Stanley Cup Betting – Canucks Take Lord Stanley’s Cup Back To Canada
Vancouver has been the sports betting favorite for most of the season when it comes to winning the Stanley Cup, and now the Canucks are four wins away as they prepare to face Boston, who hasn’t won in almost 40 years, which is about as long as Vancouver has had a franchise. Look for the Canucks to use their depth and versatility to win their first Cup.
- What: NHL Betting
- When: Game 1 is on Wednesday, June 1st, 8:00 PM ET
- Where: Games 1,2,5,7 (Rogers Arena, Vancouver); Games 3,4,6 (TD Banknorth Garden, Boston)
- Pick: Vancouver Canucks (-205)
Why Bet On Boston Bruins
The Bruins are a mentally tough team who has won two series in seven games, and they had to overcome last year’s historic collapse in a four-game sweep of Philadelphia, so they’re not a team who is going to roll over. Goaltender Tim Thomas has stolen a few games for the Bruins, although he was a bit inconsistent against Tampa Bay in the last round. Having Patrice Bergeron back and healthy in the lineup is a boost for the Bruins as he’s one of the best two-way players in the league, and arguably the best faceoff man in the game. David Krejci and Nathan Horton have seven game-winning goals between them, and Horton in particular has really stepped up his game. Defensively, the Bruins are solid, led by Zdeno Chara, who leads the postseason stats in plus/minus rating.
Milan Lucic has been up and down throughout the playoffs, and many NHL betting players figured he would be a wrecking ball for the Bruins. Maybe a trip to Vancouver, where Lucic was born and raised, will spark the burly power forward. Tomas Kaberle, who was brought in at the trade deadline in order to help the power play, has also been inconsistent. As a whole, the Boston power play has been beyond awful, scoring on 8.2% of their chances.
Why Bet On Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks almost blew a 3-0 series lead against their nemesis from Chicago, then they had to handle a grinding series against Nashville, and finally Vancouver blew San Jose out of the water, showing why they’ve been the best team in the league for most of the season. Even though Henrik and Daniel Sedin have combined for 37 points and Henrik leads all players in points, Ryan Kesler should be the favorite for the Conn Smythe award. He shut down Jonathan Toews in the first series, he carried Vancouver offensively against Nashville, and Kesler put it all together against the Sharks. He’ll also see a lot of Bergeron when it comes to key faceoffs. The Canucks can roll four lines and everyone knows their role, and they may have Manny Malhotra back to kill penalties as he has missed a couple months due to an eye injury. The defense has also been very good for the Canucks, despite a couple of injuries throughout the playoffs.
Goaltender Roberto Luongo has been better in goal than usual, and he was spectacular in the series clincher against the Sharks, stopping 54 shots in a double-overtime marathon, but we’ve also seen bad Luongo in the playoffs, especially when handling the puck. If you had to focus on one question mark for the Canucks, it would have to be Luongo, whether it’s fair or not. You would trust Thomas to steal a game more than Luongo, whose mental toughness has always been in question. He has a great team in front of him, so Luongo just has to stay solid for the Canucks to win the Stanley Cup.
How It Will Play Out
Vancouver is a -240 NHL betting favorite to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, while the Bruins are rated at +200 to win their first since 1972, and this could be a series for the purists; the Canucks are out to become the first Canadian team to lift the Cup since Montreal in 1993, while the Bruins are an Original Six team with plenty of history. These two don’t see each other very much, but the Bruins are 3-2 in their last five meetings with the Canucks since 2005, with three games going under the posted total (along with a push), and Thomas has won the two meetings in which he and Luongo both started, which both came in Vancouver.
Still, the Canucks are too deep, too balanced and too fast for the Bruins, who like to play a physical game, but Vancouver can do that as well, proving that they’re not just a skill team. The only chance the Bruins have is to get their horrid power-play going, but Vancouver’s penalty kill is also top notch, and could get better if Malhotra can play. Also, outside of the stats, fate may be on Vancouver’s side: Montreal hosted the Summer Olympics in 1976, and the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup the next year. Calgary hosted the Winter Olympics in 1988, and the Flames won it all in 1989. Vancouver, of course, hosted last year’s Winter Olympics….you see where this is going.
When all is said and done, bet on Vancouver in your online betting picks.
Bruins Canucks Betting Pick: Vancouver Canucks
