Friday Could Be The End Of The Road For Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Penguins @ Boston Bruins – Friday Game 4 (Boston leads 3-0)

The online betting experts knew that the Boston Bruins were a good hockey team, but not many of those experts could see this coming. As the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins prepare to tangle in game four of the NHL Eastern Conference finals, the Penguins are already facing an elimination situation. When you consider how strong the Penguins looked throughout the season and into the playoffs, the complete domination by the Bruins is actually a huge surprise.

The betting sites in Boston had been keeping a close eye on the Bruins all season long. The biggest unknown for the team was how young goalie Tuukka Rask would handle the pressure of being the starting goalie. Rask had earned a reputation for being an emotional goalie who did not have a lot of success in the playoffs. But Rask has proven to be more than up to the task of replacing Tim Thomas and guiding the Bruins to the Stanley Cup finals. It helps that Rask has a great team in front of him, but no team wins a Stanley Cup without great goaltending.

Why the Penguins Will Win

Can the Pittsburgh Penguins pull out a win in a desperate situation? The Penguins have done it so many times that no one is ready to write the team off yet. Not only that, but the Penguins are loaded with veteran talent that should know exactly what to do in this situation. The only thing that the sportsbook experts wonder is if the Penguins have the physical presence to win in Boston. Game three went into double overtime and beautifully showcased the frustration and desperation in this Pittsburgh team. There is a good chance that game four will go even longer.

Why the Bruins Will Win

The Boston Bruins had almost nothing to lose coming into this series. If the Bruins had fallen short of the Stanley Cup finals, then just about every betting expert would have chalked it up to the Bruins losing out to a better team. But the Boston Bruins are determined to show that the Pittsburgh Penguins are not a better hockey team and that the Bruins belong in the Stanley Cup finals. This is much more than an elimination game to the Bruins; this is a chance to make a very loud statement to whoever wins the Western Conference finals.

The Bottom Line

This will be an intense game that will be marked by a lot of great goaltending. The end result will probably have to wait until at least one overtime period has passed before being decided. But when the final buzzer sounds, it will be time for the Pittsburgh Penguins to go home and time for the Boston Bruins to prepare for the Stanley Cup finals.

Pick: Boston Bruins