NHL Betting Free Picks: Boston @ Buffalo
Added on Apr 18, 2010 by Jack Thurman in
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Sportsbooks will be offering good NHL betting opportunities on three Stanley Cup playoff games for Saturday, and we’ll take a look at an Eastern Conference matchup between the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo won a hard fought game 1 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Game 2 is back on the Sabres’ home ice, with the series shifting to Boston’s TD BankNorth Garden for game 3.
Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres
April 17, 10:05 AM Pacific
The Sabres took a 2-1 victory in game 1 as Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller outdueled his Boston counterpart Tuukka Rask. Both teams are among the NHL’s best defensively–the Bruins ranked #2 and the Sabres #4 in scoring defense during the regular season–but the Bruins did a lot right in game 1 despite not getting the victory. They controlled the tempo and style of play, and shut down Buffalo’s superior offense. That’s key if the Bruins are to have a chance in this series as their own offense is pitiful. Buffalo was the #9 scoring offense in the NHL during the regular season, while the Bruins were dead last.
Despite Boston’s offensive weakness, there’s another very positive sign lost in the box score of game 1–the Bruins generated 39 shots against Ryan Miller. In other words, the Bruins played a very good game in the opening online betting matchup, but just didn’t get the victory. As a result, the handicap we gave before this series still stands–this is a dead even series in which the Bruins have an excellent chance of extending to 6 or 7 games if not pulling the upset. Miller is obviously a good enough goaltender to steal any game, but so is the Bruins’ Tuukka Rask who actually had a better regular season goals against average. The Bruins won the regular season series, winning 2 of 3 both at home and on the road. With a greater sense of urgency due to the game 1 loss, they’re an even better value in game 2.
Bet Boston +135 over Buffalo
