Stanley Cup Betting – Penguins Begin Without Crosby. If the Pittsburgh Penguins are to win in Stanley Cup betting against the Tampa Bay Lightning they will likely have to do it without superstar Sidney Crosby. The Penguins have survived without Crosby and begin the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Make your Stanley Cup bet on the Penguins and Lightning and all of the other NHL playoff action at SBG.
Crosby Out Since January
The Penguins have been without Crosby for a long time so it is not really surprising news that Crosby won’t be ready for the start of the playoffs. Crosby has been out since January 5th due to a concussion and although he is skating with the team he has not been cleared for contact. Head coach Dan Bylsma said that he doesn’t expect to get Crosby back for this series. Crosby still has to complete two more stages before he is cleared to play. The Penguins have left the playing status of Crosby up to the medical staff and right now it doesn’t appear that Crosby is close to returning.
Penguins Different Without Crosby
The Penguins can win without Crosby in the lineup but they play a much different style of hockey. The Penguins play a defensive style of hockey and rely upon keeping the score down. The Penguins are just barely over .500 without Crosby in the lineup. Pittsburgh is 7th in the league in goals against and they are just 14th in goals per game. The Penguins have to count on hard work to score goals because without Crosby and Malkin they don’t have many playmakers.
Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay
The Penguins have won six of the last ten against the Lightning. We really have to throw most of those games out when making a Stanley Cup bet though since Pittsburgh is a much different team without Crosby and Malkin. The Penguins and Lightning have met just once since Crosby was hurt and that was late last month in Tampa Bay as the Lightning pulled out a 2-1 win. That type of game is probably what we can expect in Stanley Cup betting. If the games turn into 4-3 or 5-4 type shootouts then the Penguins are in trouble. Tampa Bay has Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier so they have more scoring punch. Pittsburgh has more experience and they have the edge in goal with Marc Andre-Fleury.