Game 7 Final

Doesn’t it just figure, even the team with the best record in the NHL this past regular season is having a hard time in the playoffs. The irony is this team is based in Washington, D.C. area, the very place where a great many people have questionable faith about is going on in that location.

The same has to hold true for Capitals fans, wondering how this opening round series has gotten so screwed up to force a seventh and decided game.

The Montreal Canadiens are sort of like the “Tea Party”, upstarts not willing to settle for the status quo and are fighting for change. Their leader is goalie Jaroslav Halak. He’s led a conservative movement that brings back a past of time gone by.

Montreal has picked their spots to score in winning three times in this series and their defense has been more relentless in attacking the Capitals than Glenn Beck and Keith Olbermann combined.

When these types of upsets occur or potentially happen in the playoffs, the netminder is always in the middle. Halak has stopped 90 of Washington’s last 92 shot attempts and the Canadiens penalty kill defense has thwarted the Caps like a state trooper, leaving them with one goal in the net in 30 tries.

Montreal will certainly have confidence if not the oddsmakers support with consecutive upset victories and two wins at the Verizon Center in this series. The Canadiens are +240 money line underdogs with total again at six. Montreal is 6-3 on the road game when the total is six or more this season and believes in their goaltender after he had unfathomable 53 saves in Game 6.

“It’ll be on ESPN Classic tomorrow as one of the greatest goalie performances,” said the Habs Michael Cammalleri who scored twice Monday night. “He was making saves that were just exceptional. I couldn’t have been more impressed.”



Cammalleri and his linemates could care less if Washington is ginormous -290 ML chalk or is 11-1 revenging a three or more goal loss.

“Everybody picked them to win and they’re supposed to win,” Cammalleri said. “The pressure’s on them but at the same time we don’t feel any moral victories. We’re going to go to Washington excited about playing a hockey game and we’re going to play our best game and let the results take care of themselves.”

Washington remains convinced they will solve Halak and the Montreal defense with their barrage of shots. “The dam’s going to break,” Capitals defenseman Joe Corvo said. “He can’t save 60 shots again so we’ll just put as many shots as we can on him and see what happens next game.”

The Caps will make a few minor adjustments, seeking their 12th win in 13 outings after a two or more Under’s. They will believe in their captain Alex Ovechkin, “...It’s always this team being good and we’ll find a way to break it and win it. No panic, nothing.”

The total is the key to Game 7. Washington is 3-0 when the total score has reached six or higher and is 17-5 OVER at home revenging a loss having scored one or fewer goals. (Average total score of seven) Montreal has won all three contests when the number fell beneath six and is 14-6 UNDER away after a home game. (Avg. total of 4.9)

Washington will try to avoid the embarrassment of being the first top seed to lose in the opening round since this playoff format was put in place in 1994.

Wings and Coyotes in desert duel

Oddsmakers had to be tempted to put Detroit as -300 home favorites for Game 6 after they beat the Coyotes Friday night in Glendale. Phoenix had fought the good fight, gotten back into the postseason with the franchise under a cloud of uncertainty, but were going to fall ultimately to the Red Wings, who’ve made six trips to the Stanley Cups finals in the last 14 years, taking home the trophy four times.

Oddsmakers couldn’t go overboard however, since they had Detroit as -200 and -230 money line favorites in Game 3 and 4 in Motown, thus opened them safely as -210 choice and let the public decide what they wanted. Besides the last thing any sportsbook wanted was more huge payouts on hockey after Washington and Pittsburgh had lost as -300 plus favorites this past week.

Only a small issue came up, Phoenix rose from the ashes thanks to an unlikely source, the power play.

The Coyotes were 28th during the regular season in man advantage goal situations at 14.7 percent and after a good start, were on 0-19 drought against Detroit.

But this is aberrant Phoenix squad. Understand that veteran Mathieu Schneider, who wasn't even playing in the NHL when the Coyotes acquired him at the trade deadline, but due to injuries, Schneider was forced into action and he scored one of the three power play goals the Yotes tallied in 5-2 incomprehensible upset.

