Penguins testing odds with Marc-Andre Fleury's return
There's controversy brewing between the pipes in Pittsburgh after Brent Johnson's work in the net helped the Penguins salvage a slow start to the NHL betting campaign. Johnson has been the goalie in all four Pens wins, with Marc-Andre Fleury winless in his three efforts. Fleury will reportedly be back minding the net Thursday against the Predators in Nashville. Could another loss push him back to the bench?
Is Brent Johnson the true savior of hockey in Pittsburgh?
Perhaps not. Johnson’s picture won’t be replacing Mario Lemieux’s around the Consol Energy Center anytime soon. And he won’t be replacing Marc-Andre Fleury as the No. 1 net minder for the Penguins – at least, not yet.
Johnson has won three in a row, but Fleury will reportedly get the start Thursday night (8:00 p.m. ET) as the Pens visit the Nashville Predators in what should be a competitive matchup. Each side was priced at -104 at press time.
As we mentioned last week in this space, Fleury (last in the NHL with an .853 save percentage) was not the only man to blame for Pittsburgh suffering three losses in his three starts. But Johnson (.950 SV%) was certainly instrumental in leading the Penguins to four wins in his four starts.
The offense has woken up as well, scoring five goals against the Philadelphia Flyers (-154 at home) and another five against the Ottawa Senators (+150 away) in back-to-back victories. Until Fleury proves differently, the Penguins have to be considered poor value when their marquee goaltender starts instead of his understudy.
Pittsburgh isn’t the only team in this quandary – and yes, it is folly to write off any goaltender after just a handful of games. But you still have Roberto Luongo (.888 SV%) losing five of his six starts for the Vancouver Canucks, while Cory Schneider (.974 SV%) beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 in his first start of the season, cashing in the Canucks as -162 home faves. The Canucks are holding steady at 12-1 on the Stanley Cup betting odds, but Vancouver has been a burial ground for goaltenders over the past decade, and Luongo could be next.
Meanwhile, remember that guy that won the Vezina Trophy two years ago? Tim Thomas (.979 SV%) appears to have already won back his starting job with the Boston Bruins after earning three wins in three starts. Tuukka Rask (.889 SV%) has yet to play since losing the season opener 5-2 to the Phoenix Coyotes (+115 away). Boston’s recent success with Thomas between the pipes is even more impressive considering the B’s opened October with a pair of exhibition games in Europe. No transcontinental jetlag for these guys.
Backup goaltenders played a huge role in the success of the New York Islanders last year – success from a betting standpoint, that is. The Islanders relied heavily on Dwayne Roloson last year while No. 1 Rick DiPietro was shelved with knee problems, and Roloson helped the Islanders go 53-28 against the puck line for 11.64 units in earnings.
The Isles are doing it again this year at 6-0 ATS after six games, good for a quick 6.05 units, but it’s Roloson (.942 SV%) outperforming DiPietro (.869 SV%) after three games apiece. No word yet at press time which goalie would get the nod Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning (-148 at home).
While we’re dealing with small sample sizes, we may as well declare the Montreal Canadiens correct in their decision to go with Carey Price (.914 SV%) as their No. 1 goalie instead of Jaroslav Halak (.909 SV%), now with the St. Louis Blues. The Canadiens have gotten very little out of center Lars Eller (zero points, minus-2 in five game), one of two prospects the Blues sent to Montreal for Halak, but at least Price is showing signs of living up to his promise as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft. The Habs are 3-0-1 since losing the season opener to the Toronto Maple Leafs (–154 at home).
Finally, let’s go ahead and defuse whatever lingering concerns there were over Marty Turco in Chicago. He’s won four straight games for the Blackhawks, improving his save percentage to .929, while Cup winner Antti Niemi (.879 SV%) has lost two of his three starts for his new employers, the San Jose Sharks.
San Jose’s Stanley Cup odds have fallen from 8-1 at the open to 12-1. Maybe they can get Arturs Irbe’s agent on the phone.
