NHL Picks (May 14): Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers
9.9 times out of 10, you can count on a team that has a 3-0 lead in a series to be able to close that series out without a serious problem.
But who can forget the amazing comeback that the Boston Red Sox made in the 2004 ALCS, down 3-0 and down to their final three outs against the New York Yankees? The Red Sox rallied for a dramatic walk-off win in Game 4, repeated the feat in Game 5, and then took Games 6 and 7 to complete a seemingly impossible turnaround.
Tonight, Boston sports fans could be on the other side, if their Bruins fail to capture Game 7 tonight at home against Philadelphia.
Boston appeared to be rolling towards the Eastern Conference finals, as they were up 3-0 after a 4-1 win in Game 3 in Philadelphia. But sometimes, all it takes is one little opening, and the Flyers got that in Game 4. The Bruins rallied from a 3-1 deficit to force overtime, but Simon Gagne’s winner gave Philly a 5-4 win and a lifeline.
Boston had a chance to clinch at home in Game 5, but the Flyers rolled to a 4-0 win, and then, in Game 6 on Wednesday night, captured a 2-1 win to force tonight’s decisive Game 7.
Clearly the momentum is on the side of the Flyers. However, with a Game 7 in the friendly confines, with the crowd behind them, you’ve still got to believe in the Bruins, right?
Well…look at what happened with Pittsburgh the other night. The Penguins failed to close out Montreal when they had every opportunity to do so (gave up leads in Game 2, Game 4, and Game 6), and they paid the price for it.
It’s all quite simple for Boston tonight, honestly. In their seven playoff wins, the Bruins have scored 26 goals. In their five playoff losses, they’ve scored seven goals, with four of those coming in Game 4 against the Flyers.
That won’t be an easy task, given their ineptitude/Philadelphia’s excellent netminding in the last couple of games. After Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton combined on a shutout in Game 5, Leighton stepped up in relief of the injured Boucher and stopped 30 of 31 shots in Game 6, and he’ll be counted on to have another big performance tonight. He was actually the Flyers’ best goalie during the regular season, going 16-5-2 with a GAA of 2.48, so even though this is uncharted territory for the 28-year-old, his teammates have to feel very confident about his abilities to stop the Bruins once again tonight.
The Flyers have the momentum, the Bruins have the home ice advantage – who’s going to advance to face the Canadiens in an unlikely Eastern Conference finals showdown?
9.9 out of 10, folks. 9.9 out of 10.
MAY 14 NHL FREE PICK #1: BOSTON ML -125 (Bodog) vs. Philadelphia
MAY 14 NHL FREE PICK #2: Boston/Philadelphia UNDER 5 EVEN (Bodog)
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