Preview of Stanley Cup Final
The Vancouver Canucks have never won the Stanley Cup, but they’ll get a chance to finally claim that championship trophy starting Wednesday night when they begin their best-of-seven NHL betting series against the Boston Bruins. The Canucks punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup final with a 3-2 double-overtime win over the San Jose Sharks in Game 5 of the Western Conference final last Tuesday night. Kevin Bieksa had the winner for Vancouver in that contest, while Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler had the team’s goals in regulation time. Roberto Luongo stopped 54 of 56 San Jose shots in the clincher, including 16 shots in overtime. The Bruins, meanwhile, needed seven games to dispatch the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference final, winning Game 7 by a slim 1-0 margin on Friday night. Nathan Horton had the winner for Boston that day. Vancouver won the Presidents’ Trophy during the regular season, finishing with a league-high 117 points atop the Northwest Division. The Bruins had 103 points during the regular season, winning the Northeast Division. The Canucks and Bruins met once during the regular season, a 3-1 Boston road win on February 26. Horton, Milan Lucic, and Patrice Bergeron all scored for the Bruins that day, and Tim Thomas stopped 27 shots. Luongo made 22 saves for the Canucks. Manny Malhotra had the goal for Vancouver in that February loss, and he’s been cleared to play in the Cup final. Malhotra hasn’t played since suffering a serious eye injury back in March. Oddsmakers at Bodog are going with the Canucks in the Stanley Cup final, with Vancouver listed as the -240 series favorite and Boston as the +200 series underdog. The Canucks are also -200 favorites for Game 1 at home, with the Bruins at +170. Get all your NHL odds at Bodog Sportsbook. Always know your odds.