NHL Betting: Rangers off to profitable start
NHL Betting: Rangers off to profitable start
The New York Rangers are flying out of the gate to start the 2008-09 season, winning their first five games, including two against the Tampa Bay Lightning across the pond in Prague to start the campaign. Henrik Lundqvist has been strong in goal, stopping 94 of the first 99 shots his way to lead the Blue Shirts. Meanwhile the Colorado Avalanche and Anaheim Ducks each stand at 0-3.
The New York Rangers were perfect after the first full week of the 2008-09 NHL season. So were the Edmonton Oilers, even though the Rangers have four more wins.
That’s life in the new NHL. The schedule is a bit of a mess because of the season opening early in Europe. The Rangers, who beat Tampa Bay twice in Prague before returning stateside, are 5-0 and 3.65 units up on the puckline. The Oilers, meanwhile, have only played once, beating Colorado 3-2 on Sunday before embarking on a West Coast trip. Edmonton was a -126 chalk at home against the betting odds.
Phoenix, Minnesota and Buffalo are also undefeated at 2-0. That’s not much to write home about. The San Jose Sharks, on the other hand, are getting plenty of ink after starting the season at 4-0 and 3.83 units ATS. Playing a home-and-home against lowly Los Angeles helped the Sharks immensely; they outscored the Kings 4-1 over the weekend.
The Rangers (15-1) and the Sharks (10-1) started the season as viable contenders for the Stanley Cup, so they’re both off on the right Bauer. So are the Montreal Canadiens (10-1), who sit at 2-0-1 after opening with a successful three-game road trip. The Habs cashed in on the puckline all three times to lead the league with 4.27 units ATS.
Early results are also good for the two defending conference champions. The Detroit Red Wings (4-1 favorites to win another Cup) have won two of three, while the Pittsburgh Penguins (11-2, the shortest odds in the East) are 2-1-1. It hasn’t been quite the start Pittsburgh was looking for, though. Traveling to Stockholm and back in the first week has taken some of the zazz out of an offense that is already missing Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney on the power play.
The only two teams yet to pick up a point are the aforementioned Avalanche and the Anaheim Ducks, each sitting at 0-3. These were two playoff teams last year, and the Ducks were 12-1 to win their second Stanley Cup in three seasons.
“We’re just not where we need to be mentally,” defenseman Scott Niedermayer told the Los Angeles Times after losing 4-2 to Phoenix in Sunday night’s home opener.
Each of Colorado’s losses was by a single goal, but that’s not making anyone feel better about the play of Peter Budaj. He’s allowed 13 goals in three games with a .824 save percentage. The Avalanche miss Jose Theodore, although he’s only managed an .842 save percentage for his new employers, the 2-1 Washington Capitals. Completing the offseason goalie carousel, ex-Caps netminder Cristobal Huet has an .893 save percentage in two games as the Chicago Blackhawks start the season at 0-2-1.
Boston at Montreal
Wednesday, Oct 15, 7:30 p.m. (ET) TSN/RDS in Canada
There’s no way I’m going to miss the best hockey rivalry of this generation. The Bell Centre has soaked up some of the atmosphere from the old Montreal Forum; the Habs are a strong franchise again, and sell-out crowds of over 21,000 fans have been on hand every night since the lockout ended. They’ll be cursing a blue streak at the hated Bruins in both of Canada’s official languages.
This is the year we find out if Habs GM Bob Gainey made the right choice last year by trading Huet to Colorado in midseason and elevating rookie Carey Price to the No. 1 job. Price had a shaky moment here and there during the playoffs, but Montreal still eliminated the Bruins in seven games. Now Price has a .941 save percentage after two games of the new season; Boston (1-1) has already allowed eight goals, with Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez taking turns getting shelled.
Montreal is a -170 chalk in Wednesday night’s matchup with a total of 5½ goals. The over is a combined 4-1 on the season for the two Original Six rivals.
The New York Rangers are flying out of the gate to start the 2008-09 season, winning their first five games, including two against the Tampa Bay Lightning across the pond in Prague to start the campaign. Henrik Lundqvist has been strong in goal, stopping 94 of the first 99 shots his way to lead the Blue Shirts. Meanwhile the Colorado Avalanche and Anaheim Ducks each stand at 0-3.
The New York Rangers were perfect after the first full week of the 2008-09 NHL season. So were the Edmonton Oilers, even though the Rangers have four more wins.
That’s life in the new NHL. The schedule is a bit of a mess because of the season opening early in Europe. The Rangers, who beat Tampa Bay twice in Prague before returning stateside, are 5-0 and 3.65 units up on the puckline. The Oilers, meanwhile, have only played once, beating Colorado 3-2 on Sunday before embarking on a West Coast trip. Edmonton was a -126 chalk at home against the betting odds.
Phoenix, Minnesota and Buffalo are also undefeated at 2-0. That’s not much to write home about. The San Jose Sharks, on the other hand, are getting plenty of ink after starting the season at 4-0 and 3.83 units ATS. Playing a home-and-home against lowly Los Angeles helped the Sharks immensely; they outscored the Kings 4-1 over the weekend.
The Rangers (15-1) and the Sharks (10-1) started the season as viable contenders for the Stanley Cup, so they’re both off on the right Bauer. So are the Montreal Canadiens (10-1), who sit at 2-0-1 after opening with a successful three-game road trip. The Habs cashed in on the puckline all three times to lead the league with 4.27 units ATS.
Early results are also good for the two defending conference champions. The Detroit Red Wings (4-1 favorites to win another Cup) have won two of three, while the Pittsburgh Penguins (11-2, the shortest odds in the East) are 2-1-1. It hasn’t been quite the start Pittsburgh was looking for, though. Traveling to Stockholm and back in the first week has taken some of the zazz out of an offense that is already missing Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney on the power play.
The only two teams yet to pick up a point are the aforementioned Avalanche and the Anaheim Ducks, each sitting at 0-3. These were two playoff teams last year, and the Ducks were 12-1 to win their second Stanley Cup in three seasons.
“We’re just not where we need to be mentally,” defenseman Scott Niedermayer told the Los Angeles Times after losing 4-2 to Phoenix in Sunday night’s home opener.
Each of Colorado’s losses was by a single goal, but that’s not making anyone feel better about the play of Peter Budaj. He’s allowed 13 goals in three games with a .824 save percentage. The Avalanche miss Jose Theodore, although he’s only managed an .842 save percentage for his new employers, the 2-1 Washington Capitals. Completing the offseason goalie carousel, ex-Caps netminder Cristobal Huet has an .893 save percentage in two games as the Chicago Blackhawks start the season at 0-2-1.
Boston at Montreal
Wednesday, Oct 15, 7:30 p.m. (ET) TSN/RDS in Canada
There’s no way I’m going to miss the best hockey rivalry of this generation. The Bell Centre has soaked up some of the atmosphere from the old Montreal Forum; the Habs are a strong franchise again, and sell-out crowds of over 21,000 fans have been on hand every night since the lockout ended. They’ll be cursing a blue streak at the hated Bruins in both of Canada’s official languages.
This is the year we find out if Habs GM Bob Gainey made the right choice last year by trading Huet to Colorado in midseason and elevating rookie Carey Price to the No. 1 job. Price had a shaky moment here and there during the playoffs, but Montreal still eliminated the Bruins in seven games. Now Price has a .941 save percentage after two games of the new season; Boston (1-1) has already allowed eight goals, with Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez taking turns getting shelled.
Montreal is a -170 chalk in Wednesday night’s matchup with a total of 5½ goals. The over is a combined 4-1 on the season for the two Original Six rivals.