The Boston Bruins will begin the defense of their Stanley Cup championship and get the 2011-12 NHL betting campaign underway at the Bodog Sportsbook on Thursday night when they play host to the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Bruins swept the Flyers in the second round of the playoffs last season en route to their Cup title, so Philly will be looking to get a bit of revenge in Thursday night's opener.
To do that, though, the Flyers will have to navigate a Boston defense anchored by Zdeno Chara and backstopped by Tim Thomas, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner as the league's top goaltender.
The Bruins didn't make many changes to their championship roster over the summer, basically swapping out defenseman Tomas Kaberle and winger Michael Ryder for similar players in defenseman Joe Corvo and winger Benoit Pouliot. Also gone is veteran forward Mark Recchi, who retired.
At the Bodog Sportsbook the Bruins sit at 10/1 odds to repeat as Cup champs this year, and they're at 11/2 odds to claim the Eastern Conference title. Boston is also the +125 favorite to finish in first place in the Northeast Division.
As for the Flyers, they're at 11/1 on the Stanley Cup futures list and at 5/1 to win the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia sits at +120 to win the Atlantic Division title.
And while the Bruins just tweaked their roster over the summer, the Flyers performed an overhaul. Philly jettisoned star forwards Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, adding Jaromir Jagr, Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek, and Brayden Schenn in their place.
As well, the Flyers are paying Ilya Bryzgalov big dollars to play between the pipes for them this season, and he'll match up against Thomas in the team's opener on Thursday night.
Get all your NHL odds at Bodog.
The Bruins swept the Flyers in the second round of the playoffs last season en route to their Cup title, so Philly will be looking to get a bit of revenge in Thursday night's opener.
To do that, though, the Flyers will have to navigate a Boston defense anchored by Zdeno Chara and backstopped by Tim Thomas, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner as the league's top goaltender.
The Bruins didn't make many changes to their championship roster over the summer, basically swapping out defenseman Tomas Kaberle and winger Michael Ryder for similar players in defenseman Joe Corvo and winger Benoit Pouliot. Also gone is veteran forward Mark Recchi, who retired.
At the Bodog Sportsbook the Bruins sit at 10/1 odds to repeat as Cup champs this year, and they're at 11/2 odds to claim the Eastern Conference title. Boston is also the +125 favorite to finish in first place in the Northeast Division.
As for the Flyers, they're at 11/1 on the Stanley Cup futures list and at 5/1 to win the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia sits at +120 to win the Atlantic Division title.
And while the Bruins just tweaked their roster over the summer, the Flyers performed an overhaul. Philly jettisoned star forwards Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, adding Jaromir Jagr, Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek, and Brayden Schenn in their place.
As well, the Flyers are paying Ilya Bryzgalov big dollars to play between the pipes for them this season, and he'll match up against Thomas in the team's opener on Thursday night.
Get all your NHL odds at Bodog.
