Hart Trophy:  Henrik Sedin
The Hart Trophy is awarded to the player that is deemed to be the most valuable to his team.  It’s decided by a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association in all NHL cities.  Past winners include Wayne Gretsky, Bobby Orr, Mark Messier, Gordie Howe, and Mario Lemieux.  It’s no wonder Henrik Sedin has joined this list of prestigious names, as he remained one of the top ranked players throughout the regular season with 29 goals, 83 assists, and 112 points.  He also helped lead his team through to the second round of the Staley Cup Playoffs consistently proving to be a valuable asset.

Venzia Trophy: Ryan Miller
The recipient of this annual NHL award is voted on by the general managers of all NHL clubs and is awarded to the goalie judged to be the best at their position.  This year’s winner, Ryan Miller, had an outstanding season, posting a 48-18-8 record, a 2.22 Goals Against Average, and a 0.929 Save Percentage.  He not only helped the Buffalo Sabres secure a place in the postseason, but also put on an outstanding performance through the 2010 Winter Olympics for Team USA.  He joins a list of the NHL’s most accomplished goalies, including Patrick Roy, Bernie Parent, Jacques Plante, and Martin Brodeur.

James Norris Memorial Trophy: Duncan Keith
This award is given to the defense player that shows the greatest all-around ability throughout the regular season.  It’s decided in a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.  This year’s winner, Duncan Keith, was ranked among the top defensive players throughout the regular season.  He racked up 14 goals, 55 assists, 69 points, and the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup as the number one defensive player for the Chicago Blackhawks.  He joins a list of past winners that includes Scott Niedermayer, Nicklas Lindstom, Ray Bourque, and Bobby Orr.

Calder Memorial Trophy: Tyler Myers
The Calder Memorial Trophy is awarded to the rookie that demonstrates the highest skill in their first year of competition.  It;s decided with a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association with each voter ranking the top five candidates on a point system.  Past winners of this award include Patrick Kane, Evgeni Malkin, Mario Lemieux, Ray Bourque, and Bobby Orr.  Tyler Myers of the Buffalo Sabres was deemed to be this year’s top rookie as he collected 11 goals, 37 assists, and 48 points while showing great proficiency and calm under pressure.

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Martin St Louis
This prestigious piece of hardware is awarded to the player that demonstrates the best sportsmanship and overall gentlemanly conduction combined with the highest playing ability throughout the regular season.  This year’s recipient, Martin St Louis, was decided upon by a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.  St Louis faired well throughout the season with 29 goals, 65 assists, and 94 points, but it was his calm and collected nature that put him at the front of the running for this year’s award.  He joins such previous winners as Wayne Gretsky, Frank Boucher, Bobby Hull, and Pavel Datsyuk.

Frank J Selke Trophy: Pavel Datsyuk
Awarded to the forward player that displays the best defensive abilities, this trophy is one of the newer additions to the NHL Awards.  The winner is decided by a poll of the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association.  Past winners include Steve Yzerman, Guy Carbonneau, and Bob Gainey.  Pavel Datsyuk, a center for Detroit, has proven to be a master of the back check as he was reliably found helping the defense clear the puck from the defensive zone throughout the regular season.  His efforts helped the Red Wings secure a top eight rank, and helped them through to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  All of this while picking up 27 goals, 43 assists, and 70 points.

Jack Adams Award: Dave Tippett
This award is one for the coaches.  It’s presented by the National Hockey League Broadcasters’ Association, and is given to the coach that has shown the most contribution to his team’s success.  Past winners of this award include Jacques Martin, Bruce Boudreau, Jacques Lemaire, and Pat Quinn.  This year’s winner, Dave Tippett, came to the Phoenix Coyotes at their worst possible moment.  It was a team struggling with financial troubles while ranking among the worst in the league.  With Tippett’s leadership the team not only saw some of the highest attendance rates in franchise history, but they also achieved a number three ranking in the season as well as a place in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Jose Theodore
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded to the player that demonstrates the highest quality of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game.  It is awarded under the trusteeship of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.  Jose Theodore joins a long list of prestigious winners, which includes Phil Kessel, Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, and Bob Bourne.

