Boston Bruins vs Pittsburgh Penguins Odds and Predictions – 2013 Stanley Cup Playoff Eastern Conference Finals Picks

Boston Bruins vs Pittsburgh Penguins Odds and Predictions – 2013 Stanley Cup Playoff Eastern Conference Finals Picks: The two most-recent Eastern Conference teams to hoist the Stanley Cup will meet for the chance to return to the finals. The fourth-seeded Boston Bruins and top-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins will clash in the Eastern Conference finals, marking the first time the franchises have met in the postseason since 1992. Of course with conference title and the opportunity to play for a championship on the line, there won’t be any love lost between these two teams despite the two-decade gap.

After surviving a thrilling opening-round series against Toronto, the Bruins dismantled the hapless New York Rangers in the semifinals. Boston’s offense was balanced throughout the regular season, but it has been a little top heavy in the playoffs. Center David Krejci has done most of the damage and leads all players with 17 points this postseason while line mates Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton have combined for 26 points. Defensively, goalie Tuukka Rask has seen his overall numbers slip since the playoffs began, but he bounced back nicely against the Rangers after a shaky showing against the Maple Leafs. He owns a 2.22 goals against average and a .928 save percentage in the postseason, and with Zdeno Chara one of several big defensemen controlling the middle of the ice in front of him, Boston’s defense can be stout.

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During the regular season, the Penguins were the best offensive team in the NHL, and they have actually been better in the playoffs. Pittsburgh is averaging a ridiculous 4.27 goals per game in the postseason with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby leading the way with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Overall, six players have already reached double-figure points, including mid-season acquisition Jerome Iginla. Of course, all has not been perfect for Pittsburgh as goalie Marc-Andre Fleury fell apart in the opening-round series against the Islanders, forcing Tomas Vokoun into action. The veteran backup has responded nicely, posting a 1.85 goals against average. His stabilizing presence between the pipes was a big reason why Pittsburgh made things look easy in the semifinals against the Senators.

The Bruins Win If:

While Krejci and the rest of Boston’s top line has to continue to play at a high level, the Bruins will need other line to produce if they are going to keep pace with the high-scoring Penguins. In particular, Tyler Seguin and Jaromir Jagr have to show up to five the Boston offense a little more depth than it has had thus far in the postseason. As important as a balanced offensive attack will be for the Bruins, they aren’t going to beat the Penguins in offensive-minded series. Plain and simple, Boston needs Rask to be the best player on the ice in at least four of the games if the Bruins are going to advance to the finals. Granted, Chara and the rest of the Boston defensemen need to get physical with the Penguins attackers to help the cause, but Rask will inevitably have to make some special saves in big spots. If Rask can at least hold the Penguins to reasonable goal outputs, the Bruins do have enough offensive weapons to win the series.

The Penguins Win If:

When the Penguins force opponents to play at their up-tempo pace, they are next to unstoppable. If Crosby and company continue to pour in four-plus goals per game, the Bruins are going to have a tough time keeping up, even if their offense is firing on all cylinders. Of course, scoring goals is never really a big issue for Pittsburgh. Goaltending on the other hand can be, but if Vokoun can continue to provide rock solid play between the pipes, the Penguins should continue to win games. On the flip side, Pittsburgh could become very vulnerable if Vokoun struggles and a goalie controversy with Fleury has both players looking over their shoulders whenever a puck slips past them. At the end of the day, Pittsburgh wins this series if its offense dictates the tempo and Vokoun provides adequate support in net.

Bottom Line:

In terms of balance on both ends of the ice, the edge in the series actually goes to Boston. However, Pittsburgh’s offense will be the best unit on the ice in this series for either team. More importantly, the Penguins’ offensive assault just lit up an Ottawa team in the semifinals that had a hot goalie and big defensemen of its own. Pittsburgh just has too many weapons on too many lines to be completely shut down on offense, and from that point on, it only takes serviceable goaltending to get by. To this point, Vokoun has been brilliant, and he should at least continue to make the saves he is supposed to make in this series. Rask is the better goaltender, but he hasn’t been playing well enough to cool off a hot Penguins’ scoring attack. Pittsburgh was able to go a perfect 3-0 against Boston in the regular season, and while I don’t see them sweeping the Bruins out of the postseason, the Penguins will power their way to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Prediction: Pittsburgh Penguins Win in 6 Games

Boston Bruins vs Pittsburgh Penguins Series Odds
Boston Bruins +170
Pittsburgh Penguins -200

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