I am not much of a sports bettor, but I have listened to enough sports radio during football season that trends are a big factor in the gambling world. So looking at the trends for Game 2, the Blackhawks should be in good shape tomorrow night.
The overall record of Joel Quenneville coached teams for Game 2 is not too impressive at 10-13. But, in Game 2 at home, his teams are 7-2. Q has had really good success in Game 2 since coming to Chicago. Since returning the playoffs in 2009, the Blackhawks are 7-2 in Game 2 of a series. In the Q era, they are perfect 5-0 at the United Center. This is only the sixth Game 2 in history of the Wild franchise. They are 2-3 in their previous five, and 0-3 on the road. I’m no expert, but I think these numbers tend to lean in the Blackhawks favor.
If these numbers don’t do it for you, go back and look at the Corsi numbers from Game 1. They prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that the Hawks dominated the game despite it being close on the scoreboard. Add to mix that Q gets two days to counter attack the Wild’s game plan of mucking up the neutral zone, things are looking up for Friday night. Of course, none of this really means squat because as my very wise father used to say “that’s why they play the games!” As we all know, the Wild are a lucky bounce and/or another great Josh Harding performance away from tying the series, but I like our chances.