In the sports betting world, what happened in the game five Western Conference semifinal match-up between the Detroit Red Wings and the San Jose Sharks is what is sometimes referred to as a hiccup. One of the time tested hockey betting rules for the past decade has been to not count the Detroit Red Wings out of a series. Game four showed that the Red Wings are still able to go down with a fight. Game five will show that the fight they put up was just a hiccup in this series.
It seems like the Red Wings did everything right in game four. They chased starting goalie Evgeni Nabokov, they scored seven goals and they won the game. At the other end of the ice Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard was brilliant stopping 28 of 29 shots. But it was obvious that the four goals Nabokov gave up in the first period completely deflated the Sharks, and there was little chance they were going to recover.
Game five will be a different story. Anyone familiar with NHL playoff betting will know better than to ask if Evgeni Nabokov will start in goal for the Sharks. Nabokov is a professional that has probably already put game four out of his head. He will be back in goal for game five, and he will offer the same caliber of play he has been putting out all playoff long.
There is a good chance that game five of this Western Conference semifinal match-up will be your last chance to bet on Red Wings Sharks playoff games for this season. As good as Jimmy Howard looked in the Detroit net in game four, he is still a rookie. He faced elimination and he stood up to the test. But he was helped by an extremely poor showing from Nabokov in the other net. The story in game five will be much different.
The Red Wings have been able to put sustained pressure on Nabokov for this entire series, but game four was the first time Nabokov could not respond. The one thing the Red Wings do have going for them in game five is that they will more than likely be able to continue their offensive barrage. The Sharks will not be pulling back into a defensive cocoon for game five, they will be attacking. That will leave Nabokov on his own most of the night.
There were 26 penalties called in game four with two fighting majors and two 10 minute misconducts. When the game turned on the Sharks, the Sharks got frustrated and this may be something the Red Wings will look to exploit in game five. The Sharks can be very aggressive at times, and the Red Wings are experienced enough to use that aggression as a way to take the Sharks' focus off the game. If the Sharks allow game five to fall into chaos, then they may have to play a game six regardless of whether or not Nabokov gets his form back.
Pick: San Jose Sharks 5-3
