NHL Playoffs: Penguins Smart Bet
Sidney Crosby and the Penguins got through the first round by beating the Ottawa Senators in six games. Now Pittsburgh enjoys a little rest before taking on Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals in Round 2. That is assuming Washington can get past the pesky Montreal Canadiens who will host Alex and his pals for Game 6 on Monday evening. The puck drops at the Bell Centre in Montreal at 7 p.m. on Versus.
At +500 to win the Stanley Cup, the Pittsburgh Penguins are a smart futures bet.
The defending Cup champion Penguins finished off the Ottawa Senators with a 4-3 overtime win as -165 favorites in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series on Saturday night, and are looking ahead to the second round.
Pittsburgh wasn’t dominant in its series with Ottawa, but it came up with big plays at the right times to dispatch the Senators. The Pens’ three road wins in the best-of-seven set certainly bodes well in their quest for a repeat.
Sidney Crosby was impressive in the first round; he leads the postseason with five goals and nine assists for 14 points. Crosby is also third in the playoffs with a +7 rating despite going -3 in Game 6 against the Sens.
With Crosby at the top of his game, it’s easy to like the Pens at their current price to win the Cup outright. Especially with some of the other contenders showing some serious flaws in the first round.
The Washington Capitals remain the chalk to lift the Cup in June at +250, but they could be fool’s gold. The Capitals lead the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in their East first round set heading into Monday night’s Game 6 at the Bell Centre, but there’s little value in them.
Oddsmakers have Washington as -190 favorites to finish off Montreal (+165), but you shouldn’t be surprised if the Caps can’t close the deal. Facing elimination on Friday night at the Verizon Center, the Canadiens trimmed the Capitals 2-1 as +320 underdogs.
If Washington can’t find any consistency against an eight seed like Montreal, how can it get past the likes of Pittsburgh – or the Western Conference representative in the Cup final? The Caps simply have too many defensive lapses to be considered a good play on the futures board or against the moneyline.
If Alex Ovechkin’s team gets past the Habs as expected, they’ll face the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round. In the other East quarterfinal, the Boston Bruins have a 3-2 series lead against the Buffalo Sabres, with Game 6 set for Monday night at TD Garden.
The Bruins are -135 faves against the Sabres (+115); Game 7, if necessary is scheduled for Wednesday night back in Buffalo.
While the Capitals are giving bettors pause in the East, the San Jose Sharks are up to their old tricks as the top seed in the Western Conference.
The Sharks (+500 to win the Cup) have made a habit of choking in the playoffs in recent years, and they could be headed down the same road despite taking down the Colorado Avalanche in six games.
San Jose won 5-2 as -170 chalk in Game 6 at Pepsi Center on Saturday night, but bettors have to be concerned with the performance of its big guns in the first round. The Sharks scored 19 goals in their series with the Avalanche, but only one of those markers came from the top line of Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, and Patrick Marleau.
San Jose meets the lowest remaining seed in the second round, and that team could be the Nashville Predators, who trail the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in their first round series.
Game 6 goes Monday night at the Bridgestone Center, and sportsbooks like the Blackhawks to send the Predators packing.
Chicago is priced as a -155 favorite for the matchup, while Nashville (+135) presents value as a moneyline pup. If needed, Game 7 of the series is slated for the United Center on Wednesday night.
A more likely second round opponent for the Sharks is the Detroit Red Wings or Phoenix Coyotes. Phoenix (+190) forced a Game 7 on Tuesday night at Jobing.com Arena with a 5-2 win at Joe Louis Arena on Sunday afternoon to put itself in the drivers’ seat against Detroit.
The Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round with a 4-2 win as -130 faves over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday night. Vancouver defeated Los Angeles in six games, and would meet Chicago in the second round should the Hawks get past the Preds.
Sidney Crosby and the Penguins got through the first round by beating the Ottawa Senators in six games. Now Pittsburgh enjoys a little rest before taking on Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals in Round 2. That is assuming Washington can get past the pesky Montreal Canadiens who will host Alex and his pals for Game 6 on Monday evening. The puck drops at the Bell Centre in Montreal at 7 p.m. on Versus.
At +500 to win the Stanley Cup, the Pittsburgh Penguins are a smart futures bet.
The defending Cup champion Penguins finished off the Ottawa Senators with a 4-3 overtime win as -165 favorites in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series on Saturday night, and are looking ahead to the second round.
Pittsburgh wasn’t dominant in its series with Ottawa, but it came up with big plays at the right times to dispatch the Senators. The Pens’ three road wins in the best-of-seven set certainly bodes well in their quest for a repeat.
Sidney Crosby was impressive in the first round; he leads the postseason with five goals and nine assists for 14 points. Crosby is also third in the playoffs with a +7 rating despite going -3 in Game 6 against the Sens.
With Crosby at the top of his game, it’s easy to like the Pens at their current price to win the Cup outright. Especially with some of the other contenders showing some serious flaws in the first round.
The Washington Capitals remain the chalk to lift the Cup in June at +250, but they could be fool’s gold. The Capitals lead the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in their East first round set heading into Monday night’s Game 6 at the Bell Centre, but there’s little value in them.
Oddsmakers have Washington as -190 favorites to finish off Montreal (+165), but you shouldn’t be surprised if the Caps can’t close the deal. Facing elimination on Friday night at the Verizon Center, the Canadiens trimmed the Capitals 2-1 as +320 underdogs.
If Washington can’t find any consistency against an eight seed like Montreal, how can it get past the likes of Pittsburgh – or the Western Conference representative in the Cup final? The Caps simply have too many defensive lapses to be considered a good play on the futures board or against the moneyline.
If Alex Ovechkin’s team gets past the Habs as expected, they’ll face the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round. In the other East quarterfinal, the Boston Bruins have a 3-2 series lead against the Buffalo Sabres, with Game 6 set for Monday night at TD Garden.
The Bruins are -135 faves against the Sabres (+115); Game 7, if necessary is scheduled for Wednesday night back in Buffalo.
While the Capitals are giving bettors pause in the East, the San Jose Sharks are up to their old tricks as the top seed in the Western Conference.
The Sharks (+500 to win the Cup) have made a habit of choking in the playoffs in recent years, and they could be headed down the same road despite taking down the Colorado Avalanche in six games.
San Jose won 5-2 as -170 chalk in Game 6 at Pepsi Center on Saturday night, but bettors have to be concerned with the performance of its big guns in the first round. The Sharks scored 19 goals in their series with the Avalanche, but only one of those markers came from the top line of Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, and Patrick Marleau.
San Jose meets the lowest remaining seed in the second round, and that team could be the Nashville Predators, who trail the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in their first round series.
Game 6 goes Monday night at the Bridgestone Center, and sportsbooks like the Blackhawks to send the Predators packing.
Chicago is priced as a -155 favorite for the matchup, while Nashville (+135) presents value as a moneyline pup. If needed, Game 7 of the series is slated for the United Center on Wednesday night.
A more likely second round opponent for the Sharks is the Detroit Red Wings or Phoenix Coyotes. Phoenix (+190) forced a Game 7 on Tuesday night at Jobing.com Arena with a 5-2 win at Joe Louis Arena on Sunday afternoon to put itself in the drivers’ seat against Detroit.
The Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round with a 4-2 win as -130 faves over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday night. Vancouver defeated Los Angeles in six games, and would meet Chicago in the second round should the Hawks get past the Preds.