Ted Lindsay Award: Alex Ovechkin
Formerly known as the Lester B Pearson Award, this trophy is given to the “most outstanding player” as voted by the fellow players of the National League Players’ Association.  This year’s winner, Alex Ovechkin, has won the award the previous three years.  His talents on the ice speak for themselves as he is consistently ranked among the top players in the NHL.  Other winners include Dominik Jasek, Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier, Brett Bull, Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, and Guy Lafluer.

Bridestone Messier Leadership Award: Sidney Crosby
This is one of the newest additions to the NHL Awards ceremony as it was first awarded after the 2006-07 season.  It’s given to the player that displays the greatest leadership qualities to his team.  The NHL takes suggestions for the nominees of this award from the fans, clubs, and NHL personnel.  The winner is ultimately decided by Mark Messier himself.  Sidney Crosby, captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, has consistently been a huge force for his team.  Not only did he rack up 51 goals, 58 assists, and 109 points this season, but also helped lead the Penguins to a playoff run, and secured the gold medal for Team Canada with an overtime goal against Team USA at this year’s Winter Games.

NHL Foundation Award: Ryan Miller
Introduced in 1998, this trophy is awarded to player that applies the principles of commitment, perseverance, and teamwork to off the ice activities aimed at benefitting the community around them.  Past winners include Kelly Chase, Joe Sakic, Marty Turco, and Olaf Kolzig.

Best Game
-    Twins beat Tigers in Extra Innings (AL Central)
-    Canada over USA (Olympic Hockey Gold Medal)
-    Duke over Butler (NCAA Championship)

Performance Under Pressure Award
-    Sidney Crosby in Olympic Hockey Gold Medal Game
-    Landon Donovan in World Cup v Algeria
-    Brett Favre in his return to Green Bay
-    Stephen Strasburg in MLB debut

Best NHL Player
-    Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
-    Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres)
-    Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
-    Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)
-    Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay)

Best Male College Athlete
-    Blake Geoffrion (Wisconsin Hockey)
-    Mark Ingram (Alabama Football)
-    Evan Turner (Ohio State Basketball)
-    John Wall (Kentucky Basketball)
-    Garrett Wittels (Florida International Basketball)

Here’s a look at the entire order selection of the Entry Draft set for Friday, June 25:

Number of Picks

Anaheim - 7, Atlanta - 9, Boston - 8, Buffalo - 9, Calgary - 7, Carolina - 11, Chicago - 8, Colorado - 7, Columbus - 8, Dallas - 4, Detroit - 7, Edmonton - 10, Florida - 9, LA - 9, Minnesota - 8, Montreal - 5, Nashville - 6, New Jersey - 5, NY Islanders - 10, NY Rangers - 5, Ottawa - 5, Philadelphia - 5, Phoenix - 5, Pittsburgh - 7, San Jose - 4, St Louis - 6, Tampa Bay - 8, Toronto - 6, Vancouver - 6, Washington - 6

Star forward Patrick Kane managed to just slip the puck past Philadelphia goalie Michael Leighton 4:10 into the overtime period to put the score at 4-3 and hand hockey’s holy grail to Chicago for the first time in 49 years.  There was no goal light, but white jerseys flooded over the boards and onto the ice to congratulate Kane as the rest of the arena wasn’t quite aware what had happened.  After a quick review, there was no question Kane had scored the winning goal.  With heavy heads, Philadelphia accepted defeat and looked on as the ‘Hawks celebrated.  In an effort to boost spirits, the home crowd chanted ‘Let’s go Flyers’ as the team waited to shake hands with the 2010 Stanley Cup winners.

Captain Jonathan Toews, just 22 years old, became the second youngest captain to hoist the Cup.  He was also named winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  After his victory lap, Toews immediately passed the Cup to veteran forward Marian Hossa who got to hoist the Cup for the first time in his 12 year career.

It was a fitting end to a hard fought series that went back and forth for both teams.  Philadelphia did a tremendous job in reaching the Finals as the constant underdog.  With a great effort from the entire team, they were even able to claw their way back from a two game deficit against the Blackhawks to keep themselves in the running.  Though, it wasn’t to be as Chicago’s dominating offense and Antti Niemi’s brilliance in the net were too much to handle.

That might be the end of another NHL season, but it’s not over for me.  Keep checking NHLBetsOnline for all of the latest offseason news.

