NHL Betting Season Opens In Finland
The 2010-11 NHL betting campaign gets underway in Helsinki today when the Wild and Hurricanes battle. North American season openers include the Flyers on the Penguins' new ice in Pittsburgh.
The puck drops on the 2010-11 NHL regular season on Thursday with five games, and it couldn’t come at a better time for handicappers.
The MLB playoffs are an exciting time for sharps and squares alike, but the overall volume of wagers available has gone down with only eight teams vying for the World Series.
The bulk of the football schedule doesn’t go down until the weekend, so the beginning of the hockey season is a welcome addition to the betting odds board.
The Hurricanes and Wild kick off the season with a ‘home-and-home’ series in Helsinki, as Finnish sensation Mikko Koivu leads Minnesota against Carolina. The crowd will be behind their native son, but bettors should have their eyes on the ‘Canes. Carolina was a basement dweller last season, but it quietly racked up 51 points in the second half – second only to Washington.
If the Hurricanes are anything like the team that finished last season, they should play ‘over’ their 86.5 season point total.
Expect the Wild to pay more attention to defense this season. After dumping Jacques Lemaire in favor of Todd Richards, Minny sunk from second to 21st in goals against.
The Penguins open up brand-new Consol Energy Arena when they hit the ice against the rival Flyers.
Sidney Crosby is dealing with a hip flexor, but he’ll be in the lineup. The Pens are expected to start the season with Evgeni Malkin on Crosby’s right wing.
Jordan Staal (foot) is out for Pittsburgh, while Chris Pronger is still recovering from knee surgery and is doubtful for the opener for the Flyers.
Brian Boucher will likely be between the pipes for Philly after Michael Leighton hurt his lower back in the preseason.
The Penguins are pumped to get out of the Igloo, but Flyers backers are just as pleased. Pittsburgh has cashed in 17 of its last 21 home games against Philadelphia.
The Canadiens will be without their two best players when they face off against the Maple Leafs. Andrei Markov (knee surgery) won’t be back until later in the month, while Mike Cammalleri will serve a 1-game suspension.
All eyes are on Carey Price, who was given the net after playoff hero Jaroslav Halak was shipped to St. Louis following Montreal’s trip to the Eastern Conference final. Price, though, is day-to-day with flu-like symptoms.
You can’t deny how tight these Original Six rivals played each other last season. The Habs and Leafs split six meetings in 2009-10, and five of those contests went to overtime or a shootout.
In addition to a play on the puckline underdog, consider the ‘over’ on the total. The teams are 8-2-1 O/U in their last 11 meetings at Air Canada Centre.
The Oilers were the worst team in hockey last season, and it was evident in the Battle of Alberta. The Flames took all six meetings last season, and are 9-1 against the NHL money line in their last 10 against Edmonton dating back to 2008-09.
There’s a serious youth movement in Edmonton led by first overall draft pick Taylor Hall, Magnus Paajarvi, and Jordan Eberle, but don’t expect results right away, especially against a physical club like Calgary.
That said, the Flames are living in a land of make-believe. Calgary was dead last with 204 goals for last season, but instead of an overhaul it brought back former Flames Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay.
What Calgary really needs is a playmaking centreman for Jarome Iginla. Brendan Morrison, who was cut by Vancouver just last week, was brought in on the eve of the regular season to fill the role.
The Blackhawks sustained a serious loss of depth to get under the salary cap in the offseason, but they’re still among the league’s elite.
Chicago begins defense of its Stanley Cup title against the Avalanche, who have question marks of their own heading into the season.
Colorado made a 26-point improvement in the standings to make a killing for sharp bettors last season, but it barely made the playoffs after fading down the stretch.
Thing is, the Avs could take a step back before they take another step forward. Colorado got even younger after dumping Darcy Tucker, Marek Svatos, Brett Clark, Stephane Yelle, and Ruslan Salei.
Last edited by SBR Jonelyn; 04-15-15 at 02:59 PM.
Reason: image does not exist
SBR Top-Rated Sportsbooks
NHL Betting Season Opens In Finland
Reply With Quote