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NHL Eastern Conference Favourites Struggle Early
In the Eastern Conference the perennial contenders are struggling to get to the top but it is always a close battle between the top teams in this divisions.
Opening the season as the 10-1 second favourite to win the Stanley Cup the Washington Capitals they currently are second in their division between a surprising Florida Panthers team. Since opening day the Capitals odds have actually gone down and currently sit at 6-1.
Starting their season as a long shot at 125-1 the Florida Panthers’ odds remain unchanged despite leading their division. The Panthers’ record places them as the 12th to 13th best team in the NHL and leading the division they are fifth best in the Eastern Conference at the time of this writing.
One of the biggest movers in the futures department the Buffalo Sabres opened up the season as a 30-1 shot to win the Stanley Cup but now they have a 10 to 1 shot to hoist the Cup this season. At the moment the Sabres are not in the NHL playoffs but there is plenty of action on this team early.
Although they lead the Eastern Conference in points the New York Rangers are getting no love from the books. Opening as a 30-1 long shot, they remain 30-1 in the season. Looks like doubts linger in the Big Apple.
Since the season began the Ottawa Senators’ odds have skyrocketed. Opening at a healthy 65-1 shot to capture Lord Stanley’s Cup their odds have risen to 150-1, a move that just makes little sense.
Friday Clash Between San Jose Sharks And Vancouver Canucks
The San Jose Sharks got badly outplayed in the third period en route to a Vancouver 7-3 victory after hanging with the Vancouver Canucks for much of game two in the Western Conference Finals.
In NHL Betting lines for Game 3 on Friday the Sharks are a -130 moneyline favorite and the over/under is 5.5.
As Vancouver scored two power play goals to open up a 5-2 advantage in the first half of the period and never looked back, adding two more goals to put up seven totals for the game, Untimely penalties and poor discipline led to San Jose’s demise in the third period.
Game two was a different story for the first two periods while San Jose was badly outplayed in game one of this best of seven series. Although it was erased several minutes later when Daniel Sedin scored for the Canucks with the man advantage, San Jose actually took the early lead on a Logan Couture power play goal. Even though this was when the wheels would fall off for San Jose, heading into the third period the Sharks only trailed Vancouver by one goal.
To see if the Sharks can protect home ice and even the series up now the series heads back to San Jose, who plays in one of the loudest arenas in the league. The Sharks are 4-3 at HP Pavilion during the playoffs. After this weekend, undoubtedly San Jose and their fans hope that record climbs to 6-3. The Sharks will more than likely be looking at a series sweep or being down three games to one heading back to Vancouver for game five, however if San Jose does not do a better job of controlling the Sedin twins, who combined to tally five points last night.
Vancouver Canucks Vs. Nashville Predators – Match Analysis
On Monday night, in NHL Game 6, the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Nashville Predators 2-1. By winning the best of seven series 4-2, Vancouver will now meet the winner between the Detroit Red Wings and the San Jose Sharks.
After finishing on top during the NHL’s regular season, Vancouver began the Cup chase as the 3-1 favorites. The Canucks has not been to a conference final for 17 years.
Roberto Luongo made 23 saves for the Canucks, who last made it to the conference finals in 1994 when they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games to advance to their second Stanley Cup Finals while Mason Raymond and Daniel Sedin had first period goals.
In the second period David Legwand scored. The Predators, who were in the semifinals for the first time in club history after dispatching Anaheim in the first round, Pekka Rinne made 17 saves for them.
Even though a pair of third period goals from Joel Ward helped Nashville win an elimination game for the first time in franchise history, Vancouver had a chance to win the series at home on Saturday. In order to take a 2-0 lead, the Canucks, though, came out on fire and scored two goals less than two minutes apart.
As Ryan Suter turned the puck over in his own end the first goal came at the 7:45 mark. Although Ryan Kesler again got the puck and from behind the left side of the net he centered it for Raymond, who shifted to the backhand and slid the puck in, he grabbed the disc and his first pass attempt was blocked.
On Saturday the Vancouver Canucks’ Western Conference final series will begin.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Philadelphia Flyers – NHL Match Preview
On Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center, the second seeded Philadelphia Flyers will take on the Buffalo Sabres in NHL game seven.
