Online sports betting odds still list Boston as a longshot to win the Stanley Cup but those numbers are dropping. The Bruins got past the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the playoffs and now they will play in the Eastern Conference semifinals. What helps their offshore sports betting chances in that series is the return of center Marc Savard.
Online sports betting odds have Boston Bruins at 12-1 to win the Stanley Cup. Those odds are still pretty high considering Boston is already in the final eight. Getting Savard back is huge for Boston since he was their leading scorer last year. Savard has been out since March 7th with a Grade 2 concussion. “I’ll leave it up to Claude as far as putting the lines together, who plays and who doesn’t play, but Marc is ready to go and we’ll see how his conditioning goes. I know, from talking to him, he’s very anxious to play.” Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli said, “[Savard is] an elite player and he’s been chomping at the bit to play. The fact that we were able to clinch and give some time for him to get acclimated to full practice is going to be very beneficial for Savy and the team.”
Savard played in only 41 games this season because of injuries. He scored 10 goals and had 23 assists. Online sports betting stats indicate that he has been very good in the playoffs as in 18 career playoff games he has seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points. “He’s a terrific offensive player and you’ve seen his performances in playoffs,” Chiarelli said. “He really works on the two-way side of his game in the playoffs. It’s like a trade-deadline acquisition. We’re adding, obviously, a very good player to our mix for the next series.”
Boston Bruins was able to get past Buffalo without Savard in offshore sports betting odds but to get past a team like Pittsburgh who is their likely opponent in the second round they need Savard. Head coach Claude Julien is not surprised that Savard is back. “I use Patrice [Bergeron] as a reference point,” Chiarelli said. “This is my layman’s analysis: When I saw Patrice after his concussion and when I saw Savy after his, there was a big difference. They were both very severe, but as I saw Savy recuperate, a lot of things happened more quickly compared to Patrice. Still, there was some doubt at times because he still had that glazed look.”