Flyers vs Bruins Series Odds and Predictions – 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting

2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals – Philadelphia Flyers vs Boston Bruins Series Odds, Predictions and Preview: A pair of high seeds that survived opening round scares is set to battle in this semifinal matchup. The No. 2-seeded Philadelphia Flyers and No. 3-seeded Boston Bruins will meet in the postseason for the second straight season. The Flyers came out on top last year, but don’t expect a past confrontation to have any influence on this series between two bitter rivals.

Both teams needed seven games to even advance to the second round. The Flyers goaltending, or lack thereof, nearly cost them the series against the Buffalo Sabres. However, the Philadelphia offense showed up just in time, scoring five goals in both Game 6 and Game 7 to ensure that the Flyers advanced. Meanwhile, the Bruins came out flat against the Montreal Canadiens and found themselves down 2-0 after dropping a pair of games at home. The early losses seemed to awaken Tim Thomas and company, and they won four of the next five games to win the series.

When comparing the two teams, it is hard not to point out the huge discrepancy in goaltending. The Bruins have Thomas, who finished the regular season with the best goals against average (2.00) and save percentage (.938). Meanwhile, Philadelphia uses a pair of goals, but both Sergei Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher are mediocre at best. The Flyers often have to pull one of them on in the middle of games just to stop the bleeding. If the series was decided on goaltending alone, the Bruins would win in a landslide.

The good news for the Flyers is that goaltending isn’t the only factor in the series. As bad as Philadelphia’s net minders can be, the Bruins offense can be even worse at times. Boston had had issues scoring on the power play at times throughout the year, and the Bruins were terrible with the one-man advantage in the opening round. Center David Krejci led Boston with 49 assists during the regular season, but he didn’t assist on a single goal against the Canadiens. If he doesn’t pick it up, the Bruins could be in trouble.

For the Flyers, defense and goaltending are their two biggest problems. Philadelphia tends to struggle to kill penalties, but since Boston struggles to score on power plays, the weakness could be masked to a degree. On the offensive side of things, Claude Giroux and Danny Briere are leading a potent attack. Giroux has been setting his teammates all season, and Briere is coming off six goals in the seven games against the Sabres. Thomas can be a brick wall in the net, but the Flyers have the firepower to make life rough for even the stingiest of goalies.

When it comes to the NHL playoffs, momentum is always important. Although both teams needed seven games to advance in the opening round, the Flyers offense looked better than the Bruins defense. In a series that will pit strength against strength, the surging offense of Philadelphia will get enough shots past Thomas to help the Flyers advance. It will be another long series for both teams, but Boston just isn’t playing well enough right now to take advantage of the suspect goaltenders for Philadelphia.

Prediction: Philadelphia Flyers Win in 7 Games

2011 NHL Playoffs – Series Prices from SBG Global Sportsbook
Philadelphia Flyers vs Boston Bruins
Philadelphia Flyers -115
Boston Bruins -105

Check out the latest Odds to Win the 2011 Stanley Cup daily on NSAwins.com!