Philadelphia Flyers at Chicago Blackhawks, 6/6/10
The Philadelphia Flyers will aim to win their thurd ceonsecutive game in this Stanley Cup final series as they head back to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks in Game 5. After losing the first two games of the series, the Flyers have bounced back winning games 3 and 4 at home and have reasserted themselves as a Stanley Cup contender. Philadelphia's explosive offense and shutdown defense has made its presence felt in the past 2 games and has left the Blackhawks looking for answers. Perhaps a trip back the confines of the United Centre will re-energize the Hawks as they look to take a 3-2 series lead heading back to Philadelphia for game 6.
Despite losing game 4 by a 5-3 count, the Blackhawks have plenty of optimism base don their 3rd period play as they rallied from 3 goals down to cut the game to a 1 goal deficit within the final minute of the game. Chicago's aggressive forecheck ended up spelling the end of the game as they pressed for the game tying goal which led the empty net victory sealer for the Flyers. However, the Hawks were pushed against the wall and instead of surrendering, the persevered and made a game of it which bodes well for the Hawks entering game 5.
If Chicago wants to win this pivotal game 5 they need to have strong performances by 3 players in particular. The first is goaltender Anttii Niemi who has shown signs of brilliance in this postseason but has also let in some pretty questionable goals which has deflated any momentum his team may have had moving forward. Niemi will have to return to form tonight and keep this game low scoring if Chicago wants to win. Secondly, Marian Hossa needs to continue his strong defensive play from the front end as he has neutralized the high flying Flyers attack and has provided some scoring opportunities for the dynamic Blackhawks offense. Unfortunately, Hossa has found himself in penalty trouble in recent games that has eventually cost his team a few goals. Finally, Hawks captain Jonathan Toews needs to regain his exemplary form and end his mini slump as the Hawks needs his guidance and offensive abilities if they are to outscore the Flyers who seem like they can't be stopped at the moment.
This will be a fantastic game and the physicality of this one should be incredibly high. Both teams need the win tonight as Chicago knows how difficult it is to win at the Wachovia Centre, and the uncertainty around a game 7 for the Blackhawks and the recent memory of the Penguins winning a game 7 road game to win the Cup is haunting. I expect this game to be a hard fought battle and the Flyers are getting way too much value to pass up on in this game. I can easily see the Blackhawks winning a 3-1 game but as Mark mentioned the puckline for the Blackhawks is a scary thought as all of the games in this series have been close games. I think the best bet is to play the under as this is surely going to be a chess match and neither team will want to screw up defensively.If i were to pick a winner I would say the Blackhawks win a low scoring affair, but the plus-puckline on the Flyers is also a good idea.
Kyle's Pick: Philadelphia +1.5, UNDER 6 goals
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