The Penguins look to stay undefeated on Thursday night as they host the Dallas Stars in Pittsburgh. So far the Penguins have out shot it’s first two opponents 80-54. The trio of Sidney Crosby. Chris Kunitz, and Patric Hornqvist gives the Penguins a solid first line. After two games the Penguins are the highest scoring team in the league at 5.5 goals per game. That stat alone I believe is what has caused the Penguins to be such a favorite in this spot.
Meanwhile, Dallas Stars comes into this game 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh. The Stars were a preseason dark horse to do some damage in the Western Conference this season after they acquired Jason SPezza and Ales Hemsky from the Ottawa Senators and despite sitting at 1-1-1 on the year those expectations are still sky high. The Stars can score with anyone in the league and they will have to do so in order to beat the Sidney Crosby lead Penguins. The Stars have one goal on eight power-play opportunities but could break out against a Penguins squad that has surrendered five goals on 11 power-play chances. I believe in this spot the Stars are way undervalued opening at Dallas Stars 2.50. Here are the current odds at a few sites. 5dimes 2.54/Pinnacle 2.49/SportsInteractions 2.55
75 % of all Off-Shore bettors are on the Penguins tonight with 25% backing the Stars. Notice even with those percentages the lines have not moved all that much. Best of luck!
Play: Dallas Stars 2.54 @5dimes
**Hey guys, Niko here. I ran the picks here at NHLBettingTips.com for the past few years, but I’m now adding my picks at my main site SportsBettingCanadian.ca so check that out if you enjoyed my picks from last year. I’m going to be doing my same type of break down picks at Sports Betting Canadian, so if you’re into longer readups and game analysis check me out over there.
NHL Betting Tips is going to try a more analytical approach this year, so I’m introducing Brandon who will be posting his picks this year which he is making using line movement trends to make “smart money plays” he will explain more about the theory behind his plays in each of his posts. SportsInsights.com is a great resource for those of you interested in getting a program that follows the line movements, etc.
Either way it will be fun to see which of us has a better record through the season! Brandon will keep his record posted in each upcoming post as well. But that’s enough I’ll let Brandon get to his pick tonight…..
Edmonton Oilers @ Arizona Coyotes
Edmonton has not started their season out as they had hoped coming in 0-3. With tonight’s game they complete their three game road trip in Arizona. On Tuesday, the Oilers lost 6-1 to the Kings. Viktor Fasth got the start at goalie for the Oilers and allowed three goals on 11 shots before leaving in the first period with a groin injury. Ben Scrivens took over and gave up the other three on 15 shots. They clearly have issues currently at the goaltender position. Also, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, is out for the game with an undisclosed injury.
Meanwhile, Arizona starts Mike Smith at goalie who did give up four first period goals to Winnipeg last Thursday. However, Smith is 8-0-1 with a 2.29 goals-against average in his last 10 starts against the Oilers. This game will come down to who has the better goalie play and I’m more than willing to back Arizona in this spot. 5dimes opened this line at Arizona (-170) and currently is at (-210) with 55% off all off-shore bettors
Play: Coyotes ML 1.513 @ 5Dimes.eu
Enjoy the game and good luck!
Hey what’s up? My name is Brandon Coppinger or as my friends call me Cop. I’m from the mean streets of Goodlettsville, TN. I cut my teeth in gambling at the young age of 5 at the dog tracks. When I turned 10 I built my retirement fund off of horse racing, also known as the sport of kings. At the age of 15, not only did I start breaking hearts, but I started betting on sports and have never looked back. I love to win at life and love to pick winners. I encourage you all to call, text, or email all of your friends and tell them that this site is what life is all about. You gambling on sports because you want to win money right? Follow me every single day and I will build you a bankroll so high, that your life style will change forever. We are all on the same team and are job is to beat the man that is giving us the action (5dimes, Pinnacle, Sports Interaction). Enjoy the ride and enjoy the picks.
The NHL is back and fully underway with a huge slew of games tonight. I’m excited and ready to start the season off with some big profits.
Let’s get right to it.
Montreal Canadiens @ Washington Capitals
The Habs won a big game in Toronto last night and they should carry that momentum into Washington. Both teams in the Habs vs Leafs game looked rusty at times, so having that game under their belts will be good heading into tonight’s. I also don’t think the usual fatigue that back-to-back games can cause will play a factor this early in the season.
Look for the Habs to beat a Capitals team that is still getting used to a new system under head coach Barry Trotz.
