I wasn’t able to get my game 3 pick up before the game a couple nights ago, but I’m not surprised that the Bruins were able to continue their home winning streak. It’s now been since game 5 in the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs that the Bruins have lost a game at TD Garden. Rask was excellent once again earning a shutout for his team. With Hossa not participating in the game after warm up due to injury the Blackhawks really looked less dangerous offensively. Game 4 is a huge swing game in this series with Boston looking to take a commanding lead.
Regular Season Record: 68-59 for +11.33 units.
Playoff Record: 21-16 for +4.92 units.
Playoff Series Record: 12-2 for +10.20 units.
Chicago Blackhawks @ Boston Bruins
With Hossa still listed as day-to-day it will be interesting to see if the Blackhawks rush him back after they failed to generate much offense in game 3. And if he does come back, will he be as effective as normal seeing as how he will surely not be playing at 100%. Seguin, Paille and Kelly have been the Bruins best even strength line over the past two games, with Paille in particular finding a way to score on Corey Crawford. The goaltenders are still the story of these finals and although Rask has been the better goalie, Crawford has also played very well, which is often overlooked.
Toews, Kane and Sharp haven’t looked particularly dangerous in the last couple games and this is a real problem for the Blackhawks who although they are getting shots are not getting great chances against the Bruins. Boston on the other hand now has three lines that can score and be the difference in a game. This is something that the Blackhawks simply don’t have. The balance on the Bruins lines is quite impressive too, with Chicago having to watch for every player in every situation. If you look at the Blackhawks, Handzus isn’t a threat on the line with Kane and Sharp, while Toews is being moved around a lot as a bit of a diversion for the Chara and Seidenberg pairing. I just don’t see how the Blackhawks are going to generate much more offense in this series unless Hossa comes back and continues to be their best forward.
The Bruins simply look too strong and they have each bought in defensively to limit the Blackhawks scoring chances. I expect this series to be 3-1 for Boston heading back to Chicago.
Play: Bruins -130 (Pinnacle)
Tagged with: Boston Bruins • Chicago Blackhawks • Stanley Cup Finals