The first round of the 2010 playoffs is in the books and the conference semifinals are well underway. In the East only one of the top four seeds survived, as three of the lower seeded teams were able to pull off the upset in the first round. As we move into the semifinals here is a brief look at each series along with each team’s current odds to win their conference and the Stanley Cup.
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens
Penguins Current odds to win the Eastern Conference 4-7 Stanley Cup 5-2
Canadiens Current odds to win the Eastern Conference 5-1 Stanley Cup 15-1
The biggest shock of the NHL playoffs so far has been the play of the Montreal Canadians. After finishing the regular season with a record of 39-33-10 most people thought the Canadians would be a nice little four or five game warm-up for Washington in their quest for a championship. Instead, with a tenacious total team effort and a hot goalie in Jaroslav Halak, they beat the Capitals in seven games after trailing in the series 3-1 to advance onto the next round.
In game one of this series, Halak suddenly looked human as he gave up a few soft goals in a 6-3 loss. Facing a potential 0-2 hole to a very talented team, the Habs were able to bounce back in game two with a stunning 3-1 win to even the series at one game apiece. This time Halak was back to his old form, stopping 38 shots. Montreal continues to show that they belong in these playoffs and has the ability to stand toe to toe with the best teams in the league.
Pittsburgh’s first round went pretty much according to script as they took out the #5 seed Ottawa Senators in six games. The Senators did manage to throw a scare into the Penguins by taking game one in Pittsburgh 5-4. The Pens, led by Sidney Crosby responded with three straight wins to put the series out of reach. In that series, Crosby ended up scoring five goals and added nine assists for a team high 14 points.
In an impressive 6-3 win in game one of this series, six different Penguins found the net with four goals coming on power plays. They scored five times in their first 18 shots to knock Halak out of the game early in the third period. In game two they peppered the net with 39 shots but only one found its way past the pipes in a 3-1 loss.
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Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends:
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games
- Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
- Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games on the road
Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends:
- Montreal is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal’s last 5 games
- Montreal is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
- Montreal is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Pittsburgh
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