Habs Look to Continue Dominance Over Bruins – Game 2 Saturday Afternoon
The Montreal Canadiens drew first blood in their second round series with the Boston Bruins on Thursday night and in turn served notice that they are not going to lay down for the President’s Trophy winning Bruins.
Habs and Bruins Kick Off Round 2 Thursday Night
After long layoffs, two of the most impressive teams in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs – the Habs and the Bruins, meet in Boston for Game 1 of Round 2 on Tuesday night. It’s the 34th meeting between the clubs in Stanley Cup playoffs history and it should be a classic as per usual.
The Philadelphia Flyers will make the trip out to Madison Square Garden to open their first-round playoff series with the New York Rangers on Thursday.
The Montreal Canadiens will try for their first regulation win against the Ottawa Senators this year on Friday night when they visit Canada`s Nation`s Capital for the final game in the five game season series.
The Los Angeles Kings are back at home Wednesday night to host a desperate Phoenix Coyotes team that suddenly sits ninth in the Western Conference standings thanks to a two game losing streak and the fact that the Dallas Stars have been on a bit of a roll.
With the teams away for the Olympic break it’s a good time to re-evaluate where each club stands in their respective race. While the Eastern Conference has become a two-horse race, there are five teams within striking distance of the top spot in the West. Let’s take a look at those five teams and their chances ( [dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]) for claiming the conference crown.
The Bruins have momentum in their favour heading into Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final on Friday night at Rogers Arena. After a 4-0 victory in Game 4 and an 8-1 victory in Game 3, Vancover will need to do something. For the best NHL betting odds, sign up now with Pinnacle Sports.
It’s NHL hockey betting season once again. Hockey Gambling fans sure are getting their money’s worth from the free nhl picks we give out here at 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.
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.
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 regular season is almost half over. Some major contenders have lived up to their promise; others, like the Philadelphia Flyers, have flopped.
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.
This Stanley Cup Finals have been all about the chalk, making the hometown Detroit Red Wings a favorite to cash-in tonight.
The home team has one each of the six games so far and with Detroit overcoming a number of injuries to get to this point, they should be rejuvenated, playing before the home folks for the chance to hoist Lord Stanley’s mug.
The Stanley Cup playoffs are heating up and sportsbook oddsmakers are forced to shift around the daily lines. While the Detroit Red Wings looked like a shoe-in to win the Stanley Cup after getting a freebie in the second-round with a matchup against the No. 8 seed Anaheim Ducks, the truth is that their freebie is not giving them a free ride.
BOSTON BRUINS -250 over Ottawa Senators
I was kind of excited about NHL betting on Ottawa for a brief moment there, and a 10-4 SU record over their last 14 games was certainly reason to get wet. But going 2-3 SU in their last five games on the road makes me weary as they head straight for Boston after losing to Florida.