Play: Montreal Canadiens 2.20 (5Dimes)
New Jersey Devils @ Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers are likely to have trouble scoring early in the season again because Claude Giroux doesn’t seem to be at his best just yet. The Flyers lost 2-1 to Boston last night and I expect another low scoring game in this one. I like the Devils and their revamped roster heading into tonight’s game, but I’m going to take the puckline because I think this will be a tight game and I’m worried about both teams offensive abilities.
Play: New Jersey Devils +1.5 1.36 (Sports Interaction)
Boston Bruins @ Detroit Red Wings
The Bruins played last night and you will notice a trend of me taking most of the teams who are in back-to-back situations. The extra game should also help the Bruins because they have a meaningful game under their belts. Add in the fact that I think the Red Wings are overrated heading into this season and you have a solid bet on the Bruins here.
Play: Boston Bruins 1.885 (5Dimes)
Ottawa Senators @ Nashville Predators
I think the Sens are being drastically underrated heading into the season. They will be a solid team this year that I expect to make the playoffs. On the other hand the Preds don’t have the offensive talent to score goals in this league and they are also weak at the back end. They will need Rinne to play very well if they are going to win games this season.
I also don’t think the Preds will be as good now that Trotz isn’t behind their bench.
Play: Ottawa Senators 2.23 (5Dimes)
Calgary Flames @ Edmonton Oilers
Once again I’m taking the team that played last night. The Flames looked decent in a loss to the Canucks and they are just a more ready team for this game in Edmonton. The Oilers have not seemed to really get a set roster formed except for their top line and this tweaking could hurt them heading into the season. I’m not going to be taking the Flames too much this season, but tonight I like them as fairly big dogs.
Play: Calgary Flames 2.35 (5Dimes)
The NHL season starts in about a months time and some of the more Canadian focussed online sportsbooks that I use have now added Divisional Winners futures bets. I’m going to go through each of the 4 divisions in this post and give you my favourite and least favourite picks based on the odds from each division.
I’m using odds from both Bodog.eu and SportsInteraction.com.
Atlantic Division
- Boston Bruins 2.75
- Tampa Bay Lightning 5.01
- Montreal Canadiens 5.51
- Detroit Red Wings 7.01
- Toronto Maple Leafs 9.00
- Ottawa Senators 11.00
- Buffalo Sabres 17.00
- Florida Panthers 17.00
The Atlantic Division has become one of the weakest in the league over the last few years. The Bruins ran away with this division last year. They finished with 117 points and the next highest was the Lightning with 101. I don’t expect them to have a 16 point gap again this year, but looking at the other teams the Bruins at 2.75 to win the division is great value.
The Red Wings at 7.01 is a sucker bet in my opinion. The Red Wings do have some young guys coming up that should help the team, but the core is continuing to get older. They snuck into the playoffs last year and I expect them to be a bubble team again this year. They won’t be able to maintain an elite level over the course of the entire season so at 6/1 they are my least favourite bet.
Central Division
- Chicago Blackhawks 2.75
- St. Louis Blues 4.00
- Colorado Avalanche 6.50
- Minnesota Wild 6.50
- Dallas Stars 9.00
- Nashville Predators 13.00
- Winnipeg Jets 13.00
The Central Division is just a power house and I think any of those top 5 teams could realistically win the division. I have to give the best value in my opinion to the Stars at 9.00 odds. They’ve added Spezza and Hemsky, which could help them this year. They are really a wild card in my opinion, but I think they will at least take another step forward this year with Seguin and Benn leading the way.
Honourable mention to the Blues who are always a very strong regular season team.
I would steer clear of the Preds and Jets at 13.00 each. Neither team has a shot at winning this division with so many other power houses to compete with. And 12/1 is nowhere near enough to roll the dice on either of these teams.
Metropolitan Division
- Pittsburgh Penguins 3.25
- New York Rangers 4.51
- Philadelphia Flyers 6.53
- Columbus Blue Jackets 7.52
- Washington Capitals 8.02
- New Jersey Devils 10.00
- Carolina Hurricanes 13.00
- New York Islanders 13.00
I like the Devils at 10.00 here. The Devils could have easily found themsevles in the playoffs last year if their shootout record wasn’t an atrocious 0-13. The additions of Mike Cammaleri and Martin Havlat should also help the Devils offensively and giving the reigns to Cory Schneider in net could pay major dividends if he’s able to maintain his stellar play throughout the year. At 9/1 the Devils definitely have a shot of winning this division.
An honourable mention to the Capitals at 8.02. If Barry Trotz can work his magic and get Ovechkin and Green to play defense they might have a shot at winning more games this year.
