best NHL bets
Ottawa Senators at Pittsburgh Penguins (-210, 5.5)
If the Ottawa Senators are going to put poor postseason performances behind them, they?ll have to dethrone the reigning Stanley Cup champs in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Heading into Game 1, the Sens are weighing the best way to attack one of the NHL?s most explosive teams. And as game time ticks closer, the game plan appears to key on the most important members of Pittsburgh?s star-studded lineup and let the role players do the damage.
?It really starts in neutral zone,? defenseman Chris Phillips told the Ottawa Citizen when asked about stopping Penguins star Sidney Crosby. ?There?s a strong focus to try and take away his space there and to have somebody close to deter his teammates from trying to give him the puck, where he can create a lot of speed and carry that into the offensive zone. Obviously, we have to be aware when he?s on the ice. It?s not just the two defensemen, it?s all five guys, it?s being extra focused.?
Crosby has been the motor for the Penguins offense all season but stepped up his production in the final games of the season while chasing both the goal scoring and points scoring leads. If Ottawa can lock him up, Pittsburgh?s attack could have a tough time creating on its own.
?That?s what has got us here,? forward Jason Spezza told reporters. ?We?re not going to outrun and gun Pittsburgh. We?ve got to make sure we play a smart game.?
The last time these teams met, the Senators did a fine job limiting Crosby to just three shots on goal and a plus/minus of -2 during a 4-1 win back in late January.
Pick: Under
Detroit Red Wings at Phoenix Coyotes (-110, 5)
Hockey fans can expect the Phoenix Coyotes to be holding the sticks a little tight when they take the ice for Game 1 Wednesday night.
Phoenix is coming off a Cinderella season in which it won 50 games ? a new franchise record ? and is in the NHL playoffs for the first time since 2002. Despite being the No. 4 seed, the Coyotes are considered the underdogs against the postseason-savvy Detroit Red Wings in the opening round.
"That's who we've been all year," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett told CBC Sports of his team?s underdog status. "From the first day I got here, people looked around like, 'What are you doing?' That's how we've been able to thrive all year, so why would it change now?"
With the pressure of the playoffs overwhelming even the most veteran team, expect the desert dogs to bobble a couple pucks, miss a couple passes and fan on a couple shots during the first two periods.
Pick: Under
Ottawa Senators at Pittsburgh Penguins (-210, 5.5)
If the Ottawa Senators are going to put poor postseason performances behind them, they?ll have to dethrone the reigning Stanley Cup champs in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Heading into Game 1, the Sens are weighing the best way to attack one of the NHL?s most explosive teams. And as game time ticks closer, the game plan appears to key on the most important members of Pittsburgh?s star-studded lineup and let the role players do the damage.
?It really starts in neutral zone,? defenseman Chris Phillips told the Ottawa Citizen when asked about stopping Penguins star Sidney Crosby. ?There?s a strong focus to try and take away his space there and to have somebody close to deter his teammates from trying to give him the puck, where he can create a lot of speed and carry that into the offensive zone. Obviously, we have to be aware when he?s on the ice. It?s not just the two defensemen, it?s all five guys, it?s being extra focused.?
Crosby has been the motor for the Penguins offense all season but stepped up his production in the final games of the season while chasing both the goal scoring and points scoring leads. If Ottawa can lock him up, Pittsburgh?s attack could have a tough time creating on its own.
?That?s what has got us here,? forward Jason Spezza told reporters. ?We?re not going to outrun and gun Pittsburgh. We?ve got to make sure we play a smart game.?
The last time these teams met, the Senators did a fine job limiting Crosby to just three shots on goal and a plus/minus of -2 during a 4-1 win back in late January.
Pick: Under
Detroit Red Wings at Phoenix Coyotes (-110, 5)
Hockey fans can expect the Phoenix Coyotes to be holding the sticks a little tight when they take the ice for Game 1 Wednesday night.
Phoenix is coming off a Cinderella season in which it won 50 games ? a new franchise record ? and is in the NHL playoffs for the first time since 2002. Despite being the No. 4 seed, the Coyotes are considered the underdogs against the postseason-savvy Detroit Red Wings in the opening round.
"That's who we've been all year," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett told CBC Sports of his team?s underdog status. "From the first day I got here, people looked around like, 'What are you doing?' That's how we've been able to thrive all year, so why would it change now?"
With the pressure of the playoffs overwhelming even the most veteran team, expect the desert dogs to bobble a couple pucks, miss a couple passes and fan on a couple shots during the first two periods.
Pick: Under