Phoenix is 11-2 after a three goal or more margin of victory and looks forward to Tuesday night before the home fans. “Any time you can play in a Game 7, it’s a game you’ll remember,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said.

Detroit’s mood is more somber, but knows they have won two games in the road playoff sweaters. “They won the special teams battle,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “That sucked the life out of our team.”

The Red Wings are 19-4 after allowing five goals or more over the last two seasons and their rookie netminder is coming off increasing scrutiny. Thou brilliant at times, Jimmy Howard has been beaten for four or more goals three times in this series.

“No, I’m not concerned about him at all,” Babcock said when asked about Howard between the pipes. “We’re real comfortable with Howie. You can’t win Game 7 until you get there.”
Howard was defiant about his play and felt his team missed other scoring chances in last contest. “They got lucky,” Howard said. “We hit a couple posts.” Nevertheless, he has a lot of weight on his shoulders for this proud franchise and it is now a one-shot deal for this perennial playoff giant.

The dichotomy of this Game 7 couldn’t be any more striking.

Phoenix last was in the playoffs eight years ago and hasn’t won a playoff series since arriving in the desert, last advancing to next round as the Winnipeg Jets in 1987. Detroit is the two-time Western Conference champions and has the longest continuous postseason streak (19 years taking away the strike season) of all the major sports.

Hockey linemakers have the Wings as -120 money line favorites with total Ov5. They are only 7-13 revenging a loss as a home favorite this campaign and 24-15 UNDER after playing in their own rink. Phoenix fittingly has been an underdog in every game in this series and is 18-6 after lighting the lamp four or more times and is 17-3 UNDER after a two or more goal triumph.

Detroit has won 10 of previous 13 meetings in Arizona but hasn’t been faced with a Game 7 on the road in the first round of the postseason in 19 years, when they lost at St. Louis. In fact, the last time the Wings won opening round deciding contest was back in the days of the Original Six, stopping Chicago in 1964.

The VERSUS Network and TSN have this desert duel at 9:00 Eastern.

NHL trio pushes for a Game 7

On Monday night, a trio of NHL teams will try and follow the lead of the Phoenix Coyotes and force a deciding game in their first round series. Buffalo would appear to have the most difficult task, winning on the road, but that is what Phoenix did. Montreal and Nashville will at least be on home ice, needing a victory to push a Game 7, both as non-favorites.

Buffalo at Boston 7:00E NESN

The Sabres are scratching their helmets wondering how they are in this predicament. Buffalo has scored the first goal in all five games against Boston and has been ahead or tied over 70 percent of game minutes yet could be eliminated tonight. Buffalo is still hopeful leading scorer Thimas Vanek can go, giving the team a lift.

“I never said I can’t play,” Vanek said. “I wanted to play the last two, but, obviously, we talked. We have to be realistic about it. And I said before, if (Ruff) doesn’t feel like, if we both feel like I can’t really help the team, then there’s no point of going and taking a spot away from somebody else.”

Off their 4-1 win in Game 5, the Sabres are 14-5 after allowing one goal or less in their previous contest this season. Buffalo is a +125 money line underdog to the Bruins and is 3-11 in road games against meager offensive teams scoring 2.55 or fewer goals a game. They will hope Boston’s 2-7 record at home revenging a loss where opponent scored four or more goals this season continues.

Washington at Montreal 7:00E VERSUS

Montreal knows they will have a chance in a Game 7 against top-seeded Washington since they have already won twice on the Capitals home ice this series. Getting there could be the issue as the Canadiens have failed to defeat Washington is both home tilts in the opening round.

Montreal is 6-13 at home in the playoffs since its current streak of sellouts began in 2003. “We appreciate and respect our crowd very much,” Habs forward Michael Cammalleri said Sunday after practice. “It’s the reason why it’s so much fun to play for the Montreal Canadiens. You get chills every game when you get on that ice.”

The Canadiens are +175 home underdogs and have 15 wins in 41 tries as +150 to +200 ML dogs.