It looked like it was going to be another defensive showdown in Game 5 as the first half of the first period passed without either team picking up a goal.  But, a determined Chicago team put an end to that when Brent Seabrook, assisted by Kris Versteeg and Troy Brouwer, took the first goal of the game on a power-play.  This was followed up with another Chicago goal when Dave Bolland tipped one in just over three minutes later.  And, Versteeg finished things off with the third and final goal of the first to put Chicago up 3-0.

Though a three-goal deficit is a lot to overcome, there was plenty of game left to play and the Flyers were nowhere near giving up.  They hit the ice hard in the second period, picking up their first goal of the game when Scott Hartnell slapped the puck past Antti Neimi just 32 seconds into the period.  Then the game took on a much more familiar feel with each team exchanging goals much like they have done throughout these Stanley Cup playoffs.  Chicago’s Patrick Kane put the Blackhawks up 4-1 with a goal at the 3:13 mark, but Kimmo Timonen knocked one in off the point just a minute later to put the score at 4-2.  Chicago finished off the period with yet another goal from Dustin Byfuglien to regain their three-point lead.

This is how it went for the remainder of the game.  Just when Philadelphia was starting to catch up, Chicago would maintain their massive three-goal lead with another goal.  In the end, their huge lead was too much for Philly.

It was evident at the end of Game 4 that Chicago was in need of some big changes.  Head coach Joel Quenneville certainly thought so as he shook things up a bit.  Both Kane and Byfuglien were moved from the first line, which gave both of these top scorers the chance to dominate the backup Philly line while picking up winning goals.  The shakeup also saw a return to form for Chicago, which resulted in a completely dominating performance.  Philadelphia played well in this game, outshooting the ‘Hawks in both the second and third period, but Chicago was just that good.

Philadelphia is going to have to dig deep in order to overcome the tremendous talent that emerged on Chicago’s side if they want to stay alive in this series.  Game 6 will take them back to Philly’s home ice, which could give them a slight advantage.  All the action gets started on Wednesday, June 9.  BetUS is offering the following odds:

Puck Line
Blackhawks: +1 ½ -265
Flyers: -1 ½ +225
Moneyline
Blackhawks: Ev
Flyers: -120

They are also offering the following updated odds to win the series:

Flyers: +325
Blackhawks: -450

This series has gone back and forth between the two teams as far as goal scoring goes, so Philly fans must have been very excited when the Flyers suddenly found themselves two points ahead to safely secure their second consecutive victory.  Once again they started things off with the first goal of the game, and once again it was thanks to the one-man advantage.  Mike Richards tipped one in on the power play at the 4:35 mark.  It was followed up by a second goal for Philly by Matt Carle.  They had a 2-0 lead on the Blackhawks for the first time in these Stanley Cup Finals.  Patrick Sharp, assisted by Duncan Keith, managed to slap one in for Chicago to narrow the gap, but Claude Giroux answered back with yet another goal for the Flyers less than a minute later.  The first period finished out with the Flyers up 3-1.

The defense heated up for the second period as both teams when scoreless through the entire 20 minutes, but Chicago was determined to fire back in this Game 4.  They hit the ice hard in the third period, picked up two goals within three minutes, but it was too little too late.  Philladelphia had already picked up yet another goal from Ville Leino at the start of the third, and sealed the deal with an empty net goal from Jeff Carter.

This two in a row victory for Philladephia doesn’t bode well for Chicago, especially when you consider that the team that has won Game 4 has gone on to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup for the past 24 out of 27 years.  So, are we looking at the first Stanley Cup win for Philly in 30 years?  Well, if they can keep playing with this superb offense complete with an extremely dangerous forecheck, their chances look good.  But the main question now is: what in the heck is going on with Chicago?

The Blackhawks began showing weakness in the third period of Game 2, and have definitely been looking out of sorts since leaving the home ice.  Though their entire game was plagued with mistakes, one of the biggest was their time spent in the penalty box.  All up, they gave Philadelphia 14 full minutes with the one-man advantage, which is something they’ve proven they know how to take advantage of.  If they can cut down their penalty minutes in Game 5, it will go a long way in keeping them in this series.

Another killer for Chicago has been their inability to control the defensive zone and turning over the puck.  Philadelphia has been able to move the puck freely around the Chicago defense, finding open players in front of the net to put away goals.  Giroux’s goal in the first was a perfect example of this.  Defenseman Kimmo Timmonen spotted Giroux behind Chicago goalie Antti Neimi, who was already swamped at the net.  Chicago will need to get their defense firing on all cylinders again if they want to get back into this game.  Pushing the Philly forecheck to the perimeters of the defensive zone will give Neimi a better view of the play and allow him time to prepare should a shot be taken.

