Devils and Senators hold upper hand in East
I won?t lie to you: This is a great time to be a sports fan.
Even without the NFL or March Madness to occupy our minds and our wallets, we?re being treated to some of the best playoff basketball and hockey we?ve seen in a dog?s age. Throw in some early-season baseball, and you?ve got yourself quite the smorgasbord.
I can?t think of any job that isn?t easier when you enjoy the materials you?re given. Handicapping certainly fits the bill. Given the choice between doing my homework on any of the upcoming second-round series in the NHL playoffs, or on a meaningless regular-season NFL matchup between the likes of the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills, I?ll take the hockey. Of course, it?s easy to make that choice when you recognize how soft the NHL lines are coming out of Vegas. Hockey accounts for less than three percent of the action books in Nevada are raking in; sharps who appreciate the value that can be found in mid-major college sports can understand the allure of the puckline.
Still not convinced? Try this on for size. A cursory analysis of the NHL?s Western Conference (superior to the East, just as in the NBA) after the regular season suggested there was parity among the eight teams, enough so that it wouldn?t have been a great shock to see some upsets in the first round. And so it came to pass ? all four top seeds in the West were eliminated. Betting on each of the lower seeds on a game-per-game basis would have netted you a cool 6.12 units against the puckline. Not a bad way to make a living.
What does the second round have in store? The West remains anyone?s to win, even more so now that big guns like the Detroit Red Wings and the Dallas Stars are out of the picture. Things are quite the opposite in the Eastern Conference. All four top seeds advanced, and the planets appear to be aligned for a sequel of the 2003 semifinal encounter between the Ottawa Senators and the New Jersey Devils. Ottawa is a ?250 favorite to eliminate the pesky Buffalo Sabres, while the Devils are priced at ?195 versus the Carolina Hurricanes.
The prevailing story with the Senators-Sabres series, as it has been for many teams this year, is inexperienced goaltending. Former Buffalo netminder Dominik Hasek remains out of action with a gimpy groin, leaving rookie Ray Emery in between the pipes for Ottawa. He posted a solid .924 save percentage against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1; however, Emery was rarely under duress, as the Sens outscored the Bolts 23-13 in taking the best-of-seven series 4-1.
The Sabres had the tougher task of bouncing the beefy Philadelphia Flyers, which they did 4-2. This was the nightmare scenario many pundits expected the Flyers would face after their offseason makeover, which overvalued size in the ?new NHL? where speed and scoring would return to the spotlight. That?s where Buffalo is a Viking. The Sabres lit the lamp 27 times in six games against Philly, taking the pressure off Ryan Miller (.918 save percentage) in his first-ever trip to the postseason. That pressure is bound to increase with the high-octane Senators providing the opposition.
The Sabres still carry some value into their series with Ottawa. Buffalo missed the playoffs for three straight seasons before finishing the 2005-06 campaign at 52-24-6, a good enough turnaround to generate over 15 units of profit. The Sens have had their share of playoff misery in the past, so a key injury or some bad bounces, combined with the inexperience of Emery, could be enough to derail their Stanley Cup hopes. The Devils, meanwhile, appear poised to wipe the floor with the Hurricanes despite carrying less chalk than Ottawa.
Anyone familiar with New Jersey?s playoff success over the past decade has seen this script before. It starts with Martin Brodeur, who is considered by many to be the greatest goalie in the league now that Patrick Roy has hung up his skates. Brodeur has guided the Devils to each of their three Stanley Cups (1995, 2001, 2003) and shows no signs of slowing down as he prepares to turn 34 this Saturday. The Devils are getting their usual solid defense and scoring in front of Brodeur, but New Jersey was flying under the radar until January, when top scorer Patrick Elias (hepatitis) returned to the lineup. The Devils immediately went on an eight-game winning streak, then closed out the regular season with 10 straight victories to earn the No. 3 seed in the East. That?s bad news for a Carolina club missing No. 1 left-winger Erik Cole and relying on the inexperienced Cam Ward (who, granted, was brilliant in eliminating the Montreal Canadiens). A four-game sweep for the Devils would not surprise anyone.
