Follow Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter VI Mobile College Basketball March Mayhem Picks College Basketball March Mayhem Picks VegasInsider.com VegasInsider.com
Handicapper Bios Sports Picks Free Odds Contests Sportsbook
VI Home NFL NBANHLMLBNCAA FBNCAA BKGolfAutoHorsesBoxingVI More Sports
 
NHL Scores Matchups Teams Standings Schedules Injuries News
 
 · Latest News
 · Player Updates
 · Transactions
Buy Picks Vegas Odds
 
 · Vegas Odds
 · Offshore Odds
 · Future Odds
 
Recap: Blackhawks 4, Flyers 3
Line Movements
Date: June 09, 2010 8:00 PM EDT
  

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -For a moment, Patrick Kane was the only one who knew the Chicago Blackhawks had won the Stanley Cup.

As he skated to the other end of the ice, his teammates quickly joined in the celebration that ended 49 years of frustration for the Blackhawks without a title.

Kane sneaked the puck past Michael Leighton 4:06 into overtime and stunned Philadelphia to lift Chicago to a 4-3 overtime win in Game 6 on Wednesday night for their first championship since 1961.

Advertisement

No one but the Blackhawks appeared to realize what was going on for a few frozen moments. Kane and his linemates knew the puck had found the side of the net. The goal light never went on, but that didn't stop most of the Blackhawks from storming the ice and mobbing each other in celebration.

``I tried to sell the celebration a little bit,' Kane said. ``Everyone came down, and I think some of the guys were still kind of iffy to see if the puck was in the net.'

Oh, it was in, a brief video replay confirmed - and the Blackhawks revival from the bottom of the NHL to the elite was complete.

``I believed in him,' said captain Jonathan Toews, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP. ``I don't think he would have thrown his gloves off like that if he wasn't 100 percent sure.'

Kane will go down as scoring one of the biggest goals in team history.

He raised his arms right away and skated behind the net, knowing the goal was good. While the Flyers sat on the bench in stunned silence with confused looks, the Blackhawks began to celebrate in their own end around goaltender Antti Niemi.

``I was just hoping to God it was just an actual goal or we would be celebrating for nothing,' Toews said.

Before reaching the group hug, Kane stooped to pick up some loose ice shavings - looking like a mischievous kid on Christmas ready to throw a snowball in the backyard.

``There's so many great things about winning a Stanley Cup. This is it,' Toews said. ``This is the best feeling you can ever get. I just can't believe it's happened.'

Toews was first to touch the Cup, taking it from commissioner Gary Bettman and hoisting it above his head in triumph. Marian Hossa, whose last two attempts at a title were denied the last two years with Detroit and Pittsburgh, was next. He lifted it and bench-pressed the big trophy, snapping his head back in exhilaration.

``I put it on my shoulder. What a relief,' Hossa said.

Chicago won its first Stanley Cup since Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita led the way 49 years ago.

It ends the longest active championship drought in the NHL. Kane is the first player to score the Stanley Cup clinching goal in overtime since Jason Arnott did it for New Jersey at Dallas in 2000.

``I heard the sound, it was a funny sound,' coach Joel Quenneville said of the Cup-winner. ``Nobody knew where the puck was. Kaner thought it was in.'

Leighton stopped 37 shots - just not the last one.

``I went to the corner and saw a guy drive the net,' he said. ``I thought he was going to pass it but he threw it at my feet and it went underneath me.'

Fitting in a series where neither team had much wiggle room, this one needed OT.

Just when it appeared the Flyers season was over, Scott Hartnell squeezed out another clutch goal.

With the offense revved into desperation mode, Hartnell was leveled by Toews right in front of the crease as he knocked a loose puck in to make it 3-3 with 3:59 left in the third.

He raised his arms while flat on his back.

Knocked down, never out.

The Flyers faithful turned their white towels into rally symbols only moments after they could have been used for surrender.

The fans politely applauded when the game was over, but the few thousand who stuck around booed as the Blackhawks took their turns hoisting the silver trophy. A few hundred Blackhawks fans went wild as the team took a picture with the Cup.

Flyers coach Peter Laviolette never saw the winning goal.

``I saw one of their players skate across the ice like he had won something,' he said. ``I got a little pit in my stomach.'

The Blackhawks ruthlessly attacked the Flyers and it paid off with two should-have-been-stopped goals against Leighton.

Leighton, who had been flawless at home this postseason, couldn't come up with two crucial saves and that helped put Chicago in the driver's seat.

Andrew Ladd, an injury scratch the first three games, deflected Niklas Hjalmarsson's slap shot from the circle with 2:17 left in the second. That made it 3-2 and nearly stood as the winner

His goal followed Patrick Sharp's soft wrister that scooted under Leighton's left skate to tie it a 2 midway through the period. Sharp's 11th goal of the postseason came during a 4-on-4.

Niemi was barely tested.

Daniel Briere beat him for a 2-1 lead when he came streaking down the right side and went high glove side off a crisp pass from Ville Leino with 12 minutes left.

There were 40 goals scored in the first five games, the most for a finals since 1981. This one was a goalie's duel early with only a power-play goal from each team in the first period.

Chicago pounded Leighton from all angles and were outshooting the Flyers 14-3 at one point late in the first.

