Cup Finals: Philadelphia at Chicago, Game 2

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Last Updated on Monday, 31st May 2010, 

Written by BetRepublic

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A lot of things in game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals went right for the Flyers on Saturday. But then again, a lot went terribly wrong, including the outcome. Down 1-0 in the best-of-seven, Philadelphia needs to make immediate adjustments to try and steal a win at the Madhouse.

PHILADELPHIA AT CHICAGO
Line: Blackhawks (-190)
Over/Under: 6 UN (-115)

Hawks lead series 1-0

Scoring first in game 1 for the Flyers seemed like a big deal until it became obvious that goals in this contest were going to be traded like old hockey cards. Stopping Chicago’s attack is a daunting task but following most Flyer tallies it was no more than a few minutes before the Hawks answered back.

The forecheck for Philadelphia was good, giving Chicago trouble coming out of their own zone, and although Philly was caught in one odd-man rush leading to a goal they need to keep up the pressure.

The Flyers experimented with different looks, pinching in a defenseman or sending two forwards deep and it was very effective. HC Laviolette and his staff have worked hard finding a way to disrupt the flow and throw the Blackhawks breakout off-balance and that is something very few teams have had success with this season.

Your move…
Goaltending for both teams was suspect in game 1. It almost felt like a chess match between Laviolette and HC Quenneville to see who would be the first to pull their starting goaltender. Leighton was the first to go after giving up five goals on 20 shots and even though he is back between the pipes tonight, expect the leash to be much shorter.

Off the draw
Jonathan Toews was 12-0 in the faceoff circle during the first period and finished the game 18-of-24. Stopping Toews is impossible but limiting him is critical and the improvements Philadelphia made during the final 40 minutes have to continue.

Over/Under
16-of-17 games for Philadelphia overall during this postseason had a “5” attached to the total but after the outbreak of goals in game 1 the oddsmakers had little chance to jack this number to “6”. In the one 5.5 (Game 5 vs. Boston), Leighton contributed to a shutout and he will need to be much stronger for this game to stay below the total.

76% NHL System
Play road teams under a total of “6” or more when revenging a one-goal road loss. This system is 11-35 (76-percent) the past five seasons including 5 overs and 10 unders during the past three seasons.

There was plenty of nervousness in the building as many players competed in their first-ever Cup Final. It led to several lapses through the first 40 minutes and it will be interesting to see who settles down for game 2. We should note that after being outscored 9-2 in the opener vs. Nashville and Vancouver the Hawks went 2-0 in the second game of the series, outscoring their guests 6-2.

For Philadelphia, another loss would create a very deep hole to crawl out of.