Philadelphia would seem to have the edge at home, once down 3-2. But this season, Buffalo played better on the road. It would help the Flyers’ cause, if Chris Pronger is healthy enough to play full time. In Game 6, he played only on the power play. Since the Sabres’ power play has been better than theirs, the Flyers want to stay out of the penalty box. Philadelphia wants to neutralize Thomas Vanek, Buffalo’s most dangerous scorer, and also must deal with Derek Roy’s return.
Philadelphia’s Brian Boucher scored 3-1, 2.12 goals against average, .935 save percentage and Buffalo’s Ryan Miller scored 3-3, 2.61, .925. Even though Boucher’s solid performance in Game 6 relief would seem to give him the edge to be the Game 7 starter the Flyers have used three goalies. The Sabres have the edge in net in theory.
In the series Buffalo center Brad Boyes, picked up to help the offense, hasn’t registered a point. Philadelphia, C Jeff Carter (knee) won’t play Game 7. Buffalo, Tim Connolly will sit out after being pushed headfirst into the boards in Game 6; Roy (quadriceps) will play for the first time since December, will return to action; RW Jason Pominville (leg) is expected to miss the game; D Shoane Morrison, RW Mike Grier and RW Patrick Kaleta are day to day.
For the Sabres to win, Miller will need to be their best player. For this match, in NHL betting odds, the over is 1.77 and the under is 2.09 while the total is at 1.5.
Sunday Clash Between Detroit Red Wings And Chicago Blackhawks
On Sunday afternoon the Detroit Red Wings will skate into Chicago to face the Blackhawks in what could be a potential first round playoff matchup.
In NHL Odds and NHL Betting, Detroit is at 8-1 to win the Stanley Cup. In NHL free picks the Blackhawks are at 18-1.
For both teams this game will actually be the second of a home and home series to close out the 2010-2011 regular season. When it comes to playoff berths and seeding surprisingly, with only two games remaining for both clubs there is still a lot left to be decided.
With a crucial victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night, Chicago helped its chances of making the playoffs again this year. With four points ahead of Dallas who is in ninth place and on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, that overtime victory puts the Blackhawks in seventh place in the Western Conference. During the weekend series with Detroit, Chicago will really help secure its playoff status with at least one point.
After winning the Central Division last weekend On the other hand, the Red Wings are already locked into a playoff position. The Red Wings have made the postseason for a record twenty years in a row with this year’s playoff berth. In all of the four major sports this streak is also the longest streak for any team.
Detroit still has a chance to jump into the number two seed in the Western Conference, while the Red Wings are gearing up for another long playoff run. In the standings, currently the Red Wings trail San Jose by one point. The Red Wings will need to try their best to win these last two remaining games against Chicago over the weekend if they would like to secure home ice for the first two rounds. In Stanley Cup betting lines the Detroit Red Wings are favorite to win this match.
New York Rangers face Stanley Cup favorite Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday on NBC
In a possible first round playoff matchup, the New York Rangers will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers on Sunday on NBC (12:30 pm ET).
NHL Betting Odds have the Rangers at 35-1 to win the Stanley Cup while the Flyers are at 11-2.
Currently, the Rangers find themselves in a fight for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. New York and Buffalo are tied for the eighth spot with eighty seven points, three points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes. Gaining two points in this contest may be crucial to New York’s chances of surviving the first round of the playoffs.
If the Rangers get matched up against the Flyers, not many people will be expecting the Rangers to win that series, especially after New York has won just one of five games so far this year against Philadelphia.
While this game is obviously important to New York for numerous reasons, the Flyers will be trying to get two points as well to help secure first place in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference. That number one seed will allow Philadelphia to have home ice advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs, where they have 21-11-6 record.
In addition to being in a division race with Pittsburgh, the Flyers are also trying to hold off a red hot Washington team for the best record in the Eastern Conference. With very few games left on the schedule, every chance to gain two points in the standings is amplified.
Weekend Clash Between Philadelphia Flyers And Dallas Stars
This weekend the Philadelphia Flyers will battle against the Dallas Stars. With a 43-19-7 record the Flyers are currently the top team in the Eastern Conference. In the Eastern Conference with a 37-25-8 record, the Stars are sitting in the 7th spot.
According to popular sports betting sites, the Flyers are among the top favorites to win the Stanley Cup at 8-1 in NHL Odds.
They will need a strong finish to ensure that they maintain their positioning, while these teams are in good positioning for the playoffs. In the Western Conference, there are several teams that are within reach of passing the Stars if they are unable to win games as the season comes to a close. With a poor finish meanwhile, the Flyers could lose their spot atop the Eastern Conference.
