Sports Interaction betting analyst Frank Doyle looks ahead to the NHL Conference Finals.
The Eastern Conference Finals feature teams that have similar paths to the Finals ? struggle in the first round, sweep in the second. The difference is in tradition ? Boston is an Original Six team while Tampa Bay is in Florida,for gosh?s sakes.
Boston has won five Stanley Cups, second only to Detroit among teams based in the USA,but the Bruins haven?t won a Championship in over thirty years, or the Conference in twenty. Tampa Bay has nothing like Boston?s storied history, but it does have more recent success, with the Lightning winning Lord Stanley?s Cup in 2004.
Tampa Bay went into decline after that win seven years ago, but the appointment of Steve Yzerman as general manager saw the Lightning come back to life this year. Tampa Bay finished second in the Southeast,beat Pittsburgh over seven games in the first round of the playoffs but then swept the Flyers last week to earn the right to play Boston.
Boston has been expected all along. The Bruins are a hockey team of the old school, epitomised by the take no prisoners style of Zdeno Chara. The Lightning?s Martin St Louis is 5?8?. Chara is 6?9?. Yikes.
Sports Interaction makes Boston favorite to beat Tampa Bay but it won?t be easy ? a Bruins sweep is a 12/1 longshot while Boston winning over seven is the most likely outcome at 15/4.
Who will represent the West in the Stanley Cup is still between three teams. Vancouver secured its place earlier ? the Presidents Trophy winners were in danger of succumbing to the curse when the Canucks let Chicago come back from 3-0 down to force Game 7, but Vancouver survived to polish off Nashville in the next round.
Vancouver will be favorite against either the Sharks or Red Wings as that series goes to Game 7. Only three teams have come back from 3-0 holes to win Game 7 in history and San Jose remains the favorite to go through but if there was any team on Earth who don?t believe it?s over ?til it?s over it?s the Detroit Red Wings. They?re more inevitable than taxes ? although obviously more popular with bettors.
At the risk of looking foolish, my dollar says that Detroit will beat San Jose and beat Vancouver to face Boston in the first Stanley Cup Finals to feature two Original Six teams in over thirty years. And there the dream ends as Boston, lead by Tim Thomas and Chara, become the fourth of the major sports franchises to bring a Championship to Beantown.
The Eastern Conference Finals feature teams that have similar paths to the Finals ? struggle in the first round, sweep in the second. The difference is in tradition ? Boston is an Original Six team while Tampa Bay is in Florida,for gosh?s sakes.
Boston has won five Stanley Cups, second only to Detroit among teams based in the USA,but the Bruins haven?t won a Championship in over thirty years, or the Conference in twenty. Tampa Bay has nothing like Boston?s storied history, but it does have more recent success, with the Lightning winning Lord Stanley?s Cup in 2004.
Tampa Bay went into decline after that win seven years ago, but the appointment of Steve Yzerman as general manager saw the Lightning come back to life this year. Tampa Bay finished second in the Southeast,beat Pittsburgh over seven games in the first round of the playoffs but then swept the Flyers last week to earn the right to play Boston.
Boston has been expected all along. The Bruins are a hockey team of the old school, epitomised by the take no prisoners style of Zdeno Chara. The Lightning?s Martin St Louis is 5?8?. Chara is 6?9?. Yikes.
Sports Interaction makes Boston favorite to beat Tampa Bay but it won?t be easy ? a Bruins sweep is a 12/1 longshot while Boston winning over seven is the most likely outcome at 15/4.
Who will represent the West in the Stanley Cup is still between three teams. Vancouver secured its place earlier ? the Presidents Trophy winners were in danger of succumbing to the curse when the Canucks let Chicago come back from 3-0 down to force Game 7, but Vancouver survived to polish off Nashville in the next round.
Vancouver will be favorite against either the Sharks or Red Wings as that series goes to Game 7. Only three teams have come back from 3-0 holes to win Game 7 in history and San Jose remains the favorite to go through but if there was any team on Earth who don?t believe it?s over ?til it?s over it?s the Detroit Red Wings. They?re more inevitable than taxes ? although obviously more popular with bettors.
At the risk of looking foolish, my dollar says that Detroit will beat San Jose and beat Vancouver to face Boston in the first Stanley Cup Finals to feature two Original Six teams in over thirty years. And there the dream ends as Boston, lead by Tim Thomas and Chara, become the fourth of the major sports franchises to bring a Championship to Beantown.
