Flyers Try for First Win of Season – Visit Devils Tuesday Night
The Philadelphia Flyers have not exactly gotten off to the fast start required in this lockout shortened season dropping their first two games while getting outscored 8-3 along the way. The road doesn’t get any easier Tuesday night when they travel to New Jersey to take on Martin Brodeur and the Devils – winners of their first and only game of the season so far.
Wings Try To Avenge Opening Game Thrashing – In Columbus Monday Night
I know, I know – not the sexiest of matches to start the 2012 season but it is televised nationally in the US and Canada. I promise there will be more interesting matchups to come but I digress. The Wings certainly looked vulnerable in their opener – the omission of Nicklas Lidstrom and Thomas Holmstrom look like they are looming large.
Compared to the biggies like football, basketball and baseball, hockey doesn’t get as many bets. But it should. The truth is that there’s money to be won in betting on NHL because the lines on average aren’t as sharp.
Hockey betting fans sure are getting their money’s worth from the free nhl picks from Capperspicks.com.
Hockey betting fans sure are getting their money’s worth from the free nhl picks from Capperspicks.com.
Hockey betting fans sure are getting their money’s worth from the free nhl picks from Capperspicks.com.
Believe it or not, the NHL betting season will be here before you know it, so lets take a look at some early futures odds – NHL Style!
Thanks largely in part to the Ilya Kovalchuk fiasco, the NHL free agent frenzy has slowed to a crawl over the last few weeks. That means now is probably an ideal time to take a deep breath and assess the current Stanley Cup odds.
Chicago Blackhawks
Stanley Cup odds: +500
So far, books aren’t downgrading the Hawks even though they seem to lose another piece of their Stanley Cup-winning team every day. They’ve already said goodbye to Kris Versteeg, Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd and John Madden. But, fact of the matter is, some guys named Toews, Kane, Keith, Seabrook, Hossa and Sharp are still running the show. Chicago remains the team to beat.
Washington Capitals
Stanley Cup odds: +600
This is a team that frustrates me again and again at every trade deadline and during every free agency period. The Caps have so much firepower yet repeatedly fail to address their glaring need for defensive stability and perhaps even better goaltending. They won’t get my bet until they do so.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Stanley Cup odds: +600
The Pens have a great shot to represent the East in the final again this year. They lost Sergei Gonchar but may have actually improved on the back end with Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek coming to town. They may still acquire another winger to play with Sidney Crosby as well. 
New Jersey Devils
Stanley Cup odds: +1500
Most books currently list the Devils with the same odds as L.A., Vancouver, and Philadelphia. That’s good company. Clearly, everyone expects Lou Lamoriello to figure out the salary cap conundrum and keep Ilya Kovalchuk in a restructured deal.
Los Angeles Kings
Stanley Cup odds: +1500
These guys are the next Chicago Blackhawks. This blog correctly predicted the Kings’ ascension into postseason play a year ago; it was bound to happen with the likes of Doughty, Kopitar, and Johnson leading the youth movement. Now, the Kings have potential to grow even more. Brayden Schenn, Thomas Hickey and Jonathan Bernier could become viable NHLers or the Kings could ship one of them to land another elite scorer. Tomas Kaberle? Marian Gaborik?
Tampa Bay Lightning
Stanley Cup odds: +3000
The Lightning were among the league’s busiest teams this offseason. First, they signed Steve Yzerman as their new general manager. Then, under his tutelage, they acquired Simon Gagne to join a strong offense that already included Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis and Vinny Lecavalier. Dan Ellis will bring stability in goal as well. Given how mediocre the Eastern Conference was last year, Tampa could return to the postseason.
San Jose Sharks
Stanley Cup odds: +900
The Sharks still have the fifth-best odds to win the Cup in most books but it’s been years since they ranked that low, hasn’t it? It seems bettors and books are almost ready to give up on this talented group that always seems to choke in the playoffs. If you’re looking for value, however, it’s worth noting that (a) The Sharks re-upped the only two guys who had great playoffs in 2009, Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski, with long-term deals. And Evgeni Nabokov’s departure for the KHL may be addition by subtraction.
Montreal Canadiens
Stanley Cup odds: +3000
The books have made their message loud and clear: you should’ve kept Jaroslav Halak and traded Carey Price, Montreal. It may seem strange for a conference finalist’s odds to plummet to the middle of the pack but, let’s face it, Halak carried the Habs in the playoffs and he doesn’t play for them anymore.
Colorado Avalanche
Stanley Cup odds: +6000
Ouch. After qualifying for the playoffs and showing real promise as a young team, the Avs now have the same odds as the Toronto Maple Leafs. I suppose oddsmakers think their situation is like Montreal’s in that a goalie, Craig Anderson, influenced their success. Don’t believe that. Colorado has some legit young talent on board with Matt Duchene, Chris Stewart, Paul Stastny and Peter Mueller leading the charge. It could be even better this year.
Shea Matthews lives and breathes sports. He made the transition from athlete to sports journalist at a young age, writing in TV & national newspapers. He now applies his knowledge to sports betting and handicapping every day, and shares his winning picks with the world.
It’s raining in Vancouver. That wouldn’t normally draw headlines, but the 2010 Olympic Winter Games are fighting the elements, and the online sports betting marketplace is getting a little antsy. Events are being postponed. Training runs are being cancelled.
Hockey betting hits a fever pitch this week with the beginning of the much-anticipated men’s tournament at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
Canada heads into the 12-team tourney as the favorite, both in Group A and across the board. With the Games taking place on home soil, the Canadians haven’t felt this much pressure since taking on the Soviet Union in the 1972 Summit Series.
Next week brings us the start of yet another major sports season, this time those big guys with sticks and pucks, so who is going to be the sleeper pick for 2009-10 in the National Hockey League?
There are a few candidates to pick from, but the team I fancy to make a massive improvement this coming season is the Ottawa Senators, a franchise that will look very different and could just even be a division winner.
16 teams in the NHL will be on a quest but there won’t be John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, Eric Idle and Terry Jones gallivanting around knocking coconut shells together, mimicking the sound of horse hooves.
No, this quest will be less humorous and a lot more physical.
Give the people what they want.
Commissioner Gary Bettman has gotten mixed reviews since he took over the NHL’s top job in 1993. His legacy includes two work stoppages, getting and losing TV deals with FOX and ESPN, and aggressive expansion (some would say over-expansion) into the United States. But all is forgotten when the puck drops on a game that people care about.
It’s time to foil up.
Yes, so the 1977 Paul Newman film Slap Shot remains the enduring image of hockey to many American sports fans. As far as they’re concerned, it’s either all about the fighting, or it’s a joke because of the fighting.
Two big Eastern Conference matchups highlight the NHL betting schedule Saturday, as the Penguins and Flyers clash in the latest meeting in the battle of Pennsylvania, and the slumping Rangers travel to Buffalo to face the Sabres.
NHL betting is in full-swing on Friday night, and all of the early Stanley Cup contenders on hockey futures are in action. Friday night is a fantastic time to bet on favorites, because talent is generally what carries teams through these late week matchups.
There are a dozen games on the NHL betting schedule on Saturday highlighted by three top-notch matchups as Detroit takes on Washington, the Rangers head to Boston, and Chicago faces off against San Jose.
It’s no accident that the NHL All-Star Game is this Sunday – our first Sunday in a long time without football. The league’s annual showcase marks the unofficial halfway point of the hockey season, and it’s been a banner year for the league despite the economic downturn.