I would steer clear of the Flyers at 6.53. They found a way to make the playoffs last year, but their lack of depth should prevent them from having a great regular season. The loss of Scott Hartnell could also hurt them more than anticipated. I would put the Flyers at #5 in this division.
Pacific Division
- LA Kings 2.76
- Anaheim Ducks 3.75
- San Jose Sharks 5.50
- Vancouver Canucks 9.00
- Edmonton Oilers 10.00
- Arizona Coyotes 11.00
- Calgary Flames 15.00
I like the Ducks to maintain their Pacific Division crown this year. The Kings are never able to maintain their playoff level over an 82 game season and the Stanley Cup hangover could affect their point total this year as well. The Sharks have also opted to somewhat blow up their team with the loss of Dan Boyle and Marty Havlat. The Sharks should still compete for the division crown, but I expect the Boyle loss could hurt them in the regular season.
The Ducks will have a few spots to fill with the losses of Selanne, Koivu, Bonino, Sbisa, Robidas, Perreault and Winnik, but adding Kesler, Nate Thompson and Dany Heatley should fill those voids. The Ducks have probably the best tandem in the league with Getzlaf and Perry, and if Heatley can find some of his old scoring touch on the wing with those guys it could be a fierce line. Kesler will be an upgrade from Koivu at the second line center position, but the Ducks will have to look within their organization to fill some of the other spots. That said at odds of 3.75 they are my favourite bet to win this division.
I would steer clear of the Alberta teams. Edmonton always comes into the season with fairly high expectations and every year they not only fail to meet them, but finish as the worst team in the West. This year the Oilers and Flames will likely once again be the bottom teams in the Pacific so I would steer clear of betting on them regardless of the price.
This is primarily a post for our Canadian visitors. Online sportsbook Bodog.eu currently has playoff qualification props up for every NHL team from Canada. Basically you can bet on whether each Canadian team will either make the playoffs or not.
I’m going to take a look at the odds being given for every Canadian team and then make my prediction.
First of all I would like to point out that the juice on each of these bets is very high. This fact, along with the reality that you will be locking up your funds for over half a year, leads me to recommend that you don’t place any of these bets. This is more or less just a fun post for me to do in the summertime when there isn’t a lot of NHL betting action to write about.
Here are the standings from last year if you’d like to reference them.
Montreal Canadiens To Make Playoffs?
The Canadiens easily made the playoffs last year and they should be able to build upon their successful season and playoffs by once again getting into the post season. I would be very shocked if the Habs missed the 2015 playoffs.
Ottawa Senators To Make Playoffs?
The Senators had an off year last season and still only missed the playoffs by 5 points. I expect the Sens to come back much better next season and play a more hard working, defense first style of play that got them into the playoffs in 2013. The loss of Spezza shouldn’t hurt them much either because they are also getting rid of his poor plus/minus. I like the Sens to get into the playoffs in one of the lower seeded slots.
Toronto Maple Leafs To Make Playoffs?
The Maple Leafs never make the playoffs, except in shortened seasons so why start now. I don’t think the Leafs will make the playoffs. They always find a way to lose late in the season and end up with a horrible record. They were 9 points out last year.
Calgary Flames To Make Playoffs?
The Flames will not make the playoffs. They are probably the worst team in the league (maybe Buffalo), but they would need everything to go right for them to have a shot at making the post season.
Edmonton Oilers To Make Playoffs?
I do expect the Oilers to take a small step forward this season, but that will just be enough to keep them from the Western Conference basement. They still have a lot of learning and growing to do before they can realistically make a push towards the playoffs. I think the culture in Edmonton is just a losing one and that doesn’t change over night.
Vancouver Canucks To Make Playoffs?
The Canucks had a rough season last year, but I don’t think they have the team to compete at the top of the Western Conference anymore. Now that the NHL changed divisions as well the Canucks are no longer in a horrible division where they can earn extra points to put them near the top of the league. Sure, they still have Edmonton and Calgary to feast on, but Anaheim, San Jose and LA are some of the best teams in the league.
Winnipeg Jets To Make Playoffs?
I’m surprised Winnipeg is being given a smaller chance at the playoffs than the Oilers, but I still don’t think they will be making it this year. They were 7 points out last year and all the other teams in the West seem to keep improving while the 4 Canadian teams sit at the bottom of the standings. The four Western Conference Canadian teams finished 11th through 14th in the West last year and I expect a similar result this time around.
These odds might not be up for that long. Check them out at Bodog.eu to see the changes and to find different NHL props this off season.