Overall, Chicago just needs to tighten up.  I think a game on the home ice will see a whole different team in Game 5.  At least I hope so, otherwise Philly has this series sewn up.  Game 5 has the series back in Chicago on Sunday, June 6 and BetUS is offering the following odds:

Puck Line
Flyers: +1 ½ -190
Blackhawks: -1 ½ +160
Moneyline
Flyers: +165
Blackhawks: -200

Don’t forget that BetUS is also offering live betting on all of the Stanley Cup Finals.

The pressure was most certainly on going into this Game 3.  They might have been able to overcome a three game deficit against Boston but to do it twice in the same playoffs is unheard of, which is exactly what they would have had to do if they had lost this game.  For the first time in this series, they started things off right by taking the first goal of the game.  Chicago’s Marion Hossa took a two-minute penalty for slashing, and Philly’s Danny Briere took a wrist shot goal on the power play.  Chicago wasn’t about to let them run away with a win as they evened up the score with a goal from Duncan Keith assisted by Patrick Kane and Hossa.

This was basically how the game went, back and forth with one team slapping in a goal to take the lead and the other quickly answering back.  Philly’s Scott Hartnell took another power play goal to put it at 2-1, but Brent Sopel tied it up for Chicago at the end of the second.  Patrick Kane opened the third with a goal to put Chicago up 3-2, but Ville Leino put one away for Philly about 20 seconds later to tie things up and send the game into overtime.  The hockey gods were smiling upon Philly in Game 3 as Claude Giroux had nearly every person in Wachovia Center on their feet at the 5:59 mark with the game-winning goal.  Philadelphia took the 4-3 victory to put the series at 2-1.

The Flyers may have dodged a big bullet by taking Game 3, but the pressure is still on for Game 4.  Their game has markedly improved since Game 1, but they can’t let up.  One thing that has been saving games for them has been their consistently good forechecking attack.  It’s definitely something that I’ve talked about here on this blog.  Game 3 saw players like Briere, Scott Hartnell, and Leino utilizing this attack perfectly, which had successful results.  Game 4 will need to see them continue to put the pressure on the Blackhawks defense by getting their forwards to continually pound that offensive zone.

Chris Pronger has been fantastic on defense throughout the series. U Unfortunately he was about the only one putting in the effort in the first couple of games.  Game 3 saw a much more cohesive and consistent backline for Philadelphia.  Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, and Matt Carle were all monsters in the defensive zone, controlling the Chicago forwards and wearing them down one hit at a time.  They’ll need to continue with this dominating defense if they want to take out Game 4.  Michael Leighton is finally finding his feet in this series, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.  If the goalie can continue to make those important saves, Philadelphia may just be able to pull through in Game 4.

Chicago, on the other hand, seems to be slipping a little.  Maybe they were getting too comfortable with their two game lead in the series and got lazy in Game 3, but the sloppy defense and lack of forechcking are the main reasons why these guys aren’t looking at a sweep of their opponents.  They allowed 32 shots on goal, 15 of those were in the third period alone.  Antti Neiemi has been a god in the net so far, but he can’t win games on his own.  If the defense doesn’t do their part to push the powerful Flyer forwards to the perimeters, they’re going to take full advantage.  The third period of Game 2 and 3 were prime examples of this.

Game 4 is on Friday, June 4 and will be staying in Philly.  BetUS is offering the following odds:

Puck Line
Blackhawks: +1 ½ -270
Flyers: -1 ½ +230
Moneyline
Blackhawks: -105
Flyers: -115

They are also offering the following odds on who will win the series:

Flyers: +275
Blackhawks: -375

This game was decidedly more defense heavy as both teams kicked it up a notch on the backline.  In fact, the entire first period dwindled away without either team picking up a goal.  The Flyers only managed a disappointing three shots on goal while the Blackhawks had nine.  Both teams were ruthless when it came to controlling the defensive zone through the first, but seemed to ease up enough in the second to allow a little more action around the net.

