NHL Stanley Cup Finals- Game 1 Betting Preview
Boston Bruins at Vancouver Canucks
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Spread: Vancouver -1.5
Money Line: Boston +160, Vancouver -180
Over/Under: 5.5
The Boston Bruins, champions of the Eastern Conference square-off against the Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks this Wednesday night at Rogers Arena in Game 1 of this year’s Stanley Cup Finals. Game time is set for 8 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
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Boston survived another seven-game series with a hard fought 1-0 victory over Tampa Bay as a 153 home favorite in Game 7 of the conference finals last Friday night. The win raised its record to 12-6 overall in this year’s playoffs. The Bruins are 5-3 on the road and 3-2 as an underdog. The total has gone ‘over’ in 10 of the 18 games overall and in five of their eight games on the road.
One of the keys to winning this game for Boston could be the play of center David Krejci, who leads the team with 10 goals this postseason. He recorded a hat-trick in a 5-4 loss to the Lightning in Game 6 and had an assist in Game 7 to give him five points in the last three games. Nathan Horton (eight goals and nine assists) and Patrice Bergeron (four goals and eleven assists) have also been a huge part of a Bruin’s offense that has averaged 3.22 goals a game.
The other key to gaining the early edge in this series will be the play of goalie Tim Thomas. He has been in net for every game of these playoffs and has a goals-against-average of 2.29 and a .929 save percentage. Thomas gave up five goals in four of the seven games against Tampa, but gave up just two goals in the other three games combined.
Vancouver’s toughest test of the playoffs so far was in the first round against Chicago as it needed a 2-1 overtime victory as a 165 home favorite in Game 7 to advance. The Canucks advanced to the Finals with a 3-2 double overtime win over San Jose in Game 5 of the conference finals as a 177 home favorite. They are 12-6 overall and 7-3 at home this postseason. Vancouver is 11-4 as a favorite and the total has stayed ‘under’ in seven of their 10 games at home.
The key for the Canucks will be the continued elevated play of Ryan Kesler along with the Sedin twins; Henrik and Daniel. The three have combined for 55 points; 17 goals and 38 assists. Vancouver has averaged 2.78 goals a game, which is below their NHL-best 3.15 average in the regular season. It did average four goals a game against the Sharks, never scoring less than three in any of the five games.
Roberto Luongo will be in goal for the Canucks. He has started 17 of 18 playoff games and has a 2.29 GGA and a save percentage of .922. After a few shaky games in the first two rounds, he was rock-solid against San Jose with a .931 save percentage.
The odds makers have the Vancouver Canucks as a -1.5 point favorite with an over/under of 5.5.
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Prediction: Head-to-head, these two met once in the regular season with the Bruins coming away with a 3-1 win as a 134 road underdog. The total stayed ‘under’ the 5.5 goal line. This time around stick with Boston again as Thomas opens the series with a monster game to stun the Canucks on their home ice.
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Boston Bruins Betting Trends:
- Boston is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Boston’s last 9 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games when playing Vancouver
- Boston is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Vancouver
Vancouver Canucks Betting Trends:
- Vancouver is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Vancouver’s last 14 games at home
- Vancouver is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Vancouver’s last 6 games when playing Boston
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