Washington found a way to keep this series extended, after falling in previous contest 2-1 and is 23-6 revenging a loss vs. opponent as a home favorite.

“It’s important because it’s an important game,” Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said. “You just have to be ready as we’re sure the crowd will be ready and they will be ready. It will be an electric atmosphere again. The Caps are 41-13 after permitting two or less goals in next outing.

Chicago at Nashville 9:00E VERSUS

The Predators have been one of the most resilient NHL teams all season and their mettle faces a max test in Game 6.

For all intents, Nashville won in Chicago Saturday. Leading 4-3 with 63 seconds, the Preds were going on the power play and didn’t need to score, just ice the puck for the remainder of the contest and head home for potential series upset.

Instead the Blackhawks scored a shorthanded goal with 13.6 seconds remaining and won in overtime 5-4.

“This game is certainly difficult, the hardest way to lose as possible,” Nashville defenseman Dan Hamhuis said Sunday. “It’s going to take a little bit more to rebound from it. Sometimes when things go really bad, you bounce back even harder and come out with a better effort again.” Nashville is 27-13 revenging a loss.

The Predators are +145 ML home underdogs; however is 8-3 if opposing club scored five or more goals in last encounter. Chicago knows how lucky they were; nevertheless they made their own breaks and have won last nine of 12 as postseason chalk.

NHL Home Underdogs Must Win or See Ya

For lowered seeded Colorado and Ottawa the task is simple – Win or enjoy your vacation. The Senators have already survived one elimination contest going to the third overtime to keep the NHL grim reaper away, as Matt Carkner scored at 7:06 to give Ottawa a 4-3 upset win as whopping +255 money line underdogs.

“There’s a lot of belief and trust in this room,” said the Senators’ Matt Cullen who created the screen for game winner. “We maintain a positive attitude and good feeling in here that we’re still in it.” Ottawa is back on home ice where they have lost twice already to Pittsburgh and is 3-9 in home games after allowing three goals or more in three straight tilts.

Pittsburgh for the second consecutive year let a wonderful opportunity slip thru their gloves, losing a Game 5 home contest with 3-1 lead.

“A lot happened (in the overtimes) with penalties and chances and posts, but that’s just the way it works out,” Sidney Crosby said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get it done here, but we’ve got to find a way to regroup and be ready to go to Ottawa.” Pittsburgh is 26-8 off a home loss over the last two seasons.

Bookmaker.com has Ottawa as +150 home underdogs with Ov5.5 total and they are 12-18 in their own rink having lost two of three. The Senators are 8-2 OVER in all games this month.
This is Pittsburgh second chance to end this series and the last thing they want is a Game 7 off two losses and the Pens are 13-7 in road games revenging a loss where opponent scored four or more goals.

Colorado will try to live another day playing at the Pepsi Center, taking on San Jose who is starting to play like the top seed of the Western Conference. The Avalanche has two goals in the last three contests and things could be heading downhill.

San Jose's game plan for this series was to commence hitting the smaller and less experienced Colorado crew, with the hope of wearing them down physically. The Sharks have controlled the puck for long periods of time in winning three of the last four contests and in the 5-0 shutout in Game 5, they finally penetrated goalie Craig Anderson's armor.

Avalanche coach Joe Sacco doesn't want to believe that the Sharks have worn down his young team, which is missing several injured forwards, including Milan Hejduk and Peter Mueller.

"This is playoff hockey," he said. "We shouldn't be tired this time of the year. We should be re-energized. The level of play picks up in the playoffs, and at this time of the year you need to find a way to battle through it." Maybe the coach is right, nonetheless his squad is 10-20 home games after two or more consecutive losses.

Colorado is +160 underdog with the total hovering at Un5.5. The Avs are 8-3 revenging a zero on the scoreboard and San Jose has a long history of failure in Game 6 setting with 1-11 mark.
The Sharks will still be dangerous and are 17-4 after permitting two goals or less three games in a row and are 12-5 OVER off a home win by two goals or more this season.