Chicago came out with guns blazing after the first period break, hammering Philly with an offensive attack.  The plan worked as Marion Hossa not only slapped in the first goal of the game to give Chicago the lead, but he snapped an eight playoff game dry spell.  He was immediately followed up with a second Chicago goal less than 30 seconds later.  This time it was Ben Eager assisted by Dustin Byfuglien.  In a game where the defense was giving up nothing, suddenly the ‘Hawks were up.

Staring down a two-goal deficit, the Flyers turned up the heat.  They outshot the Blackhawks 15 to 13 in the second period, and absolutely hammered the net in the third.  The amped up offense came through early on in the third period when Simon Gagne put away a wrist shot, making the score 2-1.  They continued with their offensive barrage, which resulted in a very lopsided 15 to 4 shots on goal.  But they just couldn’t get it past Antti Neimi who was an absolute champion in the net.  He made a very impressive 32 saves in Game 2 and almost single handedly ensured another victory for Chicago.

Game 3 will see the series heading back to Philadelphia, which may be just what the Flyers need to regroup.  Though they were able to put together some brilliant moments in Game 2 (fantastic defense in the first and third period and offensive attack in the third), their problem has been consistency.  They need to play a full 60 minutes of solid hockey if they want to get back in contention in this series.  They may need a change in the net as well.  Michael Leighton was fantastic in leading the Flyers to the Finals, but he seems to have lost some of his touch in the first two games of this last round.  There was marked improvement since Game 1, but the ‘Hawks know how to catch Leighton off guard.  Let’s hope that the home crowd inspires some determination or we could be looking at a very short Stanley Cup Finals.

Game 3 is on Wednesday, June 2.  BetUS is offering the following odds:

Puck Line
Blackhawks: +1 ½ -250
Flyers: -1 ½ +210
Moneyline
Blackhawks: +110
Flyers: -130

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises was the near complete lack of defense from these two teams that have been touted for their awesome defensive prowess.  Let’s start with Philly goalie Michael Leighton.  He gave up a massive five goals on 20 shots in the first 35 minutes of the game.  What?!  This is the same guy that performed so well through round two of the playoffs and gathered up an unprecedented three playoff shutouts in round three.  Coach Peter Laviolette had no choice but to pull Leighton and replace him with the always-reliable Brian Boucher.

On the other side of the ice, Antti Neimi wasn’t that much better.  He struggled through most of the game.  In fact, the first two periods were his downfall as this was when he gave up all five goals.  Though, it looked like he had his stuff together by the third as he came out to make some very impressive saves, going 6 for 6 to keep Chicago in the lead.

Though, the goalies are not all to blame for all of the goals.  These two teams have a couple of the strongest backlines.  Though, it looks like a few days off has caused them to forget how to control the defensive zone.  Philly defenders such as Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen found out the depth of the Chicago offense and struggled to keep them at the perimeter.  The result was a barrage of shots on net.  Likewise, Chicago muscle Brian Campbell, Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook fell victim to the Philly forecheck, which made minding the net that much more difficult for Niemi.

Though it wasn’t just the lack of defense that made this one heck of an interesting game.  The traditional high scoring talent was also lacking, resulting in a slew of goals from 10 different players none of which came from the first line.  In fact, Chicagos’ top line featuring Jonathan Toews, Dustin Byfuglien, and Partick Kane took zero points and finished off at minus-9.  Philly’s top line of Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, and Jeff Carter also posted no goals and was minus-7.  While the depth of the Chicago offense has the potential to carry them through these playoffs if the first line continues to struggle, Philly isn’t quite as lucky.  They need to see more from their top players if they want to even this series out in the next game.

Game 2 is in Chicago, which will make things even more difficult for Philly.  BetUS is offering the following odds:

Puck Line
Flyers: +1 ½ -175
Blackhawks: -1 ½ +155
Moneyline
Flyers: +165
Blackhawks: -200

Check it out before the game gets underway on Monday, May 31.

We’re looking at two teams that haven’t hoisted the Cup in a very long time.  It’s been 35 years for the Flyers with their last Stanley Cup victories coming in back-to-back titles in 1974 and 1975.  Though, that’s not nearly the drought the Blackhawks have gone through.  They’re the team in the NHL that’s gone the longest without a Cup win as the last one came in 1960.  That’s 49 long, hard years for one of hockey’s Original Six.  There’s no doubt that both are dying to get their hands on that trophy again.  So here’s a look at how these two teams stack up against one another.

