NHL Betting Online – Defending Stanley Cup Champs on the Edge. We are just one game away in NHL betting online from the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks being eliminated from the playoffs. The Blackhawks are down 3-0 in their best-of-seven series against Vancouver and the NHL betting odds at the Sbg sportsbook don’t give them much chance of coming back to win four in a row.
Luongo Stopping Chicago
The Blackhawks had every chance they needed on Sunday to get back into their series against Vancouver but they still lost 3-2 in Game 3 and now trail three games to none. Chicago had seven power plays on the night but Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo was there to turn them away. Luongo had 30 saves on the night and he has been the difference in this series. Chicago did score twice on the power play but they had countless other chances and couldn’t convert. Mikael Samuelsson scored the goal that put Vancouver ahead on Sunday while Christian Ehrhoff and Daniel Sedin also scored. Duncan Keith and Patrick Sharp scored for Chicago. The Blackhawks should have put the game away in the first period but Luongo made 15 saves including three when Chicago had a two-man advantage on the power play.
Not the First Time
You might think that this is the first time in NHL betting online history that a defending Stanley Cup champ was down 3-0 in the first round. It is not. The 2003 Detroit Red Wings were swept in four straight by Anaheim in the first round a year after winning the Stanley Cup. Chicago last trailed 3-0 in a series in 1995 against Detroit in the conference finals. Vancouver was up 3-0 in the conference quarterfinals two years ago against St. Louis and completed the sweep in the next game.
Chicago’s Stars Fizzling
The Blackhawks are not a deep team. The management of Chicago chose to save money in the off-season and let a lot of their depth go down the drain. Chicago is counting on stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to come up big and so far they have done nothing. Kane really missed on Sunday as he had some chances that he should have converted.
Canucks Favored in Game 4
The oddsmakers don’t even like Chicago to win a single game anymore. Vancouver is a -135 favorite in NHL betting online to win Game 4 on Tuesday night.