Conference Finals: Surprises in the East, chalk in the West

Hockey Betting Lines

05/16/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There is something pleasantly symmetrical about the way the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs are shaping up.

In the West, we have a matchup up between the No. 1 and 2 seeds, while in the East it's just the opposite, with the bottom two seeds from that conference battling for a right to play in the Stanley Cup Finals.

As a result, this year's conference finals really leaves the hockey viewing public with the best of both worlds. If you like underdogs, the seventh-seeded Philadelphia Flyers against the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens is your series. If a star-studded battle between powerhouse clubs is more your speed, then one is free to concentrate on the matchup between top-seeded San Jose and No. 2 Chicago.

Whatever your tastes, the contrast between the storylines should make for an interesting conference final round.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

(7) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

The Flyers and Canadiens matchup is the more intriguing matchup from a historical standpoint. This is the first time since the NHL adopted the current playoff format in 1994 that the bottom two seeds from the East or the West are meeting in the conference finals.

It's not surprising that both the Flyers and Habs had plenty of obstacles in their path en route to reaching this stage. After all, both clubs didn't even know they were in the playoffs until the completion of their final games of the regular season.

Montreal then had to beat top-seeded Washington, the Presidents' Trophy winners, in Round 1 and came back from a 3-1 series deficit to pull off the upset. The Canadiens followed with another seven-game series victory in the conference semifinals against Pittsburgh, last year's Stanley Cup champions and winner of the last two Eastern Conference titles.

Meanwhile, the Flyers had a relatively easy first round, beating second-seeded New Jersey in five games, but the second round was another story altogether. Philadelphia lost the first three games against Boston in Round 2, but then carved out a piece of history by becoming just the third NHL team to ever win a series after being down 3-0. And, mot only did the Flyers come back from down 3-0 in the series, but they also trailed 3-0 in the first period of Game 7 before charging back for a 4-3 victory in front of a stunned crowd at Boston's TD Garden.

All that makes this a difficult series to gauge, considering that for most of the 2009-10 season when thinking about the contenders for the Eastern Conference title it was unlikely that either the Flyers or Canadiens were to be included in that conversation. Ample time was spent this year discussing what was wrong with both of the Eastern Conference finalists, that at this point, it's become hard to see what the Flyers and Habs are doing right.

Both teams will be playing with nothing to lose in this series, having already exceeded the low expectations set for them. Expect to see a pair of teams leaving it all out on the ice in what should be a closely contested and entertaining series.

Montreal has the edge in goal with the red-hot Jaroslav Halak getting the nod over Philadelphia's Michael Leighton, who has reclaimed the starting job after Brian Boucher's injury in the Boston series. The Habs also boast a deeper defense, despite the presence of star rearguards Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen on the Flyers blueline.

On the other hand, Philly has a more-balanced offensive attack, while the Canadiens received nearly half their goals in this postseason from just two players, Michael Cammalleri and Brian Gionta.

Despite being the last seed in the East, the Habs have to be favored in this series after knocking off No. 1 Washington and the defending Stanley Cup champions in the first two rounds.

Canadiens in 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (2) Chicago Blackhawks

After collapsing under the pressure of lofty playoff expectations in recent years, the San Jose Sharks have finally turned in a postseason run that seems worthy of all their regular-season success.

Six years ago, the Sharks made it to the 2004 Western Conference finals before losing in six games to the Calgary Flames. Since then, San Jose has averaged nearly 109 points per season, only to bow out in the second round or earlier every postseason until the current playoff tournament.

After ousting Colorado in six games, San Jose made a huge statement by defeating the fifth-seeded Detroit Red Wings. Despite the Sharks' higher- seeding, the Red Wings, who came into the playoffs as the two-time defending conference champions, were understandably being picked by many to take that series.

Instead, the Sharks ousted the Wings in five games, with the lone hiccup coming in a 7-1 blowout loss in Detroit, but that was in Game 4, after San Jose had already grabbed a commanding 3-0 series lead.

The best sign for San Jose in Round 2 was the play of the team's top line of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley, who were able to dominate the Red Wings in the conference semifinals. This was especially true of the centerman Thornton, who had just three assists against the Avalanche, but rebounded with three goals and five assists in the Detroit series.

While the Sharks have exorcised some playoff demons in reaching this stage, the ever-improving Blackhawks are back in the conference finals for the second straight year.

Last spring, Chicago made its first playoff appearance in seven years and made it to the West finals before losing in five games to Detroit. This year, the young Blackhawks are a year older and figure to have a better shot at reaching the Cup Finals for the first time since 1992.

Chicago enters the West finals after winning each of its series so far in six games, beating Nashville in Round 1 and ousting Vancouver in the conference semifinals.

One of the primary strengths of Chicago is the club's ability to get scoring from all over its roster. The Blackhawks have four players with double-digit point totals during the 12 games in this postseason and 14 different skaters have scored at least one goal for Joel Quenneville's club.

Chicago's top line may not be as heralded as San Jose's trio of Thornton, Heatley and Marleau, but Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien still make up one of the league's most-feared units. In fact, Toews is leading all NHL players this postseason with 20 points.

While the Sharks boast considerable depth on offense and defense, the Blackhawks have an even sturdier roster that makes them extremely difficult to play against on both ends of the ice.

San Jose is more equipped at the back end to handle Chicago's forwards than Vancouver was, but the Blackhawks will still generate more than enough scoring chances.

The Sharks seem to have an edge in goal with Evgeni Nabokov, but as long as Blackhawks netminder Antti Niemi doesn't fall flat on his face, Chicago will be able to make up for that disparity.

Blackhawks in six

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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