The 2014 NHL Awards will be handed out tomorrow. You can catch the action at 7pm EST on CBC or NBCSN as the award ceremony will be shown live from Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas. I also suggest checking out the NHL.com Awards page to get up to date on all the awards stories from the past few weeks and to keep up with the winners tomorrow night.
The Wynn Casino in Vegas always ranks high in reviews of casinos online and it will no doubt be a classy environment for the 2014 NHL Awards.
But let’s get right to it. I will go through all of the awards below, add the odds I found online from Bodog.eu and bold my picks in the odds list!
Hart Memorial Trophy
- Sidney Crosby 1.01
- Ryan Getzlaf 13.00
- Claude Giroux 26.00
You can’t be a bigger favourite that Crosby is for the Hart Memorial Trophy this year. It’s almost a guarantee that he will win. I’ll just say it’s a good thing that the voting doesn’t take into account playoff performance.
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
- Ryan O’Reilly 1.15
- Patrick Marleau 6.00
- Martin St. Louis 15.00
The Lady Byng trophy is supposed to be an award that goes to a player who combines sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct with a high level of hockey. This basically just ends up meaning any player with 65+ points who barely got any penalties all season. O’Reilly fits the bill as he had his best season yet and only picked up 1 minor penalty. Marleau’s 16 minutes are just too many.
Vezina Trophy
- Tuukka Rask 1.50
- Semyon Varlamov 2.90
- Ben Bishop 10.00
Bishop’s strong numbers on a team that actually still gave up quite a few goals is impressive to me. I think he is a dark horse here and could be a good bet at 10.00 odds.
Calder Trophy
- Nathan MacKinnon 1.06
- Ondrej Palat 12.00
- Tyler Johnson 13.00
MacKinnon is the obvious choice here. The top draft picks always get a small boost in the voting for these awards and Palat and Johnson also might have harmed each others chances by being on the same team. In the end MacKinnon also had the most points with 63, which will definitely play a factor.
Norris Trophy
- Duncan Keith 1.40
- Zdeno Chara 3.75
- Shea Weber 7.50
Keith’s production dipped a little bit near the end of the year, but I still think he did enough to win this award. His 61 points were only second to Karlsson’s 74 for defensemen and he was a +22. Weber was a -2, which will hurt him in the voting and Chara only had 40 points which will hurt him. Whether voters look at +/- or point production Keith is near the top of both categories.
Jack Adams Award
- Patrick Roy 1.17
- Mike Babcock 6.00
- Jon Cooper 11.00
I personally don’t like this award because coaches with strong teams pretty much just can’t win it. It’s the award for doing the most with the least and although I do think Roy has the upper hand for completely turning the Avs around and winning the Central Division over St. Louis and Chicago, some voters may look at Detroit’s depleted lineup and say making the playoffs with that team was more impressive. Just because of the odds I’m taking Babcock in this one.
Frank J. Selke Trophy
- Patrice Bergeron 1.29
- Anze Kopitar 3.75
- Jonathan Toews 16.00
Bergeron was a ridiculout +38 this year to finish second in the league and has now come 1st, 6th and 2nd in that category over the past 3 years. Kopitar was a +34 this year on a Kings team that was only +32 compared to the Bruins being +84. I think Bergeron’s reputation may get him this award, but there is a definite case to be made for Kopitar and he also had a stronger offensive season than Bergeron.
Once again, head over to Bodog.eu to place your bets on any of these awards.
This is a post to say congratulations to the LA Kings for winning the 2014-15 Stanley Cup. Alec Martinez scored in double overtime on Friday night to clinch the series in 5 games for the Kings on home ice. Justin Williams was named the Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP after finishing third in scoring with 25 points, the majority of these coming in very crucial games and situations. I felt like the MVP could go to either Justin Williams or Drew Doughty, but I’m happy for Williams as Doughty will likely have a few more opportunities to add a Conn Smythe trophy to his collection.
Contrast from 2014 to 2012
There is a huge difference between the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup runs for the Kings. In 2012 the Kings steam rolled through the playoffs losing just 4 games en route to winning the Stanley Cup. They never faced an elimination game and never trailed in a series. In 2014 they actually set the record for most games played to win the Stanley Cup with 26 games played in these playoffs. They were 7-0 in elimination games and found themselves trailing in every series except for the Stanley Cup Finals. It was a far different win and one that could be that much more gratifying for the team and their fans.