Even though the Flyers do have some weaknesses that the Stars may be able to exploit, they will certainly be the favorite going into this game. Their defense is not quite as dominant while their offense is among the elite of the NHL. To put the puck in the net early the Stars need to find a way and then collapse back on defense.
If the Flyers just play their normal style, they should be able to take this game. Even though the Stars are really just a middle of the pack team in most offensive and defensive categories, they are solid and they play well in close games.
For this game the Stars will be the home team. While playing at home this season Dallas has a record of 19-11-6. While playing on the road this season the Flyers are 22-9-3. In online free picks the Philadelphia Flyers are favorite to win this match.
Sunday Clash Between New York Rangers And Philadelphia Flyers
In the NHL game of the week, the Philadelphia Flyers traveling to New York to battle against the Rangers in a contest between two Atlantic Division rivals on Sunday.
At 5-1, the Flyers are a top favorite in NHL Future Odds to win the Stanley Cup.
Philadelphia looks like one of the dominant teams in the league poised to make a run at the Stanley Cup as they are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference with a five point lead over Boston. The Rangers are fighting for their playoff lives on a nightly basis while the Flyers continue to cruise through the regular season. New York, currently in seventh place is just three points ahead of Buffalo who is on the outside of the standings looking in and is only one point ahead of Carolina for the eighth playoff spot.
The same way it has all year long, the Rangers hope their strong goaltending and defensive play will carry them through the remaining month and a half of the season. As the Rangers cannot afford to miss any opportunity to gain a point or two in the standings, each game is extremely important for them.
The Philadelphia still have something to play for as the regular season winds down as well while they have their playoff ticket all but punched. As the Flyers are 20-8-3 on home ice this year, earning that number one seed in the Eastern Conference will be a big boost for them. Philadelphia which would secure home ice advantage throughout the playoffs also has a chance to catch Vancouver for the best record in the NHL. As they both try to get those coveted two points, except a hard fought battle between these two teams on Sunday.
Toronto Maple Leafs Will Take On Pittsburgh Penguins This Weekend
This weekend the Toronto Maple Leafs will battle against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Even though the Penguins will be trying to overcome a series of injuries that have recently come up, they have one of the top records in the league at 36-20-5.
While Toronto is at 200-1 in NHL Odds, Pittsburgh, despite its injuries, are at 30-1 to win the Stanley Cup.
The Maple Leafs is currently out of the playoff picture as they are 26-27-7 on the season. If they hope to claw their way back towards relevance, they will need some big wins.
In Chris Kunitz and Sidney Crosby, the Penguins have two injured players. These players will need them to win games, as they are both important to their team. They will need a lot of production from their other players if they hope to walk away from this game with a win, if both of these players are unavailable for this game.
However the Maple Leafs are near .500 on the season, they are not very good offensively or defensively. As the Maple Leafs is the home team, they do play much better while in Toronto which will benefit them in this game. They are 28th in goals per game and 21st in goals allowed per game, this season. If they hope to compete against top level teams like Pittsburgh, they will need to improve on at least one side of the game.
In both goals per game and goals allowed per game, the Penguins are ranked within the top 10 teams in the league. Their penalty kill percentage has been the secret to their great defense. At 87.6 percent, they are tops in the league in that category.
Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames meet outdoors in Heritage Classic
The 2011 Heritage classic will be held Sunday afternoon when the Montreal Canadiens travel to Calgary to take on the Flames. The game will be held at McMahon Stadium, which is located on the campus of the University of Calgary. This will be the second outdoor game of the year for the NHL with the first one being the Winter Classic in Pittsburgh on New Year’s Day.
NHL Odds have not yet been posted but look for the flames to be the favorite with their stellar play of late and a big “home ice” advantage.
Aside from the novelty of playing an outdoor game in Calgary, this game has significant meaning in regards to the league’s standings. Currently, the Flames hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference by only one point over bother Los Angeles and Minnesota. In fact, the Western Conference is so competitive this year that while the Flames are in eighth place right now they are only three points out of third place as well. This fact makes each and every game down the stretch extremely important as every team fights for any points they can get.
Montreal is in a similar situation as Calgary. Right now the Canadiens are in fifth place in the standings, but are tied with Boston for the division lead and could move into third place in the conference with just one more point. With both teams in such tight playoff races every game gains more importance as the season rolls on, making the 2011 Heritage Classic one of the bigger outdoor games in recent years.