My 2012 NHL playoffs predictions got off to a great start yesterday with the Flyers and Predators both coming through for me in tight games. The Flyers came back from 3 goals down to beat the Penguins who looked like they were going to dominate the action after the first period. Danny Briere proved once again why he is considered one of the best Stanley Cup Playoff performers in the league and that game made the series extremely interesting moving forward. The Preds also pulled out a win with deadline pickup Gaustad opening the scoring and fourth liner Gabriel Bourque scoring 2 in his first ever playoff appearance. My 2012 NHL Playoff record is now 2-0 for +2.55 units.
San Jose Sharks @ St. Louis Blues
The Sharks lost their 4 meetings with the Blues this season, but the results may seem worse than they were. The Sharks were outscored 11-3 in those meetings, but that included 2 empty net goals, 2 5-on-3 goals and 3 powerplay goals, so the 5 on 5 was actually just 4-3 in favour of the Blues. The Sharks need to stay out of the penalty box and they will have a great shot in every game this series. The Sharks have higher end talent up front and if they can find a way to get to the front of the net against this stingy Blues defense that likes to clog up the middle I like their chances. The Blues were great at home this season but faltered a bit down the stretch losing their past 3 home games.
Play: Sharks +130 (SportsInteraction.com)
Washington Capitals @ Boston Bruins
The Washington Capitals are in for a wake up call when they play the Boston Bruins tonight in Boston. The Bruins are simply a much deeper team in all areas of the ice. Chara will have the job of shutting down Ovechkin and I expect him to do this fairly easily, which leaves the Capitals depending on secondary scoring which they don’t really have. The Bruins will be all over the Capitals tonight and win this one convincingly to set the tone for the series.
Play: Bruins -150 (5Dimes.com)
Written by: Niko de Jonge
Tagged with: Boston Bruins betting • NHL Playoffs betting • San Jose Sharks betting • St. Louis Blues betting • Washington Capitals betting