People sometimes place a World Cup bet by following their emotions. They are betting on their home country, or they are betting on a team they have followed their whole lives. Sports betting can be risky when you bet with your heart rather than your head, and that is especially true with NHL playoff betting.
This year's NHL Stanley Cup finals pits the Chicago Blackhawks against the Philadelphia Flyers. While the name Cinderella really does not come to mind when you think of the Broad Street Bullies, this season may be a bit different. Blackhawk Flyers bettinghas been complicated this season by emotion. The Flyers, by all rights, should not even be in the playoffs much less the Stanley Cup finals. But there they are, and some people are starting to use the word destiny to describe this Flyer team.
The Chicago Blackhawks were put together for this moment. Through the draft with players like Patrick Kane and JonathanToews, to free agency with Marian Hossa the Blackhawks were assembled to win a Stanley Cup. Because of the potentially lower salary cap next season, this may be the only chance this Chicago team will have at winning a Stanley Cup.
The Flyers got past the New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens to get to the Stanley Cup finals. They were the seventh seeded team in the Eastern Conference, and the highest seeded team they played was in the first round. Some people may argue that the Flyers played weak opponents to get to the finals, but in the NHL playoffs there is no such thing as a weak opponent.
The fans in Philadelphia have been playing the destiny card ever since goaltender Brian Boucher stopped the last New York Ranger shooter in a shoot out on the last game of the season to even get the Flyers into the playoffs. Then the Flyers came back from a 3-0 deficit against the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference semifinals to win the series 4-3. If you ask the fans in Philly, they would call that destiny.
The Blackhawks have a lot of talent to combat the Flyers destiny. Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa have been scoring on a regular basis in the playoffs, and Chicago goaltender Antti Niemi is working on a playoff MVP performance. But Flyers goalie Michael Leighton posted three shutouts in the Flyers' four wins in the Eastern Conference finals over the Montreal Canadiens. Leighton is confident going into the finals, and his team is confident in their goalie as well.
Game one of the Stanley Cup Finals will be the Flyers chance to push back against the talent of the Blackhawks and keep their momentum rolling. Danny Briere, captain Mike Richards and sniper Jeff Carter all have the ability to put the puck past Niemi at any given moment. To take game one of the Finals from the Blackhawks in their own building would set quite a tone for the series. It could even be a sign of destiny.
Pick: Philadelphia Flyers 3-2
