ODDS ANALYSIS
You don’t get a chance to win a third Stanley Cup in six years by folding late in a playoff series and the Chicago Blackhawks have been nearly unbeatable in that situation. The Hawks are 17-4 in games 5 through 7 of a playoff series dating back to the 2012 season.
Chicago clawed back to even the series at two games apiece with a thrilling 2-1 victory in Game 4 Wednesday, staving off a merciless onslaught by the Lightning in the final minutes of the third period.
The series now shifts back to Florida for Game 5 Saturday night with the Lightning as -125 home favorites with the Blackhawks at +105. Once again BookMaker has a total of 5.5 on the board.
GOALIE REPORT
The big question heading into Game 5 is the status of Lightning goalie Ben Bishop and will he be available to play on Saturday. Bishop missed Game 4 on Thursday with a lingering lower-body injury and is listed on the official injury report as questionable for Saturday’s game.
The cat and mouse game with the Tampa Bay goaltending situation continues. At least now we have the official word that Ben Bishop has a lower-body injury, whew, that’s a relief. You almost get the feeling that if the Lightning were down 2-1 in the series Bishop would have been in the net for Game 4. But with Tampa taking the home-ice edge back with their Game 3 win they were playing with house money. Why not rest Bishop instead of risking further injury and if you get a win that’s just an added bonus.
And they almost got that win behind rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who made his first career playoff start. He was rarely tested facing just two first-period shots and 19 total. Kristers Gudlevskis served as the backup.
Chicago’s Corey Crawford was the busier of the two goalies by both shot quantity and quality and got some help from his defenders in the waning moments. He looked strong and confident in his net with excellent vision and lateral movement. Those softies from Game 2 wouldn’t have gone in on this version.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“We could have won every game so far, and that’s what you want to give yourself the chance to do. You don’t want to come back into the dressing room and say ‘Man, we let his one slip.’ We don’t have that feeling right now. We played some good hockey. Sometimes you play well and you don’t get the results you want.” – Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman
SITUATIONAL BETTING
The Hawks have been excellent on the penalty kill through the first four games of the series, stopping 10 of 11 Lightning power plays, one reason why the series is tied a 2-2. “I think when it comes down to the penalty kill, we’ve always understood how big of a deal it is, especially to try and take away energy from a team like this,” captain Jonathan Toews said. “The last couple games it’s been big for us.”
Chicago’s penalty kill has made huge strides in the Final after the Hawks PK was successful just 75.5 percent of the time during the first three rounds.
Conversely the Lightning came into the Final clicking at 22.2 percent with the man advantage. Chicago has defused that power play, especially the past two games at the United Center. The Hawks killed a two-man disadvantage in Game 3 and were successful in stopping all four Tampa power plays in Game 4.
PROP TALK
You expect the stars on each side to break out at any moment, but with these teams so evenly matched you have to look at a third or fourth line winger to get a game-winner. Tampa Bay’s goal scoring leader Steven Stamkos and Chicago’s Patrick Kane have the same number of goals in this series – zero. And you certainly don’t expect that to continue.
Both teams are deep at the forward spot so you could very easily see Chicago’s Andrew Shaw or Marcus Kruger lighting the lamp just like we saw Teuvo Teravainen go star on us in Game 1. Tampa also has quality third line talent in Brian Boyle and Cedric Paquette. Pin the names on a wall and throw a dart.
We’ve seen only two defensemen score in the series - Chicago’s Brent Seabrook and Tampa’s Jason Garrison - and there are skilled offensive players on each team’s blueline. Duncan Keith has been a stalwart on defense logging over 30 minutes a game and he gets rewarded by reaching the back of Tampa’s net for his first series goal and third of the playoffs.
ANALYSIS & PREDICTION
Drama, excitement, suspense, near-misses, close calls, you name it this series has had it. No team has led by two goals and each has two wins, nine goals and 24 penalty minutes, that’s how evenly matched the teams are and a bounce or a break or both is going to decide this game. The Hawks, however, need to play better than they did in Game 4. They were outhustled, outworked and outshot and still came away with a win. That says a lot about them, but another performance like that and they’re headed back home down a game.
Chicago 5, Tampa Bay 3
The NHL lines for this Saturday game will first be available at BookMaker Sportsbook. Minute-by-minute puck-lines, totals, moneylines and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker's new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here, and start wagering today! Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning will commence on Saturday, June 13, 2015 at 8 p.m. ET at Amalie Arena. The contest will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
