NHL Betting Guide

Hockey’s second season begins in earnest as the playoffs are about to begin. Just under one-third of the players seem to think that Washington will bring home the Cup, leaving plenty of room for speculation about the other contenders.

• While Washington is lead by Ovechkin, this is no one man show. Ovetchkin, Semin, and Backstrom combined for 120 goals this season and the Caps led the league on the power play. Oddsmakers tab the Capitals as a 7:2 favorite.
• Chicago has not won the Cup since 1961, and unless the goaltending becomes more solid, this year will be no different. While Kane and Toews have been solid all year, a hot goalie is worth his weight in gold. The odds are 9:2, but don’t look for gold here.
• San Jose added Heatley to complement the play of Thornton, and the decision paid dividends. Throw in a special teams unit that was 3rd on the power play and 5th on the penalty kill and a deep run seems likely. The odds are 11:2, but Nabakov has stamina issues after a long season.
• Vancouver is a 15:2 selection, but the main issue for the Canucks is Luongo in the goal. A good everyday goalie, pressure seems to get to him.
• Pittsburgh is prepared to defend the title with Crosby and Malkin leading the charge. Fleury has been solid in the goal, but power play problems persist. The Penguins finished an unremarkable 19th. The Pens are a surprising 6:1 selection.

Tags: Malkin, Ovechkin, San Jose, Stanley Cup