---Perry
Lines Dept of BetWWTS.com
I won?t lie to you: This is a great time to be a sports fan.
Even without the NFL or March Madness to occupy our minds and our wallets, we?re being treated to some of the best playoff basketball and hockey we?ve seen in a dog?s age. Throw in some early-season baseball, and you?ve got yourself quite the smorgasbord.
I can?t think of any job that isn?t easier when you enjoy the materials you?re given. Handicapping certainly fits the bill. Given the choice between doing my homework on any of the upcoming second-round series in the NHL playoffs, or on a meaningless regular-season NFL matchup between the likes of the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills, I?ll take the hockey. Of course, it?s easy to make that choice when you recognize how soft the NHL lines are coming out of Vegas. Hockey accounts for less than three percent of the action books in Nevada are raking in; sharps who appreciate the value that can be found in mid-major college sports can understand the allure of the puckline.
Still not convinced? Try this on for size. A cursory analysis of the NHL?s Western Conference (superior to the East, just as in the NBA) after the regular season suggested there was parity among the eight teams, enough so that it wouldn?t have been a great shock to see some upsets in the first round. And so it came to pass ? all four top seeds in the West were eliminated. Betting on each of the lower seeds on a game-per-game basis would have netted you a cool 6.12 units against the puckline. Not a bad way to make a living.
What does the second round have in store? The West remains anyone?s to win, even more so now that big guns like the Detroit Red Wings and the Dallas Stars are out of the picture. Things are quite the opposite in the Eastern Conference. All four top seeds advanced, and the planets appear to be aligned for a sequel of the 2003 semifinal encounter between the Ottawa Senators and the New Jersey Devils. Ottawa is a ?250 favorite to eliminate the pesky Buffalo Sabres, while the Devils are priced at ?195 versus the Carolina Hurricanes.
The prevailing story with the Senators-Sabres series, as it has been for many teams this year, is inexperienced goaltending. Former Buffalo netminder Dominik Hasek remains out of action with a gimpy groin, leaving rookie Ray Emery in between the pipes for Ottawa. He posted a solid .924 save percentage against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1; however, Emery was rarely under duress, as the Sens outscored the Bolts 23-13 in taking the best-of-seven series 4-1.
The Sabres had the tougher task of bouncing the beefy Philadelphia Flyers, which they did 4-2. This was the nightmare scenario many pundits expected the Flyers would face after their offseason makeover, which overvalued size in the ?new NHL? where speed and scoring would return to the spotlight. That?s where Buffalo is a Viking. The Sabres lit the lamp 27 times in six games against Philly, taking the pressure off Ryan Miller (.918 save percentage) in his first-ever trip to the postseason. That pressure is bound to increase with the high-octane Senators providing the opposition.
The Sabres still carry some value into their series with Ottawa. Buffalo missed the playoffs for three straight seasons before finishing the 2005-06 campaign at 52-24-6, a good enough turnaround to generate over 15 units of profit. The Sens have had their share of playoff misery in the past, so a key injury or some bad bounces, combined with the inexperience of Emery, could be enough to derail their Stanley Cup hopes. The Devils, meanwhile, appear poised to wipe the floor with the Hurricanes despite carrying less chalk than Ottawa.
Anyone familiar with New Jersey?s playoff success over the past decade has seen this script before. It starts with Martin Brodeur, who is considered by many to be the greatest goalie in the league now that Patrick Roy has hung up his skates. Brodeur has guided the Devils to each of their three Stanley Cups (1995, 2001, 2003) and shows no signs of slowing down as he prepares to turn 34 this Saturday. The Devils are getting their usual solid defense and scoring in front of Brodeur, but New Jersey was flying under the radar until January, when top scorer Patrick Elias (hepatitis) returned to the lineup. The Devils immediately went on an eight-game winning streak, then closed out the regular season with 10 straight victories to earn the No. 3 seed in the East. That?s bad news for a Carolina club missing No. 1 left-winger Erik Cole and relying on the inexperienced Cam Ward (who, granted, was brilliant in eliminating the Montreal Canadiens). A four-game sweep for the Devils would not surprise anyone.
---Perry
Lines Dept of BetWWTS.com
