NHL Playoff Betting – Coyotes vs Red Wings Series Preview & Pick
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2011 WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS | #3 DETROIT RED WINGS vs. #6 PHOENIX COYOTES
Wednesday, April 13 at Detroit, 7:00 p.m. CBC (HD), VERSUS
Saturday, April 16 at Detroit, 1:00 p.m. NBC (HD), CBC (HD)
Monday, April 18 at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m. CBC (HD), VERSUS
Wednesday, April 20 at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m. CBC (HD), VERSUS
*Friday, April 22 at Detroit, 7:00 p.m. CBC (HD), VERSUS
*Sunday, April 24 at Phoenix, TBD CBC (HD)
*Wednesday, April 27 at Detroit, TBD CBC (HD)
Odds to win Staley Cup: Phoenix +3000: Detroit +600
Odds to win series: Phoenix +160: Detroit -200
Season series: Detroit 2-1-1; Phoenix – 1-1-2.
The Detroit Red Wings and the Phoenix Coyotes meet in the first round of the playoffs for the second year in a row – Detroit won in seven hard fought games last season. The Coyotes will enter this series as a huge underdog again but with questions about Detroit’s age and health this could be the year that something drastic happens to the benchmark of NHL franchises – the Wings.
Detroit finished the season with a top 3 offense once again but injuries are a huge question mark for this team. Henrik Zetterberg – Detroit’s leading scorer is likely to miss at least the first game of the playoffs and when he comes back, he’ likely to be less than 100%. Pavel Datsyuk is banged up as well. However, the Wings will have the benefit of two of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL – Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski are elite at their position and give the Wings a huge advantage every time that they are on the ice.
The Wings will go with Jimmy Howard in goal for the playoffs. He was streaky down the stretch. Detroit enters the playoffs 4-4-2 in their last 10 games – the worst record among playoff teams.
Who’d a thunk it? The Coyotes back in the playoffs- primed to make something happen. Despite not having a scorer in the Top 30 this season, Phoenix has maintained a very good offense. They finished with 99 points this year and finished one point shy of a fourth place finish in the Western Conference – amazing!
Offensively the Coyotes are not coming at you with big name talent or big time stats – they had only one 20 goal scorer this season. Mind you, they did have ten players that finished with at least 10 goals.
Ilya Byzgalov is the key to this series – period! If he can weather the Detroit storm the offense can go to work against Detroit’s surprisingly bad defense – the Red Wings finished 21st in goals against averaging over 2.9 goals per game. Bryzgalov loves to be busy – it’s a good thing!
Betting Prediction: This series is all about health and how the old, banged up Wings will handle the rigors of playoff hockey. There is absolutely no quit in the Phoenix team who should give Detroit a serious run for its money.
Detroit has been absolutely miserable on home ice in the second half of the season – they posted a sub-.500 record in their last 27 games at home. The Coyotes have actually been a better road team than they have been a home team this season.
On paper, you’d have to give the offensive edge, the defensive edge, the Special Teams edge and the Coaching edge to the Wings with the Coyotes probably having the better goaltending. I don’t buy it – with Zetterberg less than 100%, the Wings miserable home woes and the fact that the Wings enter the playoffs as the coldest team in the tournament, I think Detroit is prime to be upset. Take the underdog and watch the dismantling in Detroit begin.
Pick: Phoenix Coyotes +160 in 7
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5 replies on “2011 Stanley Cup Playoff Picks – Coyotes vs. Red Wings”
Your an idiot.
Agreed, do you even WATCH hockey?
Thanks for the flattering comments,
It’s easy to look back now and criticize the pick but the fact is that Detroit had one player that was rolling heading into the playoffs – Zetterberg. With him out , with Jimmy Howard giving up goals left and right, and with the Wings performing so badly on home ice, I thought that Ilya Bryzgalov and the boys would fare much better.
The series isn’t over yet but the Wings look awfully good.
Dave B
Lol. This reminds me of the time in grade school when I wrote a book report on the wrong book. Sure. It’s easy for me to write this in hindsight, but it’s still kind of funny to read predictions from “experts” who are completely wrong. Oh well, the weather man does it all the time. Coyotes hopefully next time.
OMZ – nowhere does it say DAVE B is a sports handicapping expert. He has been a Fantasy Football expert and sports writer for Cappers Picks for 10+ years. He is not a pro-sports capper. These articles are OPINION based. You can’t win em all.