The Philadelphia Flyers look to rebound from their Game 1 loss tonight, Monday May 2nd, as they host the Boston Bruins for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The Bruins lead the Flyers 4-1 SU through their last five meetings. NHL oddsmakers have the Flyers as -140 moneyline home favorites over the Bruins (+120) with the over/under listed at 5.5 goals. Be sure to check the Bruins vs Flyers NHL Point Spreads and get your predictions in early.
Boston (5-3, 3-1 V) jumped all over the second-seeded Flyers in Saturday's Game 1, pounding the home club by a 7-3 score. David Krejci and Brad Marchand led the way for third- seeded Boston with two goals and two assists. Nathan Horton, Mark Recchi and Gregory Campbell scored in Game 1 to back 31 saves from Tim Thomas, who was the backup to Tuukka Rask in last year's playoffs before taking his starting job back with a stellar 2010-11 campaign. "Each game you have to do it again. What you've done in the past doesn't matter. The next game starts over," Thomas said. Boston went 0-for-5 on the power play on Saturday and has yet to score a goal on 26 opportunities with the man advantage in this year's playoffs. Coach Claude Julien said the Bruins appear tense when they have the man advantage. "There is a lot of tension there, and when there's tension you're not seeing what's going on," he said. "There has to be a time when those guys relax and understand they have to find those seams and make the right decisions."
Philadelphia (4-4, 2-3 H) got goals from Briere, James van Riemsdyk and Mike Richards, but failed to build on momentum from Tuesday's Game 7 home win over Buffalo. Briere's tally was his NHL-leading seventh of the playoffs. He also has 95 points (42 goals, 53 assists) in 94 career playoff games. Brian Boucher, who was heralded for winning all four games of his club's first-round series with Buffalo despite constant uncertainty in net, was shelled for five goals on 23 shots in Game 1. "As a goaltender, I'm responsible for stopping the puck," Boucher said. "It's always a wake up call to come out. It seems to be one of the last things coaches can do, instead of yelling at the guys or taking a timeout. That's the way it goes." Sergei Bobrovsky allowed two scores on 10 shots in relief, but Boucher is expected to start Game 2. The Flyers are hoping to get Jeff Carter back at some point in this series, but he will miss Game 2. Carter, who led Philly with 36 goals in the regular season, suffered a sprained right MCL in Game 4 of the Buffalo series and hasn't played since. Chris Pronger was on the ice for three Bruins goals and doesn't appear quite ready to give the Flyers the 27 or so minutes of ice time he played during last season's playoff run. Game 1 was just his third game since March 8, when he was sidelined with a broken right hand. Frequently when players return from long layoffs, they get by on adrenaline for the first couple of games, then hit a wall.
Recent Trends to Consider:
Bruins are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
Bruins are 9-3 in the last 12 meetings in Philadelphia.
Underdog is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
Road team is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
Bruins are 5-1 in their last 6 games as an underdog of +110 to +150.
Bruins are 5-1 in their last 6 games as a road underdog of +110 to +150.
Bruins are 5-1 in their last 6 vs. a team with a winning record.
Bruins are 5-1 in their last 6 overall.
Flyers are 2-9 in their last 11 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Flyers are 1-6 in their last 7 games as a favorite of -110 to -150.
Flyers are 0-5 in their last 5 games as a home favorite of -110 to -150.
Bruins vs Flyers
When: Monday, May-02-11, 7:30 PM ET
Pick: Bruins +120
Point-Spreads.com recommends you check out NHL Point Spreads Bruins vs Flyers game.
The Bottom Line: I think the Bruins have the hotter goalie and are playing with grit. Be sure to check Bruins vs Flyers Hockey Point Spreads and get your predictions in early.
