Bruins Win 2OT Thriller to Take 3-0 Lead on Pens, Kings Look to Rally From 2-1 to Blackhawks
The drama in the Stanley Cup Playoffs comes fast and furious, and this year’s round of action is certainly no exception. The Boston Bruins defeated the heavily favored Pittsburgh Penguins in double-overtime last night to take a commanding 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bruins were -112 moneyline favorites heading into the match.
“I’m pretty tired, but it’s rewarding when you get the results,” said the Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron, who scored the winning goal in the fifth period of play. “We found a way, I guess. That’s the only way you’ve got to look at it. It wasn’t necessarily our best effort in the first 60 (minutes). We said we had to find a way somehow, and we did in the second overtime.”
“It was very long, very tiring. But we came out with the win,” said Boston’s Brad Marchand, who assisted on the winning goal. “We’re obviously very happy, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do. They’re going to come out harder the next game.”
“Five periods is pretty exhausting, as you can see,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “Even though this is a great game, it’s pretty exhausting. I’m looking forward to going home and going to bed.”
Meanwhile, the Penguins can only shake their heads after rebounding dramatically from two more lop-sided losses to open the series. They’re holding out hope that they can mount a comeback, though it looks exceedingly unlikely.
“We threw it at them tonight and didn’t get the win,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. “But it’s a race to four, and they are not there yet.”
Los Angeles Kings Look to Even Series at Home Against the Chicago Blackhawks
The Los Angeles Kings have been perfect so far this postseason on their home ice, and they’ll get an excellent shot at extending the streak tonight against a Chicago Blackhawks team missing one of their best defensive players, Duncan Keith, because of a one-game suspension resulting from a high-sticking penalty in the last game. The Kings’ offense has struggled to score so far this postseason, but the absence of Keith could be a huge boost to get their sticks going.
“You’ve got to give them credit for the way they’re playing defensively,” said the Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane about the Kings. “They’ve been a good defensive team for the last three, four years. … In the playoffs, it hasn’t been happening for me for some reason. I don’t know why. Me personally, I think it’s all about willpower, just getting the puck and making things happen that way.”
The Kings are -120 moneyline favorites in this one, and they’re about a safe a bet as you’re going to find in the NHL when they play at the Staples Center. Here are the rest of the odds and trends for both teams heading into tonight’s crucial Game 4, courtesy of OddsShark.com:
Chicago Blackhawks Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
Before playing Edmonton are 5-5
After playing Los Angeles are 6-4
After a loss are 7-3
Los Angeles Kings Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
Before playing Dallas are 5-5
After playing Chicago are 5-5
After a win are 5-5
A few Blackhawks at Kings trends to consider:
Chicago is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Chicago’s last 12 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago’s last 8 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Chicago is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Los Angeles’ last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles’ last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Los Angeles’ last 8 games when playing at home against Chicago
