Early season betting focus on goalies
Early season betting focus on goalies
The importance of goaltenders can't be overstated, and shakeups between the pipes and in futures odds are already taking place. Ottawa has replaced Martin Gerber and San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov is on thin ice.
And just like that, Martin Gerber was out of a job.
The Ottawa Senators lost 3-1 to the Florida Panthers (+197) last Wednesday, and Gerber lost his starting position in net to Alex Auld after pulling a leg muscle during Friday’s skate. That’s not the change we need. The Sens have lost two of three to fall to 3-5-1, although three of those losses were by a single goal. Ottawa has already dipped from 15-1 on the Stanley Cup betting odds to 20-1; that’s just a taste of what’s to come unless a solution is found between the pipes.
You only have to drive a couple of hours East to see the difference a quality goaltender makes. Carey Price’s star continues to rise for the Montreal Canadiens, who are 6-1-1 after eight games and rocketing from 10-1 to 5-1 on the Cup futures market. Price has a .932 save percentage and the Habs lead the league in goal differential at +1.25.
Head south down I-87, and you’ll find the New York Rangers creeping up the odds list from 15-1 to 13-1. They lead the league with 19 points on a record of 9-2-1, but the Blueshirts have played 12 games, two more than anyone else. Any way you slice it, New York is money right now at 4.85 units in the black and 6-6 ATS. Nikolai Zherdev is celebrating his escape from the Columbus Blue Jackets with 10 points in 12 games and a league-leading plus-9.
It’s been a strong start for the Eastern Conference, but the cream of the crop is still out West. And we’ll see the two best Western teams go at it on Thursday night.
Detroit Red Wings at San Jose Sharks
Thursday, Oct 30, 10:30 p.m. ET
The defending Cup champions – and 9-2 favorites to repeat – are up to their usual tricks at 7-1-1, winning their last five games in a row. But it hasn’t been easy. Five of those wins were by a one-goal margin, leaving Detroit at just 2-7 against the puckline and 3.84 units in the red. The Wings are not getting their usual stellar goaltending from Chris Osgood (.884 save percentage), but the addition of winger Marian Hossa (five goals, seven assists) has made up for it at the other end. The over is on a six-game streak for the Winged Wheel.
Down in the Shark Tank, San Jose starting netminder Evgeni Nabokov has an unsightly .877 save percentage. But the story is different for the 8-2 Sharks – their defense is covering up Nabokov’s blemishes by holding opponents to just 23 shots per game, the lowest in the league. Backup Brian Boucher has two shutouts in two starts.
The Sharks defense is saving the day on offense, too. Blueliners Dan Boyle and Christian Ehrhoff are tied with Patrick Marleau for the team lead with nine points, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic has chipped in seven. They’ve added enough scoring punch to put San Jose sixth overall at 3.2 goals per game; their goal differential of +0.90 is fourth, while Detroit’s +0.56 differential ranks No. 6.
Detroit will be playing its second of back-to-back games and fifth in seven days, having travelled through Chicago, Los Angeles and Anaheim to get to the Tank. The Sharks have been at home since blanking Tampa Bay (+110) 3-0 on Saturday, and have played just once since then, allowing just 11 shots on goal in Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Pittsburgh (+152). That’s two unders in a row on a 5-4 season.
The Wings are still without D Chris Chelios (broken leg), which partly explains Osgood’s troubles. Worse, C Johan Franzen is out 3-4 weeks after spraining his ankle Saturday versus the Blackhawks. Franzen had five goals in eight games for Detroit, following up on his 13 goals in 16 playoff games last season – a hot streak that was also snapped by injury. The Red Wings have a lot of depth at these positions, but they’re still going into San Jose tired and at less than full capacity against the healthy and rested Sharks.
The importance of goaltenders can't be overstated, and shakeups between the pipes and in futures odds are already taking place. Ottawa has replaced Martin Gerber and San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov is on thin ice.
And just like that, Martin Gerber was out of a job.
The Ottawa Senators lost 3-1 to the Florida Panthers (+197) last Wednesday, and Gerber lost his starting position in net to Alex Auld after pulling a leg muscle during Friday’s skate. That’s not the change we need. The Sens have lost two of three to fall to 3-5-1, although three of those losses were by a single goal. Ottawa has already dipped from 15-1 on the Stanley Cup betting odds to 20-1; that’s just a taste of what’s to come unless a solution is found between the pipes.
You only have to drive a couple of hours East to see the difference a quality goaltender makes. Carey Price’s star continues to rise for the Montreal Canadiens, who are 6-1-1 after eight games and rocketing from 10-1 to 5-1 on the Cup futures market. Price has a .932 save percentage and the Habs lead the league in goal differential at +1.25.
Head south down I-87, and you’ll find the New York Rangers creeping up the odds list from 15-1 to 13-1. They lead the league with 19 points on a record of 9-2-1, but the Blueshirts have played 12 games, two more than anyone else. Any way you slice it, New York is money right now at 4.85 units in the black and 6-6 ATS. Nikolai Zherdev is celebrating his escape from the Columbus Blue Jackets with 10 points in 12 games and a league-leading plus-9.
It’s been a strong start for the Eastern Conference, but the cream of the crop is still out West. And we’ll see the two best Western teams go at it on Thursday night.
Detroit Red Wings at San Jose Sharks
Thursday, Oct 30, 10:30 p.m. ET
The defending Cup champions – and 9-2 favorites to repeat – are up to their usual tricks at 7-1-1, winning their last five games in a row. But it hasn’t been easy. Five of those wins were by a one-goal margin, leaving Detroit at just 2-7 against the puckline and 3.84 units in the red. The Wings are not getting their usual stellar goaltending from Chris Osgood (.884 save percentage), but the addition of winger Marian Hossa (five goals, seven assists) has made up for it at the other end. The over is on a six-game streak for the Winged Wheel.
Down in the Shark Tank, San Jose starting netminder Evgeni Nabokov has an unsightly .877 save percentage. But the story is different for the 8-2 Sharks – their defense is covering up Nabokov’s blemishes by holding opponents to just 23 shots per game, the lowest in the league. Backup Brian Boucher has two shutouts in two starts.
The Sharks defense is saving the day on offense, too. Blueliners Dan Boyle and Christian Ehrhoff are tied with Patrick Marleau for the team lead with nine points, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic has chipped in seven. They’ve added enough scoring punch to put San Jose sixth overall at 3.2 goals per game; their goal differential of +0.90 is fourth, while Detroit’s +0.56 differential ranks No. 6.
Detroit will be playing its second of back-to-back games and fifth in seven days, having travelled through Chicago, Los Angeles and Anaheim to get to the Tank. The Sharks have been at home since blanking Tampa Bay (+110) 3-0 on Saturday, and have played just once since then, allowing just 11 shots on goal in Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Pittsburgh (+152). That’s two unders in a row on a 5-4 season.
The Wings are still without D Chris Chelios (broken leg), which partly explains Osgood’s troubles. Worse, C Johan Franzen is out 3-4 weeks after spraining his ankle Saturday versus the Blackhawks. Franzen had five goals in eight games for Detroit, following up on his 13 goals in 16 playoff games last season – a hot streak that was also snapped by injury. The Red Wings have a lot of depth at these positions, but they’re still going into San Jose tired and at less than full capacity against the healthy and rested Sharks.