The Chicago Blackhawks have dominated the NHL odds action all series long and its little surprise that this team is now playing in the Stanley Cup betting finals. During the NHL playoff betting no team has been as consistent or as dominant as the Hawks and a major reason for that has been the outstanding play of team captain Jonathan Toews. But in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup odds action, Toews was nowhere to be found.
If the Hawks want to wrap up their first Stanley Cup betting title in decades, they need a lot more out Toews than they got in the Game One of the most important series in hockey betting.
Toews has been nothing short of brilliant through the Western Conference Finals betting action. Through the previous 16 hockey betting games in the NHL playoff odds action leading up to the Stanley Cup betting finals he had scored 26 points (7 goals, 19 assists). No one was playing on his level and it seemed as if the bigger the game, the bigger he played in the NHL playoff betting thus far.
But Game One of the Stanley Cup odds action was a game he would like to forget. It was his worst performance in the NHL playoff betting this year and he failed to score a point for the first time in 13 playoff hockey betting games, snapping his team record. He was virtual non factor with just one shot on goal and no real meaningful contribution in his team’s 6-5 victory.
But the good news for Chicago fans is that even with Toews having an off night the team was still somehow able to get the Stanley Cup betting win at home. Further, the team exploded for a mind-blowing 6 goals. If you were to tell a Blackhawks fan beforehand that the team would score 6 goals without a single assist or goal by Toews they would have like their team’s chances in the NHL betting odds. Chicago’s attack thrived even with very little contribution from Toews and that’s a good sign.
Stanley Cup betting veteran Marion Hossa stepped up big and was a key to the win. But there’s no doubt that if the Hawks want to end this Stanley Cup betting series on their own terms, they need more from Toews.
