Posted
on 01/30/2008 8:45 APM
By: CappersPicks.com NHL Hockey
Handicapping Staff
NHL Betting: Super Bowl Style Awards
Rick Nash, Sidney Crosby, Ilya Bryzgalov
and Claude Julien are your winners
Jan. 29, 2008
By Jason Brough
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer
Now that the NHL all-star break is behind
us, it's time for the playoff stretch drive.
But first, some awards. And in the spirit
of the big football game on Sunday, let's
do it with a Super Bowl theme.
The Eli Manning
Trophy for "pulling
it together"
And the winner is... Columbus Blue Jackets
forward Rick Nash.
Like the New
York Giants' quarterback, Nash has been
plagued with bouts of inconsistency during
his career. In 2003-04 – his
second season in the NHL – he scored
41 goals. Those were the good times. Then
came the lockout, and then came the injuries.
The year after the work stoppage, Nash was
sidelined for most of the first half of the
season, though he still managed 31 goals
in 54 games. Last year, however, his goal
production fell dramatically when he scored
just 27 times in 75 games.
This season, Nash is filling the net at
the highest rate of his career. He already
has 26 goals in 49 games and is on pace for
42. Also noteworthy is his improved defensive
play. A career -65, he's breaking even in
the plus-minus department this year. Not
to mention, on Jan. 17 at Phoenix, he scored
what most are calling the goal of the year
when he turned both Coyotes' defensemen inside
out and potted the game winner with 22 seconds
remaining.
"It just seemed like the puck was on
a string," Nash said. "I made a
couple of dekes and the puck just stayed
with me."
To top off a sublime first half of the season,
Nash just happened to be the deadliest shooter
in Sunday's All-Star Game in Atlanta, notching
three goals for the showcase's only hat trick.
Columbus Blue Jackets' odds to win the Stanley
Cup: 50/1
The Tom Brady
Award for "highest ankle
sprain"
And the winner is... Pittsburgh Penguins
forward Sidney Crosby.
The high ankle sprain is a curious injury.
In the case of the New England Patriots'
quarterback, all it needs to heal is a walking
boot for a day. For hockey's biggest star,
it means missing six to eight weeks.
Crosby hurt himself on Jan. 18 when he crashed
into the end boards during a game against
the Tampa Bay Lightning. Then (and still)
leading the team with 63 points in 46 games,
the injury had many believing that the Pens'
playoff hopes were dashed, if not severely
impaired.
Apparently, many didn't count on Evgeni
Malkin.
Pittsburgh's other superstar has stepped
up big time in the captain's absence. Malkin
has four goals in the three games the Pens
have played without Crosby, and with a win
and overtime loss, the team has taken three
points out of a possible six.
"[Malkin]'s been handling [Crosby's
absence] very well so far," said teammate
Sergei Gonchar. "It seems like he's
up for the challenge. He's playing well.
It's not going to be easy. In my opinion
he's ready for it and he's doing a good job."
Crosby concurs: "When
things are more desperate, when [Malkin]
knows he's being depended on a little more,
he's got that extra jump."
Pittsburgh
Penguins’ odds to win the
Stanley Cup: 10/1
The Randy
Moss Prize for "best change
of scenery"
And the winner is... Phoenix Coyotes goalie
Ilya Bryzgalov.
Sometimes a fresh start is all a player
needs. For Bryzgalov, it just wasn't working
in Anaheim. He started the first four games
of last season's Stanley Cup run and then
watched J.S. Giguere take over for the rest.
On Nov. 16, 2007, Bryzgalov was placed on
waivers and picked up by Phoenix. His first
game with the Coyotes came the next night
in Los Angeles, a 1-0 win for his third career
shutout.
It wasn't just a one-shot deal, either.
Bryzgalov has gone 17-10-2 with Phoenix and
is a big reason coach Wayne Gretzky's squad
has a legitimate shot at making the postseason
for the first time since the 2001-02 campaign.
"I like it here," said Bryzgalov. "I
feel very comfortable with the coaches, management.
I think it's a great place. It's a young
team. I think we have a bright future. It's
my decision that I want to be a part of that."
Bryzgalov's
words didn’t come out
of nowhere; they were in response to the
Coyotes rewarding their newfound starter
with a $12.75 million, three-year contract.
"He makes our team better and he makes
our franchise stronger," Gretzky said.
Phoenix Coyotes' odds to win the Stanley
Cup: 70/1
The Laurence
Tynes Medal for "third
time's the charm"
And the winner is... Boston Bruins coach
Claude Julien.
He lasted parts
of three seasons in Montreal and only got
one year in New Jersey. Now, in his third
stint as an NHL head coach – this
time with the Boston Bruins – Julien
might have found a more permanent home. A
winner of seven of 11 and sitting seventh
in the Eastern Conference, Boston is poised
to make the playoffs for the first time since
the lockout.
Seventh place might not seem like an overly
impressive accomplishment, but you have to
consider that the Bruins have been without
Patrice Bergeron since Oct. 27 and Glenn
Murray hasn't played in over a month. Last
year, Bergeron and Murray finished second
and third, respectively, behind Marc Savard
in team scoring. The Bruins, meanwhile, finished
last in the Northeast, 13th in the conference,
with a 35-41-6 record.
Out went Dave Lewis, in came Julien.
"He's very sharp... on top of things," defenseman
Zdeno Chara told The Gazette (Montreal) about
his coach. "He has brought accountability.
You've got to be responsible. He's strict,
pays attention to details and has a good
sense of what this team needs."
Boston Bruins' odds to win the Stanley Cup:
35/1
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