Livetipsportal presents you the game 2 of the Stanley Cup Western Conference Finals between the Red Wings and the Hawks. After a solid 5-2 win in game 1, the Red Wings are looking to build a 2-0 lead in the series tonight.
The young Blackhawks have been good in game 1. They've opened the score, and were then tied for a long stretch against the defending champions. But their defense couldn't handle all the firepower of the Red Wings. If they kept Datsyuk, Hossa and Hölmström off the scoresheet, they couldn't do anything against the two goals from Dan Cleary, and couldn't stop Franzen, Samuelsson or Zetterberg either. Khabibulin made some spectacular saves to keep his team in the game, but the scoring depth of the Red Wings allowed them to score four times on him, before Zetterberg put the biscuit in the empty net to seal the deal.
And not only the Red Wings have been terrific offensively, but they also did a spectacular job defensively. Most noticeably: they left Patrick Kane without a single shot on goal, something that happened to him only three times during the regular season, the last time being against... the Red Wings. Detroit also did an excellent job with 11 takeaways, including 4 for Pavel Datsyuk. They've also been dominant in the faceoff circle, winning 55% of the draws. This superior puck possession allowed them to outshot the Blackhawks 43-32 in a pretty offensive game.
As expected, both teams are very dangerous offensively. But then, the Red Wings are simply way better defensively. And playoff games are usually won on defense. So we should expect the exact same type of game tonight: lots of offense from both sides, good goaltending from both sides, a very tight game on the scoresheet for most of the game, and a Red Wings win in the end, thanks to their excellent defensive play.
Choice: Detroit Red Wings, with an odd of 1.80 at Bwin
