Sports Betting UpdateThe regular season baseball betting is getting started, which means the NHL playoffs are underway. The pay per head experts had no idea what every playoff series would look like until the last game of the regular season was played, and that is what makes the NHL playoffs so exciting. The Buffalo Sabres had no idea whether they would finish sixth or seventh in the Eastern Conference, and who they would face in the first round of the playoffs. When the standings all settled down after Sunday’s final games, the Sabres finished seventh and will face the second place Philadelphia Flyers.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers are made up of big and strong forwards such as Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, who can fight for the puck in the corner as well as power past defenses in front of the net. Smaller forwards such as Danny Briere are still excellent goal scorers with the ability to set up plays anywhere on the ice.
On defense, the Flyers are big with veterans like Chris Pronger watching the defensive zone. But the Flyers defense is a little slower than other top defenses in the league. They make their living with their size, but that may not be a good matchup against a fast Sabres team.
In goal, the Flyers look solid until their second to last game of the season against these Buffalo Sabres. It was obvious by the end of the game that the Sabres had figured out rookie staring goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. It can be dangerous to head into the playoffs with a rookie goaltender, and that could be the biggest strike against the Flyers.
Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres forwards have come to life since the team was purchased by new owner Terry Pegula, and the goals are coming a bit easier now. Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford are trying their best to make up for the loss of Derek Roy, and they are doing an excellent job. Rookie Tyler Ennis has had a great rookie campaign and needs to be a contributor in the playoffs.
The Sabres defense is just awful. Most of the time, the defense looks lost and confused. They are wildly inconsistent with their ability to shut down the middle of the ice, and they all have a bad habit of trying to clear the zone by passing the puck in front of their own net. The Sabres defense cannot keep opposing players out from in front of their own net, and the constantly attempt to make blind back passes to get out of their own end. All of that will be a huge problem against an aggressive offense like the Flyers.
Ryan Miller is healthy and ready for the playoffs. He came in during the Sabres’ second to last game of the season against the Flyers and pushed the team to victory. This has not be a typical Ryan Miller year, but with the defense he has had to work with, he has had a great season.
The Bottom Line
The Flyers have not played well at all in the last two or three weeks of the regular season, and the Buffalo Sabres have. The only question is whether or not that imbalance in momentum will be enough to carry the Sabres through this series. In reality, the Flyers offense is just way too much for the feeble Buffalo defense to handle. That will be the difference in this series.
BSNblog Pick: Flyers in 5
