The Bruins and Canucks both advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with 4 straight wins.
Boston swept away with their Original Six foes from Montreal and along with it the spectre of a 3 series losing streak to the Candiens. Tim Thomas was solid but never needed to be spectacular as Montreal wasn’t a threaten to take a game in this series.
Vancouver swept a 4 games series for the first time in franchise history. It will give high profile addition Mats Sundin time to rest his “lower body injury.” I’m guessing it’s his hip or groin.
Both teams will rest their bodies and wait for their next opponents.
There is still plenty games to bet in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs
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Making money by betting on MLB is easy, just by choosing all the winners, at the end of the season you can buy a new house. OK well there is a little more to it than that and I can’t guarantee you a house but if you follow these tips you will win more than you lose and really isn’t that what matters?
1. Money Management
2. Put the work in
3. Know when to bet
4. Compare the lines Read more
The Western Conference playoffs feature the Lakers and 7 very good teams trying to knock them off. Every series with the exception of the aforementioned Lakers will be a close one. Let’s have a look at how each will play out.
Lakers – Jazz
The Lake show won the Western Conference by 11 games, with Denver finishing a distant 2nd. After their dismal finals performance in 2008, Kobe and the Lakers are hungrier and more focused than anytime in recent memory. The Jazz were a dark horse pick just a few months ago but they dropped into the kill zone. Utah will bow out quickly to the Lakers.
Rory Gold says, “NBA Bettors should take the Lakers in 5.”
Nuggets – Hornets
The Nuggets haven’t won a postseason series in their past seven attempts. While the number two seed is usually a bye to the next round, the Hornets are as dangerous as any team not named the Lakers or Cavs. Chris Paul will be in tough though, he’ll be going head to head with Mr. Big Shot Chauncey Billups. This series will come down to whether the fragile Hornets can last the 7 game pounding they are sure to receive from Denver.
Rory Gold says, “NBA Bettors should take the Nuggets in 7.” Read more
The Eastern Conference playoffs just got a whole lot clearer after the news broke that Kevin Garnett would likely miss the entirety of the playoffs. With the Celtics missing their big man and defensive warrior, they only team that poses a threat to Cleveland’s coronation are the Orlando Magic. Let’s have a look at the first round and make a prediction for each series.
Cleveland – Detroit
LeBron will receive his first MVP award in a couple weeks time but LeBron has a more important trophy in mind. The addition of Mo Williams has given this team a second legit scoring option. But this team is LeBron’s and he’ll do everything in his power to make them champions. Expect to see something we’ve never seen before. Average a triple double for the series? Maybe? Let me know if you have your own LeBron predictions for the playoffs.
The Pistons won their first game vs. the Cavs but were beat comfortably in the final three games of the season series. The Pistons don’t have a chance in this series.
Rory Gold says, “NBA Bettors should take Cleveland in 4.”
Boston – Chicago
The city of Boston woke up this morning to the news KG will likely miss the entire playoffs. The question remains do Paul Pierce, Ray Ray and co. have enough to get them to the Eastern final? The answer is no. Chicago is not strong enough to win this series over 7 games but Derrick Rose and the rest of the young Bulls will gain some playoff experience. Don’t be surprised if the Bulls take a couple games from the deflated Celtic
Rory Gold says, “NBA Bettors should take Boston in 6.”
I know I’m late to the party with pretty much every other writer in the world of basketball announcing their picks already. But the league won’t announce the winners for until after the season so I have a few hours left.
MVP
Winner – Lebron James – 2009 will mark the first of several MVP awards for Lebron James.
Runner up – Kobe Bryant – Kobe is a killer, the loss of Bynum was bigger than people realize. Kobe kept the Lakers head and shoulders above the dominant west.
Third Place – Dwyane Wade – No player did more with less than D-Wade. How many times did Wade have to score 45+ to keep his team in the playoff race.
Read more
Bruins-Canadiens
Every Boston Montreal series is intense but this time the grudges go beyond tradition. Claude Julien, fired by Montreal in 2006 is the head coach of the conference champions.
Boston finished at the top of the Eastern Conference with but they’ve been in this position before against Montreal, posting more than 100 points in 02 and 04 only to drop their first round series to the underdog Canadiens. They hope that Tim Thomas who led the league in Goals against and save percentage will continue his magical season and carry them past the Habs.
This will mark the 32nd time Montreal and Boston have met in the playoffs with the Habs holding a huge 24-7 advantage in the meetings. And have continued that dominance recently winning the past 3 in 2002, 2004 and again last season.
Like the Western Conference, we could see another conference champ golfing after the first round. When these two teams meet in the playoffs history has shown us, the regular season records don’t matter but this time the Bruins will pull it out with the help of Tim Thomas.
Rory Says, “NHL Betters should take Boston in 5.”
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The marathon to the Stanley cup begins Tuesday with some powerhouse clashes, Cinderella possibilities and a couple teams that are just happy to be there. Let’s have a look at the first round match-ups and see if there are some good betting opportunities or some series that you might want to avoid.
Sharks-Ducks
This will be the first time since the 1969 epic battle between the LA Kings and the now defunct California Seals where two California teams have faced off in the NHL playoffs. That series went seven and so should this one. The 2007 champion Ducks are playoff savvy and they proven they know how to win when it counts.
The San Jose Sharks are the Presidents Trophy winner but have failed time and time again to get over the playoff hump. The Sharks added 7 players with rings this season and the name that standout the most on the list is Claude Lemieux, as much as I hate the guy he has been through the wars and knows what needs to be done to win. He won’t provide much support on the ice but the experience he brings could push the Sharks over the top.
The 2007 champion Ducks are playoff savvy and they proven they know how to win when it counts. The Ducks haven’t been themselves this season but they still have the key players from there run 2 years ago. If there will be an 8 vs. 1 upset this year the Anaheim are the team to do it.
This series could be decided by a single bounce of the puck, the added veterans to the Sharks lineup should ensure the bounce goes there way.
Rory says “San Jose in 7 games.” Read more
Some people need beer and hot-dogs to enjoy baseball; others like me enjoy putting a couple bucks on the line to bring out the excitement of America’s pastime. With 2,430 games a season, MLB gives us literally tens of thousands of props, spreads, moneylines and totals to bet on.
Let’s have a look at how a few bet types work before you risk your hard earned cash in Vegas or with a reputable online sportsbook.
Moneylines
Moneylines are probably the easiest to understand wager offered by sportsbooks, all you have to do is pick the winner and you can start counting your cash. To read a moneyline there will be a minus sign beside the favorite and a plus sign beside the underdog. Read more
