There will always be hockey, and there will always be hockey betting.
Sure, they might eventually have to contract a team here and there, or move them from the Sun Belt back to smaller Canadian markets. But the NHL has entrenched its place among North America’s four major pro sports leagues. The Winter Classic has been an absolute success, labor costs are down after the 2004-05 lockout, and league attendance last year was virtually identical to the NBA.
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Sportsbook bettors probably feel like they were just wagering on Game 7 between Detroit and Pittsburgh last week but, believe it or not, that was over three months ago. The NHL is back and it’s time to break down the top five favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Who will disappoint? Who will surprise? Who will raise Lord Stanley’s mug?
Stanley Cup betting has reached his climax, as Detroit and Pittsburgh are ready to drop the puck on Game 7, which takes place at Joe Louis Arena on Friday night.
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Offshore sportsbook odds are backing the Red Wings to win their fifth Stanley Cup in 12 years, but the Penguins aren’t going to go down without a fight.
Game 6 – Tuesday, June 9 @ 8:00 p.m. ET
Stanley Cup betting lines: Red Wings +110, Penguins -130
Whoa, daddy. The Pens were the sports wagering underdogs in Game 5, but few NHL betting fans saw the 5-0 massacre coming.
Game 5 – Saturday, June 6 at 8:00 p.m. ET
NHL betting favorite: Red Wings -155
From a potential sweep to a classic – that’s the type of turnaround we’ve seen in Stanley Cup betting over the last couple of games. The Red Wings are tiring, struggling to keep up with the bigger, younger, more physical Pens.
In Saturday’s boxing betting lines, Nikolay Valuev gets his rematch against Ruslan Chagaev. Brock Lesnar gets another shot at Frank Mir in UFC 100 come July. Now, the Pittsburgh Penguins get a chance for revenge against the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final odds.
Most hockey betting fans are likely irritated to no end at the NHL’s strange scheduling of the Conference Final matchups, but there’s a silver lining to the big gaps between action; those betting NHL have more time to prep their NHL picks. Let’s break down Thursday’s and Friday’s NHL lines.
The L.A. Lakers, Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals; those are the teams that early Sportsbook.com bettors expect to bring home the cash on a Friday night packed with big games across the board.
The NBA and NHL Playoffs continue all weekend and with 45 Major League Baseball games, there are hundreds of ways to make money this weekend, whether it’s betting on game lines, totals or props.
If the Stanley Cup playoffs don’t really get started until one of the favorites gets bounced, then consider the NHL postseason off and running. The eighth-seeded Anaheim Ducks stunned the San Jose Sharks in six games in the first round behind goaltender Jonas Hiller, and now face the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference semifinal.
Give the people what they want.
Commissioner Gary Bettman has gotten mixed reviews since he took over the NHL’s top job in 1993. His legacy includes two work stoppages, getting and losing TV deals with FOX and ESPN, and aggressive expansion (some would say over-expansion) into the United States. But all is forgotten when the puck drops on a game that people care about.
It’s time to foil up.
Yes, so the 1977 Paul Newman film Slap Shot remains the enduring image of hockey to many American sports fans. As far as they’re concerned, it’s either all about the fighting, or it’s a joke because of the fighting.
Whether it’s sheer luck or if there is really something to it, Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Evgeni Malkin always seems to pick up his game when his parents come to visit from Russia.
Last season when they were in town Malkin who scored 106 points, picked up 15 points in five games.
If everything goes according to plan this week then New Jersey Devils veteran goalie Martin Brodeur will ironically enough have a chance this Saturday in Montreal to tie Patrick Roy’s record for all time wins by an NHL goalie.
In what can be summed up as taking a huge risk, the Montreal Canadiens made a major shakeup on Monday when they fired head coach Guy Carbonneau with only 16 games to go and replacing him with current general manager Bob Gainey.
Just when the NHL betting playoff picture looks like it’s taking shape, crazy things start happening. The Flames win the trade deadline and are suddenly rubbing shoulders with the elite. The Habs and Rangers show a bit of fight. Most of all, the Penguins – written off by many online betting fans as recently as two weeks ago – are the hottest team in the league.
You know what they say, NHL betting fans: you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. So you can’t teach Martin Brodeur to, uh, not…stop…pucks. OK, it’s a bad analogy. But it’s Monday, so gimme a break.
