Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 Set For Wednesday

Everyone knows that the Stanley Cup Playoffs are incredibly competitive but to understand just how high the intensity is you’ve got to look at the historical data. For example, there hasn’t been a sweep in the Stanley Cup Finals since 1998 when the Detroit Red Wings beat the Washington Capitals in four straight. In the twenty years since the Detroit sweep there have only been four series that ended in five games. That means in 16 of the past 20 years, the Stanley Cup Final has gone at least six games with a 7 game series in 6 of those years.

Actually, you can make it 7 now. The Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues will play the final hockey game of the NHL season on Wednesday at the TD Garden with the winner claiming the Stanley Cup. Before this series, the expectation was that the Bruins would make short work of the Blues. After all, the Bruins were looking flat out dominant. After falling behind 2-1 in the Conference Semifinals the Bruins eliminated the Columbus Blue Jackets in six games and then swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals. The opened the Finals with a 4-2 home win over St. Louis meaning that at that point they had won 8 straight playoff games. The Blues didn’t fold, however, and five games later we’re here at a ‘winner take all’ contest for the Stanley Cup.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Blues’ run in the Finals has been their ability to hold their own physically with the Bruins. That’s Boston’s game. St. Louis certainly wasn’t thought of as a ‘soft’ team but the way they’ve been able to go toe to toe with the more physical Bruins has been something of a surprise. In fact, in most phases of the game St. Louis has outplayed Boston. Were it not for Bruins’ goaltender Tuuka Rask this series might have already been over with St. Louis planning a victory parade. Since the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP was introduced 53 years ago there have been five occasions when a player for the losing team was named ‘most valuable player’. Four of these players have been goalies with the most recent being Jean-Sebastian Giguere of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 2003. Win or lose, it’s hard to make a case for anyone other than Rask as Conn Smythe winner. He’s been that good.

So how to bet this game? This part is pretty simple. In what has been a very evenly matched series in which the road team has won 4 of the 6 games there’s nothing else to do but to take the price. The current hockey betting odds show St. Louis at +151 and given the parity between the teams that looks like a great value.

BET ST. LOUIS BLUES +151 OVER BOSTON BRUINS

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