Saturday, June 6, 2015

Stanley Cup Finals - Game 2

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The Chicago Blackhawks take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Blackhawks stole Game 1 and now lead the series 1-0. The opening line has Chicago at +110 and Tampa Bay at -125. The over/under has been set at 5 in this showdown of the top teams in the NHL.

The Lightning started out hot in Game 1 and looked to come out and make a statement in the opening game of the Stanley Cup Finals. They started the game off with a goal at the 4:31 mark in the first period. Alex Killorn had a great redirection out of midair from a shot on goal off the point. An interesting statistic to note is that when Killorn scores a goal, the Lightning haven't lost. They are 6-0 when he scores. The Blackhawks started getting their footing and held Tampa Bay without a shot on goal for the final 8 minutes of the period. By the end of the first, Chicago had 12 scoring chances while Tampa Bay had four.

There was no scoring in the second period so we move on to the third where it got interesting. At about the 8:20 mark, Ryan Callahan had a scoring opportunity where he was all alone and wasn't able to capitalize as Corey Crawford came out of the crease to stop him. The goal could have put this game away, instead, Crawford made another stop on a night in which he had 22. Then with just over 8 minutes to play, the youngest Blackhawk on the team took a pass from Duncan Keith and put the puck in the back of the net. It was Teuvo Teravainen that tied this game up and gave Chicago a chance to steal the game. Then two minutes later, Antoine Vermette put the Blackhawks up for good.

Ben Bishop finished the game with 21 saves on 23 shots on goal.

In the Stanley Cup Finals, the team to win Game 1 is 58-17 all-time in the best of seven format since 1939. It's also been the case in three straight Stanley Cup Finals series. The Blackhawks will hope this trend continues as they try to win another one on Saturday night. This is the third Stanley Cup Finals appearance by the Blackhawks under Joel Quenneville's tutelage and 13th overall.

The Blackhawks are 4-0 in their last 4 Stanley Cup Finals games and 5-1 in their last 6 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game. They are 4-1 in their last 5 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game and 4-1 in their last 5 vs. a team with a winning record. The over is 5-0-2 in the Blackhawks last 7 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game and 5-1-3 in their last 9 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.

The Lightning are 6-1 in their last 7 games playing on 2 days rest and 9-3 in their last 12 vs. a team with a winning % above .600. They are 37-15 in their last 52 home games and 7-3 in their last 10 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game. The over is 4-1-1 in the Lightning last 6 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game and 4-1-1 in their last 6 home games.

Head-to-head, the under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings. The Blackhawks are 2-6 in the last 8 meetings and 1-4 in the last 5 meetings in Tampa Bay.

Chicago Blackhawks Betting Trends

Chicago Blackhawks are 61-39-0 Against the Spread

Chicago Blackhawks are 37-48-0 against the Over/Under

Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Trends

Tampa Bay Lightning are 62-41-0 Against the Spread

Tampa Bay Lightning are 52-46-0 against the Over/Under

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Blackhawks

06/03/15 LW Bryan Bickell Upper Body Questionable Saturday vs. Tampa Bay
06/03/15 D Trevor Van Riemsdyk Wrist Questionable Saturday vs. Tampa Bay
05/08/15 D Michal Rozsival Ankle out for season

Tampa Bay Lightning

10/06/14 D Mattias Ohlund Knee out indefinitely

Tony's Pick: Take Tampa Bay

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