There's controversy brewing between the pipes in Pittsburgh after Brent Johnson's work in the net helped the Penguins salvage a slow start to the NHL betting campaign. Johnson has been the goalie in all four Pens wins, with Marc-Andre Fleury winless in his three efforts. Fleury will reportedly be back minding the net Thursday against the Predators in Nashville. Could another loss push him back to the bench?
Is Brent Johnson the true savior of hockey in Pittsburgh?
Perhaps not. Johnson’s picture won’t be replacing Mario Lemieux’s around the Consol Energy Center anytime soon. And he won’t be replacing Marc-Andre Fleury as the No. 1 net minder for the Penguins – at least, not yet.
Johnson has won three in a row, but Fleury will reportedly get the start Thursday night (8:00 p.m. ET) as the Pens visit the Nashville Predators in what should be a competitive matchup. Each side was priced at -104 at press time.
As we mentioned last week in this space, Fleury (last in the NHL with an .853 save percentage) was not the only man to blame for Pittsburgh suffering three losses in his three starts. But Johnson (.950 SV%) was certainly instrumental in leading the Penguins to four wins in his four starts.
The offense has woken up as well, scoring five goals against the Philadelphia Flyers (-154 at home) and another five against the Ottawa Senators (+150 away) in back-to-back victories. Until Fleury proves differently, the Penguins have to be considered poor value when their marquee goaltender starts instead of his understudy.
Pittsburgh isn’t the only team in this quandary – and yes, it is folly to write off any goaltender after just a handful of games. But you still have Roberto Luongo (.888 SV%) losing five of his six starts for the Vancouver Canucks, while Cory Schneider (.974 SV%) beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 in his first start of the season, cashing in the Canucks as -162 home faves. The Canucks are holding steady at 12-1 on the Stanley Cup betting odds, but Vancouver has been a burial ground for goaltenders over the past decade, and Luongo could be next.
Meanwhile, remember that guy that won the Vezina Trophy two years ago? Tim Thomas (.979 SV%) appears to have already won back his starting job with the Boston Bruins after earning three wins in three starts. Tuukka Rask (.889 SV%) has yet to play since losing the season opener 5-2 to the Phoenix Coyotes (+115 away). Boston’s recent success with Thomas between the pipes is even more impressive considering the B’s opened October with a pair of exhibition games in Europe. No transcontinental jetlag for these guys.
Backup goaltenders played a huge role in the success of the New York Islanders last year – success from a betting standpoint, that is. The Islanders relied heavily on Dwayne Roloson last year while No. 1 Rick DiPietro was shelved with knee problems, and Roloson helped the Islanders go 53-28 against the puck line for 11.64 units in earnings.
The Isles are doing it again this year at 6-0 ATS after six games, good for a quick 6.05 units, but it’s Roloson (.942 SV%) outperforming DiPietro (.869 SV%) after three games apiece. No word yet at press time which goalie would get the nod Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning (-148 at home).
While we’re dealing with small sample sizes, we may as well declare the Montreal Canadiens correct in their decision to go with Carey Price (.914 SV%) as their No. 1 goalie instead of Jaroslav Halak (.909 SV%), now with the St. Louis Blues. The Canadiens have gotten very little out of center Lars Eller (zero points, minus-2 in five game), one of two prospects the Blues sent to Montreal for Halak, but at least Price is showing signs of living up to his promise as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft. The Habs are 3-0-1 since losing the season opener to the Toronto Maple Leafs (–154 at home).
Finally, let’s go ahead and defuse whatever lingering concerns there were over Marty Turco in Chicago. He’s won four straight games for the Blackhawks, improving his save percentage to .929, while Cup winner Antti Niemi (.879 SV%) has lost two of his three starts for his new employers, the San Jose Sharks.
San Jose’s Stanley Cup odds have fallen from 8-1 at the open to 12-1. Maybe they can get Arturs Irbe’s agent on the phone.