NHL Betting – Eastern Conferences futures odds/predictions
NHL odds are already telling us something just one week into the season. Looking at the East, the projected powerhouses look even stronger than expected while some middle-of-the-pack teams suddenly look like bottom dwellers. Let’s have a look at Eastern Conference futures, ranked in our projected order of finish.
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1. Philadelphia Flyers (+300 to win)
Through one week, the Flyers are, well, flying. We knew they had tremendous forward depth with Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Daniel Briere, Simon Gagne and so on. We knew Chris Pronger would bolster the blueline. The biggest surprise has been Matt Carle’s outstanding work alongside Pronger and Ray Emery’s mostly solid play in goal. These guys have a chance to post the NHL’s best record.
2. Washington Capitals (+300 to win)
The Capitals are by no means the NHL’s most complete team; their blueline lacks physicality and talent after Mike Green, and their goaltending situation is still murky, with neither Simeon Varlamov nor Jose Theodore stepping up. But these guys can skate and score like no one else and play in a weak division that will pad their record.
3. Boston Bruins (+500 to win)
So they aren’t exploding out of the gate. Relax. The Bruins are very strong up front thanks to their big group of forechecking wingers led by Milan Lucic and Blake Wheeler. Tim Thomas will find his groove in net and Tuukka Rask is among the league’s best backups; Zdeno Chara is still a stalwart on the blueline. The Northeast still belongs to Boston.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins (+250 to win)
After winning a Cup, the Pens are more likely to coast through the regular season, so I’d avoid their sportsbook odds to win the East. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin alone are enough to keep the Pens serious contenders, however.
5. New Jersey Devils (+1300 to win)
The Devils will stymie opponents with Jacques Lemaire, pioneer of the neutral zone trap, back behind the bench. However, after the Devils’succeeded with a more offensive approach last season, players like Zach Parise could suffer an identity crisis.
6. Carolina Hurricanes (+1400 to win)
Though they’re aging quickly, the Hurricanes still have one of the NHL’s best forward groups, as the likes of Eric Staal, Tuomo Ruutu and Ray Whitney give them a nice blend of size, speed and playmaking ability. Erik Cole’s broken leg stings, however, and the Carolina never seems to have any depth on defense. Cam Ward remains one of the league’s premier big-game goalies.
7. Ottawa Senators (+2500 to win)
Addition by subtraction is the name of the game in Canada’s capital this season. The Sens lost Dany Heatley but added Alex Kovalev, Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo. Improved depth should mean an improved result for Ottawa, who also may have solved its goalie woes with Pascal Leclaire.
8. Montreal Canadiens (+2000 to win)
The Habs are mediocre, so you shouldn’t pounce on their hockey odds, but their speed up front will create plenty of mismatches against teams with big, slow defensemen. The Habs will score enough to squeak into the playoffs as a No. 8 seed but will lose in the first round again.
9. New York Rangers
10. Florida Panthers
11. Toronto Maple Leafs
12. Buffalo Sabres
13. Atlanta Thrashers
14. Tampa Bay Lightning
15. New York Islanders
Betting services projection to place first in East: Philadelphia Flyers
Betting services pick to win Eastern Conference Final: Boston Bruins
One reply on “Betting Futures: 2009-2010 NHL Eastern Conference”
The Flyers are off to a hot start which has not always been the case with this team. Goaltending will always be a concern as the season wears on, but they are about as solid all around as they have been in years.