The Flyers struggled through the regular season despite many NHL experts predicting they were one of the stronger teams in the Eastern Conference.  They took it all the way down to their very last game to secure their place in the playoffs, and were underdogs right from the start.  Many (including myself) predicted that the New Jersey Devils would hand Philly their walking papers early on but it wasn’t to be.  Not only did they slay the Devils, but they also ousted the heavily favored Boston Bruins in one of the biggest upsets in Stanley Cup History.  Then, when faced with putting a stop to a fellow Cinderella story in the Montreal Canadiens, they were ruthless.  Nearly sweeping the Habs, they ousted the lower seeded team with a 4-1 series victory.

The team has been playing with renewed confidence since the return of first-string goalie Michael Leighton.  He played in eight games through these playoffs and has posted a very respectable 1.45 goals against average with a .948 save percentage.  His return has equaled eight out of nine wins for the Flyers, and now is his shot to seek a little retribution against his former team.  Chicago traded the goalie after just 42 games.  While their goalie is good, credit must be given to Philly’s stacked blue line.  Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen are both defensive forces to be reckoned with.  Plus, with Matt Carle and Braydon Coburn playing backup, this backline can handle just about anything that’s thrown at them.  Just ask Montreal who suffered three shutout victories at the hands of this fantastic Philadelphia defense.

Finally, Philly is sporting an offensive line that absolutely slams any opposing defense with some fantastic forechecking.  Scott Hartnell, Daniel Carcillo and Mike Richards have been the kings of this attack that has forced plenty of turnovers and more than a few goals.  In addition, Danny Briere, Claude Giroux, Simon Gagne, and captain Mike Richards have been scoring powerhouses.  They have put away a combined 30 goals and 36 assists (15 of those belong to Richards alone).

On the other side of the ice, the Chicago Blackhawks are a similar team with similar strengths and weaknesses.  However, Chicago’s road to the playoffs was much more straightforward.  They were at the top of the Western Conference throughout the season locked in a battle with the San Jose Sharks for the number one spot.  A playoff position was never in question; though, they did struggle somewhat in the opening rounds of the postseason.  They eventually ousted the Predators in six games.  It looked like they had it all figured out by the end of the second round as they finished off Vancouver in six and went on to secure their place in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in impressive fashion.  They swept the top seeded Sharks 4-0.

The net minding could the one weak spot in the Chicago game.  Antti Niemi has done a good job through these playoffs while finding his feet and gaining valuable experience.  He’s posting a decent 2.33 goals against average and a .921 save percentage.  He’s gaining confidence and has been solid in the net, but he’ll need to take it to the next level as the Philly offense is going to be a tough test.

Luckily Neimi has the support of one tough defensive line.  In fact, the Chicago backline is one of the best in the league.  Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith are both league leaders and they’re fronting a defensive force with likes of Niklas Hjalmarsson and Brian Campbell playing support.  These guys have been excellent in controlling the defensive zone and protecting Niemi in the net.  I think their total domination over the San Jose offense is plenty of evidence of the skill behind this line-up.

Chicago’s most potent asset is their extremely powerful offensive line.  They have five different scoring machines on this team.  Captain Jonathan Toews has picked up seven goals and a very impressive 19 assists.  Patrick Kane isn’t far behind with seven of his own goals and 13 assists.  Add to that Patrick Sharp (seven goals), Dustin Byfuglien (eight goals), and David Bolland (five goals), and you’ve got a squad of talent that will be hammering the Philadelphia net.  They even have decent backup talent such as Marian Hossa, Brent Seabrook, and Kris Versteeg are all posting decent numbers.

Overall, these teams both have excellent potential.  And since both play such a similar game, this could result in a knock down drag out battle of seven games to decide who will have the honor of hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup.  In the end, though, I think Chicago has more depth and talent than Philly and will probably take this one out.  We shall see how they matchup in Game 1 on Saturday, May 29.  Chicago has the home ice advantage so expect them to take a 1-0 series lead.  BetUS is offering the following odds on the upcoming Stanley Cup Finals:

Game 1 Puck Line
Flyers: +1 ½ -170
Blackhawks: -1 ½ +150
Moneyline
Flyers: +165
Blackhawks: -200

To Win the Series
Flyers: +200
Blackhawks: -260