Can favored Blackhawks come through with Cup?

Hockey Betting Lines

05/25/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sometimes a team has to be very bad before it can climb to the top of the mountain. Look at the Pittsburgh Penguins. They finished last or next-to-last in the two seasons surrounding the lockout and by 2008 were representing the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals. Obviously selecting Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby in back-to-back drafts accelerated the process, but sometimes it doesn't hurt to rebuild from the bottom up.

The Chicago Blackhawks were in the same boat as Pittsburgh, finishing in last place in the Western Conference in the 2003-04 season. However, unlike the Penguins, they still finished last in the Central Division three years later.

The Blackhawks missed the playoffs again the following campaign, but along the way drafted Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to put them in position to challenge for Lord Stanley's Cup as the decade came to an end.

Many experts predicted great things this season, after Chicago reached the Western Conference Finals in 2008-09, and they were right. By the end of the Olympic break, the Blackhawks were the 2-1 favorites to represent the West in the Stanley Cup Finals.

They failed to get the conference's number one seed over San Jose, but still finished the regular season with 112 points, only one point behind the Sharks. They also ranked third in the league in scoring with 271 goals and fifth in goals allowed at 209.

After disposing Nashville, Vancouver and San Jose in the postseason, the Blackhawks have home ice vs. Philadelphia in the Stanley Cup Finals. However, they are only 5-3 at United Center in the postseason. That statistic could come back to haunt them if faced with a must-win situation in a possible game seven.

THE EASTERN CONFERENCE REPRESENTATIVE

Chicago has earned the right to be favored vs. Philadelphia, but favorites don't always hoist the Cup. Just ask the Detroit Red Wings who were beaten just last season by the Penguins.

Balanced scoring and the addition of Chris Pronger catapulted the Flyers from first-round losers in 2009 to Cup finalists in 2010. In fact, many prognosticators, including yours truly, predicted the Flyers to represent the Eastern Conference before the season began.

However, multiple goalie injuries and uninspired play plagued the club for most of the year. So much so that making the playoffs was not even a foregone conclusion. The oddsmakers even labeled them the sixth choice at 12-1 to win the East heading into March.

On the verge of being left out of the postseason, the Flyers rallied for a shootout victory over the Rangers on the final day of the regular season, securing the seventh-seed and a date with the New Jersey Devils.

Even though they were heavy underdogs, the Flyers were a confident bunch, especially since they had tremendous regular season success vs. New Jersey, beating Martin Brodeur and the Devils five of the six meetings. Philadelphia proceeded to win the series in five games.

The Flyers then faced Boston due to Montreal's upset of Washington.

Down three games to none, they bounced back with a miraculous comeback nailing the seventh game 4-3 after trailing 3-0. From there, they made easy work of the Canadiens, winning that series in five.

WHO HAS THE EDGE?

Chicago has been installed as the heavy favorite to win the Stanley Cup. In fact, bettors must wager $250 to win $100 if they pick Chicago to win the series.

On the surface, that line looks way too high but considering where each team was seeded in postseason play, it's obvious which club has the superior profile. In addition, the Flyers have yet to play a team with such a high- powered offense as Chicago. The Devils, Bruins and Canadiens were all offensively-challenged and Philadelphia took advantage by allowing just 36 goals in only 17 games.

Taking on the Blackhawks will be an entirely new confrontation. Joel Quenneville's squad scored four goals or more in eight of their last 12 "second season" contests. Will Flyers goalie Michael Leighton, who has been outstanding in the postseason, be able to withstand the pressure?

He did beat Chicago in the only meeting this year, saving 39 of 41 shots in a 3-2 home win on March 13. That was the contest in which Chris Pronger scored the game-winning goal with only three seconds remaining.

Both Chicago (Duncan Keith) and Philadelphia (Pronger) have a rock on defense, capable of seeing 30 minutes of action per game. The Blackhawks mostly played five defensemen against San Jose as Jordan Hendry saw fewer than 10 minutes in all four matchups. On the other side, Ryan Parent and Lukas Krajicek played a little over 20 minutes combined in the final two Eastern Conference Final games.

Offensively, each team has three scoring lines capable of putting pucks in the net. Six Chicago players have scored at least four playoff goals, and Marian Hossa, who has only two, can break out at any time. Seven different Flyers have scored at least four as well, while two more players have three.

Both squads have excellent special teams so it's hard to give either side the edge on the power play.

In between the pipes, both Antti Niemi and Michael Leighton have been outstanding in the postseason.

Niemi is 12-4 with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. He was instrumental in holding the Sharks to just seven goals in four games - twice facing 45 shots or more.

Leighton, since coming in to replace the injured Brian Boucher, has allowed only 11 goals in seven-plus games for a 1.45 GAA and a spectacular .948 save percentage. But once again, those contests came against the likes of Boston and Montreal.

For the Flyers to upset Chicago they need their defense to help out Leighton by blocking as many shots as possible and giving him square looks on the shooters. Philadelphia will not be able to win the high-scoring games.

For the Blackhawks to be successful, they must wear down Philadelphia's defense with the likes of Dustin Byfuglien, Troy Brouwer and Ben Eager throwing their weight around in the offensive zone.

Both teams are well-coached, so don't expect either squad to show signs of cracking under the pressure.

Four of the last six Stanley Cup Finals have been stretched to seven games and this one should be no different. Since Philadelphia is the heavy underdog, go with the Flyers to come away with a 3-2 victory in the seventh and final game, bringing the Stanley Cup back to Broad Street for the first time since 1975.

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MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

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