LA Kings Chances in 2015
Bet365.com already has the Stanley Cup odds up for 2014-15 and the LA Kings are right with Pittsburgh with 9/1 odds to win the 2015 Stanley Cup. The Chicago Blackhawks at 7/1 and Boston Bruins at 15/2 are the only two teams being given a better shot than the Kings next season.
I like the Kings at 9/1 odds. From top to bottom they have an amazing team and they have most of their key guys under contract. The only players who aren’t signed for next season are Dwight King, Marian Gaborik, Willie Mitchell and Matt Greene. Even if the Kings aren’t able to sign these players Lombardi has shown a great ability to add players during the season to put the team in a position to win. The addition of Marian Gaborik this season for Matt Frattin and a couple of picks paid huge dividends in the playoffs with Gaborik scoring 14 goals to lead the playoffs. Two years back Jeff Carter was the weapon that was added at the deadline and he played a big role that year and an even bigger role this time around. The Kings have a ton of depth, star power in Kopitar, Doughty, Carter and more and a top quality goaltender in Quick who has now won the Cup twice.
Other News and Offseason Bets
In other news the NBA season has also finished with the San Antonio Spurs defeating the defending champs in 5 games and showing that age is just a number. The Heat are the favourites again next year though with their odds currently set at 11/4 before we even know if Lebron, Wade or Bosh will be back with the Heat next season. If you’re into basketball betting I suggest checking out www.BasketballBetting.co.uk through the summer to keep up to date on potential NBA bets.
I’ll be adding posts less often over the summer months, but check back often for my thoughts on several prop betting opportunities such as draft selection props, free agents and more. Have a good summer!
I forgot to get my game 4 pick up at this website, but I did take the Rangers over at my Sports Betting Canadian site. In my series pick for the Cup Finals I had the Kings winning the series 4-1 and after the Rangers won game 4, with a big performance from Henrik Lundqvist this prediction could very well come true.
Here is the game 4 recap:
2014 NHL Playoff Record: 22-17 for +3.76 units.
Rangers @ Kings Game 5
Henrik Lundqvist stood on his head in game 4 like he was expected to turning away 40 of 41 shots en route to a big 2-1 win for the Rangers. He will have to be just as good, if not better in game 5 in Los Angeles. I personally think that the Kings will find a way to beat King Henrik and win the Cup at home this Friday. A Kings loss would mean the series becomes 3-2 heading back to New York, which would make the series very interesting and would give the Rangers a lot of life and a lot of belief. I don’t think the Kings are willing to do this so I expect one of their best games of the playoffs this Friday.
The Kings really took the action to the Rangers in the third period of game 4 outshooting New York 15-1, but Lundqvist was not to be beaten on that night. The Rangers are now 5-0 in elimination games themselves, so finishing them off will be no easy task. The Kings will have to play like the game is a must win for them in order to find a way to beat the resilient Rangers.
I expect Quick and Lundqvist to both have strong games, which will allow the Kings to show that they are the better team in this series on their way to winning the Cup in LA.
Play: LA Kings 1.63 (5Dimes)
Another Stanley Cup Finals game and another come back overtime win for the LA Kings. This comeback was even more impressive because the Kings were down by 2 goals heading into the third period, but a controversial non goalie interference call on the third Kings goal got LA back in to the game and they didn’t look back from there. Check out the highlights:
Kings @ Rangers Game 3
The Rangers need a win heading back to MSG in this series. They simply cannot afford to go down 3-0 against the LA Kings. The Rangers are no strangers to having their backs against the wall in these playoffs though, having come back from a 3-1 deficit to the Pittsburgh Penguins in round 2. They will need to find some of that mojo to beat a much stronger Kings team though.
The Rangers have actually performed better than I’ve expected so far. They were up by 2 goals in both games, but they weren’t able to close out the Kings. I still see Los Angeles as the better team in this series, but I will admit that they are lucky to be up 2-0 after getting behind in both games 1 and 2. I expect a more defensive effort from the Kings in this game. It’s strange that the team with the least goals against in the regular season has gotten scored on so much in the playoffs and still found ways to win because of their sudden surge offensively.
The Rangers are favourites heading into game 3, which is why I’m taking the Kings to win tonight. I see this game really going either way, but the Rangers really haven’t been great at home in these playoffs or during the season. They were 20-17-4 at home in the regular season and are just 6-4 at home during the playoffs. The Kings on the other hand are a strong road team having gone 23-14-4 on the road in the regular season and 8-4 on the road in the playoffs. I like the Kings to take a commanding lead tonight as underdogs.
Play: Kings 2.25 (5Dimes)