Chris Pronger, who had one of the worst playoff performances of his career in Game 5 (minus-5), was penalized twice in the first. His antagonistic actions came after a day after he was the subject of an unflattering picture of him in a skirt in the Chicago Tribune.

Pronger's penalty for high sticking was still being announced when Dustin Byfuglien popped out to face the net and one-timed a pass from Toews past Leighton with 3:11 left.

The Flyers didn't even attempt a shot on their first two power-play chances. The special teams unit that had been so effective during their first Stanley Cup finals run since 1997 had suddenly gone dry.

That is, until Hartnell bailed them out.

He backhanded the puck through Niemi's legs with 26.5 seconds left to tie the game. Hartnell barked at the Blackhawks and a home crowd on edge suddenly roared back to life.

This Flyers team had mastered the art of the comeback, starting all the way back on the last day of the regular season when a shootout win clinched a playoff spot. It became the third team in NHL history to win a series after losing the first three games when it eliminated Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and evened the Stanley Cup at 2-all after losing the first two games at Chicago.

It wasn't enough and the Flyers are still looking for their first Stanley Cup since winning consecutive championships in 1974 and 1975.

``We just thought it was meant to be,' Briere said. ``We just thought it was a matter of time we would win in overtime and go back to Chicago.'

NOTES: The Flyers have lost their last six Stanley Cup finals appearances. ... The Flyers finished 9-2 at home in the postseason.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2012
The Associated Press
All Rights Reserved

 SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Flyers at Blackhawks
Sat, May 29 Final 5 to 6
 Boxscores  •  Recaps
GAME 2
Flyers at Blackhawks
Mon, May 31 Final 1 to 2
 Boxscores  •  Recaps
GAME 3
Blackhawks at Flyers
Wed, Jun 2 Final 3 to 4
 Boxscores  •  Recaps
GAME 4
Blackhawks at Flyers
Fri, Jun 4 Final 3 to 5
 Boxscores  •  Recaps
GAME 5
Flyers at Blackhawks
Sun, Jun 6 Final 4 to 7
 Boxscores  •  Recaps
GAME 6
Blackhawks at Flyers
Wed, Jun 9 Final 4 to 3
 Boxscores  •  Recaps

 CLOSING LAS VEGAS LINE
 Team  ML   PUC   O/U 
 CHI  -115   PK   5.5 
 PHI  -105   PK   
LAS VEGAS LINE MOVEMENTS

 CLOSING SPORTSBOOK LINE
 Team  ML   PUC   O/U 
 CHI  -115      5.5 
 PHI  -105      
OFFSHORE LINE MOVEMENTS

 BETTING TRENDS
 Team  ML   PUC   O/U 
 CHI  51%   74%   70% 
 PHI  49%   26%   30% 
BT MOVEMENTS

 NHL HEAD TO HEAD
 Jun 6, 2010  Score  ATS Results 
  PHI 4 Over: 11 
  CHI « 7 Cover: 188 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps
 Jun 4, 2010  Score  ATS Results 
  CHI 3 Over: 8 
  PHI « 5 Cover: 302 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps
 Jun 2, 2010  Score  ATS Results 
  CHI 3 Over: 7 
  PHI « 4 Cover: 251 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps
 May 31, 2010  Score  ATS Results 
  PHI 1 Under: 3 
  CHI « 2 Cover: 176 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps
 May 29, 2010  Score  ATS Results 
  PHI 5 Over: 11 
  CHI « 6 Cover: 171 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps
 Mar 13, 2010  Score  ATS Results 
  CHI 2 Cover: 279 
  PHI « 3 Under: 5 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps

 NHL RECAPS
 Wednesday, Jun 9
 
  •  Blackhawks at Flyers
8:05 PM EDT
 
 
 
  
GOLD Membership
Receive a 20% discount on all Daily Picks. Signup Today!
 
 
Las Vegas Travel
 
 

NFL
NFL Picks
NFL Odds
NFL Matchups
NFL Scores

NBA
NBA Picks
NBA Odds
NBA Matchups
NBA Scores

MLB
MLB Picks
MLB Odds
MLB Matchups
MLB Scores


NCAA FB
NCAA FB Picks
NCAA FB Odds
NCAA FB Matchups
NCAA FB Scores

NCAA BK
NCAA BK Picks
NCAA BK Odds
NCAA BK Matchups
NCAA BK Scores

NHL
NHL Picks
NHL Odds
NHL Matchups
NHL Scores


More Sports
Golf
Auto Racing
Horse Racing
Boxing
UFC
WNBA
Soccer

Features
Free Odds
Mobile Odds
Contests
Newsletters
VI Radio
Las Vegas Travel
Follow us on Twitter
Join us on Facebook


Sports Betting Tools
Live Odds
Parlay Calculator
Gaming Terms
TV Listings
Handicapping Records
Sportsbook Reviews

VegasInsider Info
About Us
Help Center
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Contact Us
User Feedback

Sportsbooks
BetOnline.ag
Bodog.ca
Bookmaker
Bovada.lv
SBG Global.eu
Sportsbook
TopBet.com

Rotation Schedules
Baseball:

 
Mar 28 - June 5

Copyright © 1997-2012, VegasInsider.com Inc., The Global Leader In Sports Gaming Information. All rights reserved.
For questions or comments, please contact us at 1-800-211-4759.