The sports book makers were not disappointed by the Western Conference quarter-final game one between the Los Angeles Kings and the Vancouver Canucks. Sports betting experts picked the Canucks to win, and the Canucks did wind up winning the game. But what the hockey betting world forgot about was the young, fast and smart Los Angeles defense lead by U.S. Olympian Jack Johnson.

The Los Angeles Kings almost pulled off the upset in game one against the Canucks, and it seemed as though the only line on the ice for the Canucks was the Sedin twins Henrik and Daniel, and honorary Sedin twin Alexandre Burrows and that may have been by design.

It is no secret to the Stanley Cup betting world that the Canucks rely heavily on the Sedin twins for their offense. But with players such as Mikael Samuelsson, Ryan Kessler and Mason Raymond each having more than 50 points during the regular season the Canucks are capable of beating a team in so many different ways. In game one the Kings let the Sedins run rampant and hoped that Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick could keep the Sedins off the scoreboard. It didn’t work as the Sedins combined for four points in the game and Samuelsson got two points of his own.

With all of their grit and determination the Kings lack the guns up front to compete with a team like the Canucks. On defense it seemed like the Kings would sit back on the Sedins and then attack everyone else. While that seems like a recipe for disaster, it did offer the Kings the chance to skate around the rest of the Canuck team at times.

If it were not for Jonathan Quick in net for the Kings then game one would not have gone into overtime. Quick faced 44 shots and made 41 saves. That is a huge effort against one of the top offensive teams in the league. The tell-tale stat for that game is the number of shots that the Kings managed against Luongo in the Vancouver net which was only 27.

The problem that the Kings face is if they become too aggressive and decide to attack the Sedin line then the Sedins and Burrows will rack up points all night long. The idea of sitting back on the Sedins means that the Kings can keep that line somewhat contained, and then try to weather the storm until there is a line change. It is the only strategy the Kings have against the Canucks, and it did not result in a win for game one.

The unknown in all of this is how Luongo will react if the Kings do manage to get 35 or more shots on him in game two. Even though he is the newest Canadian Olympic hero, Luongo cannot shake his reputation for choking in big games in the NHL. The only chance the Kings have is to try to increase the shot count against Luongo and see if he cracks. In the meantime, the Kings will also have to figure out a way to keep the Sedins from scoring. It is doubtful that the Kings have the personnel to pull off that two-headed game plan.

Pick: Vancouver 4-2

Stanley Cup betting is about to get underway as Atlantic Division rivals Philadelphia and New Jersey will square off, and the Devils would like to send a message in the first game after the Flyers dominated the season series.

Flyers vs Devils odds – Wednesday, April 14, 7:30 PM ET

The Flyers needed to go all the way to a shootout to get to the postseason, edging the New York Rangers 2-1 on Sunday after a tough home-and-home series between two teams clawing for the playoffs. Matt Carle scored in the third period to tie the game up, while Brian Boucher stopped Olli Jokinen to put the Flyers in the second season. The Flyers should have won this game more handily, as they outshot the Rangers 47-25, but New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist stood on his head to keep the Rangers in it, and the Flyers should be proud of beating one of the best goalies in the game.

Jamie Langenbrunner scored the winner with three second left in a 2-1 win at home over Buffalo on Saturday, while Travis Zajac tied the game in the second period. Martin Brodeur stopped 22 shots for the Devils, who enter the playoffs with four wins in their last five games, and Brodeur has allowed four goals in those five games. The surefire first-ballot Hall-of-Famer was a little shaky after the Olympic break, and sports book players were wondering if getting pulled for Roberto Luongo on the Canadian team affected him mentally. But Brodeur is one of the top five goalies in NHL history, and he proved that he’ll be alright.

Online sports betting odds should favor the Devils in the first game of this series, and the Flyers have lost three of their last five in New Jersey. There may be some worry for New Jersey fans as the Devils have lost five of six against the Flyers this season, including one of two at home, and they’re going to need Boucher at his best. Brodeur has been miserable against the Flyers this year with a 1-4 mark in six games with a 3.34 GAA and a .878 save percentage, but we’re willing to bet anything that he turns it around for the playoffs, especially given the roll that he’s on right now. Many are wondering if the Flyers spent all of their bullets just trying to get into the postseason, and going on the road in their first game, Philadelphia may not have the energy that New Jersey has.

NHL betting pick: New Jersey

When the online betting for The Masters starts to wind down on Sunday April 11, so will the regular season in the NHL. The sportsbooks will be closed on another season, and the online sports betting for the playoffs will begin. But before we can do an NHL game preview on the playoffs, there is one more pre-playoff heavyweight battle taking place in the regular season.

Second place in the Eastern Conference has been an ongoing battle between the Pittsburgh Penguin, New Jersey Devils and the Buffalo Sabres. While the Sabres have owned the second spot in the conference for the least amount of time, they are still in the mix.

The sports betting in the NHL this season has focused mainly on the Washington Capitals, but second place in the Eastern Conference gives home ice advantage up to the conference finals, and that is something definitely worth fighting for.

The Sabres have already announced that they will more than likely rest superstar goaltender Ryan Miller in their last two games of the regular season. Forward Jochen Hecht is out with an upper body injury and backup goaltender Patrick Lalime will start even though he just got done with a bout of the flu. Winger Thomas Vanek is expected to play the last two games of the season which should give the Sabres some needed scoring punch.

The Devils may continue to play goaltender Martin Brodeur as he has been very hot lately with two shutouts in his last three games, and the Devils need to keep Brodeur’s momentum going. The Devils are extremely happy with their pick up of scoring machine Ilya Kovalchuk, and they may rest him some in these last couple of games to prepare for the playoffs. The Devils other scoring machine Zach Parise may also see limited ice time as the Devils prepare for the playoffs.

There is a lot at stake in these last two games for both teams. Not only are the Devils fighting for second place in the conference, but they are also in a battle with the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins for first place in the Atlantic division. The Devils and the Penguins have identical regular season records and this battle promises to come down to the last game.

The Sabres are a better home team than away team and they would benefit from second place in the conference. The only team they would not have the upper hand with as far as home ice goes is the Capitals. But the Sabres are guaranteed to be no lower than third in the conference as they have clinched the Northeast division. The Devils could fall to fourth if they do not continue to win. These last two games mean a lot to the Devils.

The Sabres are still without Patrick Kaleta, Jochen Hecht and Tim Connolly. Even with those players out of the lineup the Sabres are finding ways to win. But with a queasy Patrick Lalime in net, and the Sabres looking towards the first round of the playoffs, the focus will not be on the New Jersey Devils.

Pick: New Jersey Devils 6-2

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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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.”
Read the rest of this entry »

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 the rest of this entry »