Sports Betting Overview
Now the hammer falls on the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers just found out that they will be without Chris Pronger for the rest of the season. Philadelphia had already been playing without Pronger for a while and will likely be fine without him as the season wears on. But as any price per head sports expert will tell you, the initial impact of losing a key player for the season takes a few games to get over. The Flyers will be thinking about Pronger even when they take the ice a week later in Dallas. The Flyers are also adjusting to live without leading scorer Claude Giroux who is also out with a concussion. It is unclear when Giroux will be back, but it is doubtful that he will be back in time for this game. That leaves the Flyers without its top offensive and defensive players to face one of the top teams in the Western Conference. It will be an interesting game.
The Dallas Stars just keep rolling right along and playing consistent hockey. The Stars finished last week with a three-game winning streak and look fully prepared to keep the momentum going. The price per head bookie experts did not have the Dallas Stars as preseason playoff contenders. The Stars gave no indication last season that they would be able to climb to the top of the Western Conference standings, but the Stars lead the Pacific Division and are sitting in third place in the conference. One of the key differences between last season and this season is the improved play of goaltender Kari Lehtonen. But Lehtonen has been out injured since November. Backup Richard Bachman has been playing well, but he will be tested against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Philadelphia Flyers
It should be noted that the losses of Pronger and Giroux do not leave the Philadelphia Flyers completely helpless. This is still one of the best teams in the league. But the betonline sports experts are starting to question whether or not the Flyers have what it takes to perform come playoff time. Once again, the problem is goaltending. Philadelphia brought it former Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov to help lend some stability to the goalie position. While Bryzgalov has been brilliant at times, second-year goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has had to go in and rescue Bryzgalov at times. Just like last year, there could be goaltending questions surrounding the Flyers as they enter the playoffs.
Dallas Stars
The play of goaltender Richard Bachman has been a pleasant surprise to the Dallas Stars. But it is starting to put a strain on the team’s offensive output. The Stars have been falling back into a more defensive posture ever since Lehtonen was hurt and that means no defensemen joining in on the rush. NHL fans in Dallas are starting to wonder how much longer the Stars can adjust their style to accommodate the loss of Lehtonen.
The Bottom Line
The Flyers will adjust to the losses of Pronger and Giroux eventually. But the adjustment process will cost the team wins. The Stars get the chance to benefit from that little slip that always comes after a team gets a piece of bad news about one of its top players.
Pick: Dallas Stars
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