Stanley Cup Final Game 6 Preview: Blackhawks at Flyers

If the Chicago Blackhawks manage to beat the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night (8:05 p.m. ET, NBC), they’ll get the honor of hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time in 49 years.

However, in order for Hawks to end the NHL’s longest-standing Stanley Cup drought tonight, they’ll have to win on the road, which is something neither team has been able to in this series so far.

In recognition of this hometown trend, oddsmakers at SBGGlobal.com have listed the Flyers as -120 favorites for Game 6; the total is set at 5.5.

The Stanley Cup Final has been very high scoring affair and the Flyers simply don’t have the offensive firepower to keep up with Chicago, which won 7-4 in Game 5.

If the Flyers are going to force a Game 7 back in Chicago on Friday, they’re going to need to step up on defense and limit the numbers of shots on goal in Game 6. This is especially critical in light of the shaky goaltending the Flyers have been getting.

In Game 5, Philadelphia goaltender Michael Leighton was pulled for the second time in the series after letting in three goals on 13 shots in the first period.

In Leighton defense, he got very little help in Sunday’s drubbing, particularly from defenseman Chris Pronger, who was on the ice for five of Chicago’s seven goals.

Leighton has bounced back from tough games throughout the playoffs and he is a perfect 6-0 at home in the playoffs. Nevertheless, head coach Peter Laviolette has not announced whether Leighton or Brian Boucher would start in Game 6.

Being on the verge of elimination is nothing new for the Flyers. They had to win their regular season finale just to make the playoffs and they were down three games to none against the Boston Bruins in the second round of the playoffs and came back to win the series.

The Flyers are 9-1 at home in the playoffs and Chicago has lost 10 straight at Philadelphia so the Flyers have a decent chance to at least force a Game 7.

Here are some key hockey betting stats for Wednesday’s game:

The Blackhawks are 11-2 in their last 13 games as an underdog. The Blackhawks are 0-10 in the last 10 meetings in Philadelphia.

The Flyers are 23-7 in their last 30 games as a home favorite. The home team in this series is 13-3 in the last 16 meetings.

The over is 5-1 in the Blackhawks’ last six overall. The over is 24-9-3 in the Blackhawks’ last 36 road games. The over is 5-1 in the Flyers’ last six overall.

The over is 4-1 in the last five meetings between the two teams.

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