Post-Olympic Hockey Betting
By Bodog
The Winter Olympics in Vancouver are showcasing the best hockey players in the world. But for most of the 800-odd players in the NHL, these two weeks have been an extended holiday ? a holiday that comes to an end after Sunday?s closing ceremonies. Then it?s a mad 20-game dash to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The smart players are using the break to prepare themselves; handicappers need to follow suit to stay ahead of the curve.
Three teams have already separated themselves from the pack in the NHL standings. The Washington Capitals are in first place at 41-13-8, with the highest goal differential at plus-70 and the biggest haul at the pay window (20 units against the puckline). However, the Capitals aren?t the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. That honor goes to the Chicago Blackhawks (41-15-5, 5.43 units) at 4-1, followed by Washington at 9-2 and the San Jose Sharks (40-13-9, 19.08 units) at 5-1.
You could make a compelling argument for any of these three teams to win the Cup, but those NHL odds make San Jose the value pick. The Sharks have played elite hockey ever since the 2004-05 lockout, yet have failed to make the Western Conference final four years running. Things are different this year. The Sharks landed a big fish when they obtained Dany Heatley (32 goals in 62 games) in a trade with the Ottawa Senators. Thanks to that trade, San Jose has improved from 3.06 goals per game last year to 3.19 this year without sacrificing anything on defense.
Interesting that the ?choker? label has kept the Sharks in third place on the odds list even after the original Top Two came tumbling down. The Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins, who met in the Stanley Cup Finals each of the last two seasons, opened as 5-1 co-favorites back in September. Pittsburgh is cruising along at 36-22-4 (-11.64 units), 14 points behind the Capitals in the East and still among the Cup contenders at 6-1. But the Wings have fallen on hard times, dropping to 18-1 and sitting one point out of a playoff spot in the West at 28-21-12 (-7.80 units).
The Red Wings weren?t good value at 5-1, and it?ll be a dogfight to get into the postseason, but it?s not often you can get a team this talented at 18-1 odds. The main concern for Detroit supporters going into the new season was in goal, where Chris Osgood was showing signs of decline at age 37. Osgood has continued to struggle, but prospect Jimmy Howard (.927 SV%) has supplanted Osgood between the pipes and steered Detroit to a 21-13-9 record. More of the same should put Detroit in the thick of the Cup race, especially now that injured star players like Johan Franzen (34 goals in 71 games last year) and Niklas Kronwall (18 power-play assists in 80 games last year) are ready for action.
Detroit will also be among those rich teams looking to get richer before the NHL trade deadline. The Atlanta Thrashers have been holding a fire sale, shedding Ilya Kovalchuk (32 goals in 55 games) and Kari Lehtonen (.911 career SV%). Next up on the block is Slava Kozlov (eight goals in 52 games), who won two Cups with Detroit in the ?90s and still has some gas in the tank at age 37.
The hottest rumor as we go to press has the Blackhawks ready to pull the trigger on a massive deal with an eye on improving their goaltending. Cristobal Huet (.903 SV%) has a habit of laying an egg now and then, and Chicago is reportedly interested in sending Huet as part of a package deal that would land either Tomas Vokoun (.931 SV%) from the Florida Panthers or Jaroslav Halak (.923 SV%) from the Montreal Canadiens. Halak raised his profile during these Olympics by leading Slovakia past the mighty Russians 2-1 during the preliminary round.
The Canadiens are clinging to eighth spot in the East at 29-28-6 (7.24 units) and may not be willing to part with Halak. Marty Turco (.915 SV%) of the Dallas Stars is also rumored available after the Stars picked up Lehtonen from Atlanta. Any of these three could help put Chicago over the top, so keep a vigilant eye on the news wires and be ready to pounce if you like the Hawks at 4-1. Those odds might not last.
By Bodog
The Winter Olympics in Vancouver are showcasing the best hockey players in the world. But for most of the 800-odd players in the NHL, these two weeks have been an extended holiday ? a holiday that comes to an end after Sunday?s closing ceremonies. Then it?s a mad 20-game dash to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The smart players are using the break to prepare themselves; handicappers need to follow suit to stay ahead of the curve.
Three teams have already separated themselves from the pack in the NHL standings. The Washington Capitals are in first place at 41-13-8, with the highest goal differential at plus-70 and the biggest haul at the pay window (20 units against the puckline). However, the Capitals aren?t the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. That honor goes to the Chicago Blackhawks (41-15-5, 5.43 units) at 4-1, followed by Washington at 9-2 and the San Jose Sharks (40-13-9, 19.08 units) at 5-1.
You could make a compelling argument for any of these three teams to win the Cup, but those NHL odds make San Jose the value pick. The Sharks have played elite hockey ever since the 2004-05 lockout, yet have failed to make the Western Conference final four years running. Things are different this year. The Sharks landed a big fish when they obtained Dany Heatley (32 goals in 62 games) in a trade with the Ottawa Senators. Thanks to that trade, San Jose has improved from 3.06 goals per game last year to 3.19 this year without sacrificing anything on defense.
Interesting that the ?choker? label has kept the Sharks in third place on the odds list even after the original Top Two came tumbling down. The Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins, who met in the Stanley Cup Finals each of the last two seasons, opened as 5-1 co-favorites back in September. Pittsburgh is cruising along at 36-22-4 (-11.64 units), 14 points behind the Capitals in the East and still among the Cup contenders at 6-1. But the Wings have fallen on hard times, dropping to 18-1 and sitting one point out of a playoff spot in the West at 28-21-12 (-7.80 units).
The Red Wings weren?t good value at 5-1, and it?ll be a dogfight to get into the postseason, but it?s not often you can get a team this talented at 18-1 odds. The main concern for Detroit supporters going into the new season was in goal, where Chris Osgood was showing signs of decline at age 37. Osgood has continued to struggle, but prospect Jimmy Howard (.927 SV%) has supplanted Osgood between the pipes and steered Detroit to a 21-13-9 record. More of the same should put Detroit in the thick of the Cup race, especially now that injured star players like Johan Franzen (34 goals in 71 games last year) and Niklas Kronwall (18 power-play assists in 80 games last year) are ready for action.
Detroit will also be among those rich teams looking to get richer before the NHL trade deadline. The Atlanta Thrashers have been holding a fire sale, shedding Ilya Kovalchuk (32 goals in 55 games) and Kari Lehtonen (.911 career SV%). Next up on the block is Slava Kozlov (eight goals in 52 games), who won two Cups with Detroit in the ?90s and still has some gas in the tank at age 37.
The hottest rumor as we go to press has the Blackhawks ready to pull the trigger on a massive deal with an eye on improving their goaltending. Cristobal Huet (.903 SV%) has a habit of laying an egg now and then, and Chicago is reportedly interested in sending Huet as part of a package deal that would land either Tomas Vokoun (.931 SV%) from the Florida Panthers or Jaroslav Halak (.923 SV%) from the Montreal Canadiens. Halak raised his profile during these Olympics by leading Slovakia past the mighty Russians 2-1 during the preliminary round.
The Canadiens are clinging to eighth spot in the East at 29-28-6 (7.24 units) and may not be willing to part with Halak. Marty Turco (.915 SV%) of the Dallas Stars is also rumored available after the Stars picked up Lehtonen from Atlanta. Any of these three could help put Chicago over the top, so keep a vigilant eye on the news wires and be ready to pounce if you like the Hawks at 4-1. Those odds might not last.
