Stanley Cup Final Preview/Predictions
In Saturday’s boxing betting lines, Nikolay Valuev gets his rematch against Ruslan Chagaev. Brock Lesnar gets another shot at Frank Mir in UFC 100 come July. Now, the Pittsburgh Penguins get a chance for revenge against the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final odds.
The Red Wings are the hockey betting favorites at -155 to win the series, with the Penguins’ line set at +135. The smart money is on the Penguins at +135, and here are five reasons why.
5. In the playoffs, size matters. The Wings have a few big guys, and they get great bang for their buck from them, as Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom terrorize opposing goalies with their screens. But the Penguins top-to-bottom form a much bigger, more physical group. Evgeni Malkin is a load to pull off the puck, Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz throw themselves into the corners with reckless abandon, and Jordan Staal’s big stride creates matchup problems. The Pens’ D lacks skill but big Hal Gill and Brooks Orpik dole out punishment.
4. The Penguins have matured. Overtime wins. Come-from-behind wins. Road wins. The Penguins have excelled in virtually every clutch situation imaginable during the Stanley Cup betting playoffs, a sign that they’ve grown up from last season. They’ve also dramatically improved their discipline, averaging 11 penalty minutes per game compared to 16.5 in last year’s hockey betting playoffs. That’s an important stat considering how dominant Detroit’s power play is.
3. Goalie advantage: Pittsburgh. Chris Osgood probably is underrated – his numbers are great for the second straight postseason and he’s 10th on the all-time hockey betting wins list – but that doesn’t change the fact that Marc-Andre Fleury is the better goalie. He’s younger, bigger, more athletic, and he even loves playing in clutch situations. Unlike Osgood, he’s capable of stealing a game.
2. Those two guys who score a lot – what are their names again? Detroit has better forward depth, but the Penguins improve their NHL odds by icing two of the top three offensive players in the game every night. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have 26 goals in 17 games as a tandem in these playoffs and are both arguably playing the best hockey of their careers right now. If Malkin doesn’t pull a disappearing act like he did last season, the big two will put on a show. Dan Bylsma is also maximizing his team’s chances at sportsbook success by double-shifting them.
1. Pavel Datsyuk is not Pavel Datsyuk right now. Hobbled by injury, star Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk has been a shell of his true self in the playoffs. After scoring 97 points in regular season hockey betting, he has just one goal and seven points in 13 Stanley Cup betting contests this year and his questionable for Game 1. One factor some sports wagering fans forget; Datsyuk’s phenomenal defense is just as important as his offense. He’s not at 100 per cent and that means he can’t shadow Crosby and/or Malkin the way he normally would.
There you have it – the reasons why the Penguins Red Wings odds look good for Pittsburgh. Don’t be surprised if the Pens take advantage of home ice and win the Cup in Game 6.
One reply on “2009 Stanley Cup Finals Betting”
Despite another year experience and a better team, Pittsburgh finds itself down 2-0 in this series. While is certainly is not over, they have dug themselves a mighty deep hole.