NHL Hockey
2012-05-08 - New Jersey Devils at Philadelphia Flyers
A Sports Betting Pick by Addicted
Ice Hockey : North America : NHL
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012, 7:30PM US
(12:30AM GMT)
PREVIEW
Yesterday I figured the Nashville Predators would win as they needed it to stay alive, but they couldn't. Tonight, Philadelphia play New Jersey on home ice, needing the win to stay alive. I'm going to have to go against them here as all they have to their advantage is home ice. New Jersey are clearly the better team, and will likely pounce on the desperate Flyers as they try and rescue the series. The Devils are 3-1 up and need just 1 more win to go through to the conference finals.
The Philadelphia Flyers will have to try and win without one of their best players, Claude Giroux. Giroux hit Devils' Dainius Zubrus in the head in Game 4 and is now suspended for one game. That is a humongous blow as he has been the Flyers best player by a long distance! Giroux leads all playoff scorers with 17 points in 10 games, scoring 8 goals and assisting in 9!
The Devils too are without their leading scorer, Ilya Kovalchuk. He had 41 goals and 93 points for New Jersey but had an injury. However, this has not been as much of a blow as in Game 2, with Kovalchuk out of the team, the Devils still thumped in 4 goals, won 4-1 to even the series, and have not lost to the Flyers since. Philadelphia might be home, but they have lost 3 straight games to go from 1-0 to 1-3 in the series, and I think it's going to have a negative affect on them. In the last game they lost 4-2, so clearly they are having trouble keeping the Devils off the scoresheet.
The Devils have had no trouble scoring. In Game 1, they scored 3 but lost on OT. Then in Game 2, they won in Philadelphia 4-1. Game 2 saw them score 4 again to win in OT, while Game 4 ended with a 4-2 score. Philadelphia need to keep up with and score, but there is one Martin Brodeur standing in the way, and the Flyers do not look like they could get to 3 in the kind of form they're in, without their main player.
BETTING VERDICT
We're getting a massive underdog price on the Devils, because Philly are home and need the win. They won't get it.
The Pick :
New Jersey Devils
BEST BETTING TIP :
Take the New Jersey Devils to win @ 2.25 (BetFred)
