DiPietro set to return to ice for New York Islanders
With half of the NHL season behind us, the Chicago Blackhawks sit at the top of the charts with 63 points and their Stanley Cup odds dropping almost as fast as the thermometers this time of year. One of the nicest surprises, at least for those bettors backing them so far, has been the New York Islanders who are nearly 11 units in the black and about to get a nice lift with the return of goalie Rick DiPietro who has been out for more than a year.
The 2009-10 NHL season is already half over. And leading the pack? None other than the Chicago Blackhawks with 63 points (30-10-3, 10.52 units).
The Blackhawks were a tasty preseason pick to win the Stanley Cup at 12-1; now they’re 5-1, behind only the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins (27-16-1, -9.48 units) at 9-2. Sounds like an epic Stanley Cup final in the making.
Let’s get the second half rolling with our latest betting-friendly tour around the NHL.
Rick Rolled
The New York Islanders (18-18-8, 10.60 units) have been one of the most pleasant surprises on the handicapping scene this year. They’re one point out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as we go to press, and they’re about to get some help between the pipes with the return of Rick DiPietro.
The former No. 1 overall pick is back with the Islanders after missing over a year to knee surgery and should get the start at some point this weekend.
The Isles prepared for DiPietro’s extended absence by picking up goaltenders Dwayne Roloson (.912 save percentage) and Martin Biron (.900 SV%) during the offseason. Roloson got the lion’s share of the work and should stick with the team.
Biron’s job status is shaky after picking up the loss in 11 of his 13 starts – seven of those losses by a single goal, which is why New York is 29-14 against the puckline this year. We’ll see how the betting market reacts when DiPietro (.905 SV% lifetime) laces them up.
Thumbs Down
After a slow start, the Boston Bruins (22-13-7, 2.74 units) have clawed their way back to profitability with six wins in their last eight games, including a 2-1 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Winter Classic.
But some bad news on the injury front: Patrice Bergeron (the team leader with 31 points in 41 games) is out for two weeks with a broken right thumb. And Boston’s defensive depth took a hit when Andrew Ference (20:10 of ice time per game) was knocked out of Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators (-113) with an undisclosed injury.
Bergeron is the big story here. The B’s have had trouble scoring this year, ranking No. 25 in the NHL with 2.52 goals per game. The 'under' is on a six-game streak to improve to 26-16 on the season.
Milan Lucic (17 goals in 72 games last year) is on the shelf for another week with a sprained ankle. It’s a tight spot for the Bruins as they prepare to host the aforementioned Blackhawks Thursday night (7:00 p.m. ET, NESN). The early betting odds favor Chicago at -135 with a total of five goals.
Stall Out Indefinitely
As if things couldn’t get any worse for the last-place Carolina Hurricanes (11-23-7, -17.49 units). Eric Staal (27 points in 31 games, also tops on his team) was given an indefinite leave of absence Wednesday after the death of his sister-in-law.
Staal is Carolina’s top player, like Bergeron a Canadian Olympian and an alternate captain for his NHL team. Carolina is last in the league in scoring at 2.41 goals per game.
It’s been a rough start to 2010 for the Hurricanes. Wingers Sergei Samsonov (seven goals in 37 games) and Scott Walker (three goals in 32 games) both suffered upper-body injuries last week.
Walker needed surgery on his shoulder on Tuesday and is out 4-6 weeks; Samsonov could return this weekend, but is expected to miss Thursday’s game in Nashville against the Predators (25-15-3, 15.20 units). Nashville is pegged at -175 with a total of 5 ½ goals.
Predators fans, meanwhile, are hopeful that their top scorer will be back in the lineup Thursday night. However, coach Barry Trotz says that Martin Erat (14 goals in 37 games) is more likely to make his return on Saturday after missing the last three games with a strained knee. Nashville is No. 14 in the league this year with 2.74 goals per game.
With half of the NHL season behind us, the Chicago Blackhawks sit at the top of the charts with 63 points and their Stanley Cup odds dropping almost as fast as the thermometers this time of year. One of the nicest surprises, at least for those bettors backing them so far, has been the New York Islanders who are nearly 11 units in the black and about to get a nice lift with the return of goalie Rick DiPietro who has been out for more than a year.
The 2009-10 NHL season is already half over. And leading the pack? None other than the Chicago Blackhawks with 63 points (30-10-3, 10.52 units).
The Blackhawks were a tasty preseason pick to win the Stanley Cup at 12-1; now they’re 5-1, behind only the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins (27-16-1, -9.48 units) at 9-2. Sounds like an epic Stanley Cup final in the making.
Let’s get the second half rolling with our latest betting-friendly tour around the NHL.
Rick Rolled
The New York Islanders (18-18-8, 10.60 units) have been one of the most pleasant surprises on the handicapping scene this year. They’re one point out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as we go to press, and they’re about to get some help between the pipes with the return of Rick DiPietro.
The former No. 1 overall pick is back with the Islanders after missing over a year to knee surgery and should get the start at some point this weekend.
The Isles prepared for DiPietro’s extended absence by picking up goaltenders Dwayne Roloson (.912 save percentage) and Martin Biron (.900 SV%) during the offseason. Roloson got the lion’s share of the work and should stick with the team.
Biron’s job status is shaky after picking up the loss in 11 of his 13 starts – seven of those losses by a single goal, which is why New York is 29-14 against the puckline this year. We’ll see how the betting market reacts when DiPietro (.905 SV% lifetime) laces them up.
Thumbs Down
After a slow start, the Boston Bruins (22-13-7, 2.74 units) have clawed their way back to profitability with six wins in their last eight games, including a 2-1 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Winter Classic.
But some bad news on the injury front: Patrice Bergeron (the team leader with 31 points in 41 games) is out for two weeks with a broken right thumb. And Boston’s defensive depth took a hit when Andrew Ference (20:10 of ice time per game) was knocked out of Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators (-113) with an undisclosed injury.
Bergeron is the big story here. The B’s have had trouble scoring this year, ranking No. 25 in the NHL with 2.52 goals per game. The 'under' is on a six-game streak to improve to 26-16 on the season.
Milan Lucic (17 goals in 72 games last year) is on the shelf for another week with a sprained ankle. It’s a tight spot for the Bruins as they prepare to host the aforementioned Blackhawks Thursday night (7:00 p.m. ET, NESN). The early betting odds favor Chicago at -135 with a total of five goals.
Stall Out Indefinitely
As if things couldn’t get any worse for the last-place Carolina Hurricanes (11-23-7, -17.49 units). Eric Staal (27 points in 31 games, also tops on his team) was given an indefinite leave of absence Wednesday after the death of his sister-in-law.
Staal is Carolina’s top player, like Bergeron a Canadian Olympian and an alternate captain for his NHL team. Carolina is last in the league in scoring at 2.41 goals per game.
It’s been a rough start to 2010 for the Hurricanes. Wingers Sergei Samsonov (seven goals in 37 games) and Scott Walker (three goals in 32 games) both suffered upper-body injuries last week.
Walker needed surgery on his shoulder on Tuesday and is out 4-6 weeks; Samsonov could return this weekend, but is expected to miss Thursday’s game in Nashville against the Predators (25-15-3, 15.20 units). Nashville is pegged at -175 with a total of 5 ½ goals.
Predators fans, meanwhile, are hopeful that their top scorer will be back in the lineup Thursday night. However, coach Barry Trotz says that Martin Erat (14 goals in 37 games) is more likely to make his return on Saturday after missing the last three games with a strained knee. Nashville is No. 14 in the league this year with 2.74 goals per game.
