In the Super Bowl some of the most entertaining and interesting bets you can make on the game are prop bets (aka proposition bets). These are wagers on things within the game that do not necessarily directly affect the outcome. The great thing about prop bets is that there are some great ones out there that can provide solid odds for sharp bettors and those who look for them and do the research. Here are some great prop bets from various sportsbooks online….
5Dimes.com Prop Bets (To see all the prop bets 5Dimes has to offer visit 5Dimes.com)
Forward Scores First Goal -420
Defenseman Scores First Goal +300
In this series the forwards have outscored the defensemen 25 to 2. That means that the forwards have scored 92.6% of the goals. Even in the games the forwards have scored first 5 of 6 times (83.3%). For it to be a smart bet on a forward scoring first tonight you must think that there is a 80.8% chance that a forward puts the first puck in the net. Looking at the stats so far from the series this should be a solid bet.
David Krejci goals + assists + shots on goal over 3.5 -120
David Krejci goals + assists + shots on goal under 3.5 -110
Krejci easily covered 3.5 points+shots in the first four games of this series, but only managed 1 shot in each of the last two games and 1 point in game 6. That being said, Krejci was rested in game 6 along with many other top Bruins players and you can expect that he will play a ton tonight. Krejci only would have covered this prop once in the Montreal series and only twice in the Tampa series, while covering 3 of 4 times in the Philly series. That being said Krejci only had 1 point against Montreal before dominating the Flyers and turning his playoffs around. I like Krejci to play over 20 minutes tonight and to cover this prop.
Zdeno Chara shots on goal over 3 +125
Zdeno Chara shots on goal under 3 -155
Chara hasn’t registered 3 shot on goal yet in this series. It seems to be part of the Canucks strategy to take away this big shot and you shouldn’t expect them to change how they are playing tonight. If he gets 3 shots,which is a possibility this will be a push, but don’t expect him to register 4 or more.
Kesler a goal or an assist -130
Kesler no points +100
Kesler hasn’t scored a point in the last 5 games, which makes me very curious as to why the oddsmakers feel it is more likely that he is on the scoresheet tonight than not. Kesler hasn’t been the same since he left the game in game 5 against the Sharks. He has a much lower than 50% chance of being on the scoresheet tonight.
Bodog.com Prop Bets (Visit Bodog.com to see all the prop bets available)
First Team To 3 Goals
Boston Bruins +180
Vancouver Canucks +100
Neither Team +250
Considering the Canucks have only scored 3 goals once in this series and it took them an overtime period to do so it is surprising that they are big favourites in this prop bet. 2 of the 6 games so far have not had a team score 3 goals and 2 of 3 games in Vancouver fall into this category. I can easily see this being a hard fought defensive battle finishing 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1. I’m taking neither team with those great odds.
Who Will Zdeno Chara Pass Stanley Cup to if Bruins Win
Tim Thomas 2/5
Mark Recchi 4/1
Patrice Bergeron 9/2
David Krejci 6/1
Milan Lucic 10/1
It has to be Tim Thomas. If it is anyone else I would be shocked. Thomas has been the teams best player and is the eldest veteran on the team who has not won the Stanley Cup. It goes to Thomas.
Good luck with your prop bets tonight. It’s been a fun season!
This is what it comes down to. One game, winner take all. The Boston Bruins once again chased Luongo out their home building on Monday night and have earned the right to return to Vancouver and try one last time to win the Stanley Cup out west. Mason Raymond was lost to injury early in game 6 and he will not be playing tonight due to a compressed vertebrae that will keep him off the ice for several months.
Here are the odds for tonight’s game courtesy of 5Dimes.com (the best odds in the business).
Moneyline
Boston Bruins +138
Vancouver Canucks -148
The Bruins moneyline is much shorter than the series line of +205 I got prior to game 1, which leads me to believe that was a solid bet and one I would do again.
Each of the games in Vancouver have been extremely tight, low scoring games that were decided late. If Boston gets a bounce here or there late in any of those games this game 7 may not even be happening. The Bruins are heading to Vancouver with confidence and new life and I expect them to come out with all cylinders firing tonight. Tim Thomas will be at his best, you can be sure of that, but with Luongo who knows. I expect him to be good, but there is that chance he just self destructs even within the comfort of his home rink. The loss of Mason Raymond will hurt the Canucks. Even though he hadn’t produced too well offensively through these playoffs, his speed was a constant threat that the Canucks will miss. At these odds you have to go with the Bruins to pull off the minor upset and send the Canucks fans home wondering if they will ever get this opportunity again.
Puckline
Boston Bruins +1.5 -235
Vancouver Canucks -1.5 +215
Interesting Prop Bets – Find more at 5Dimes.com
Patrice Bergeron a goal or an assist +125
Patrice Bergeron no points -155
Bergeron has registered a point in 13 of 22 playoff games this season (59%), but only 1 of 3 games in Vancouver (33%). In order to place the bet on him scoring a point you must think that he has a 44.4% chance or better to score tonight, while to place a bet on him not scoring you must think he has a less than 39.2% chance of scoring this evening. I would definitely stay away from the no points prop bet, and the bet with him scoring at least a point is right around the correct odds I believe.
Henrik Sedin goals + assists + shots over 3 -150
Henrik Sedin goals + assists + shots under 3 +120
Henrik has only covered this bet once in the 6 games this series, with each of the other 5 games finishing with him have 2 or fewer of each of these categories combined. In fact in games 1, 2 and 3 Henrik had no points and no shots. That being said Henrik had 3 shots in the last game and 2 in games 4 and 5 and he may be being encouraged to shoot the puck more against this Boston defense that seems to have his passing game figured out.
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Vancouver pulled out another tight one in game 5 and it makes you think, if the Bruins could have pulled out just one of the 3 tight one-goal games that the Canucks have managed to win this series would be completely different. With the Bruins outscoring the Canucks by 8 goals throughout the series, but trailing 3 games to 2 you have to know they think they still have a good shot at this 2011 Stanley Cup Championship.
Tim Thomas has been unbelievable in this playoffs and you have to expect him to have another big game, especially after the little chirp that Luongo gave him by saying that the one goal that the Canucks scored on Thomas in game 5 would have easily been saved by himself. Thomas has to once again be the Bruins best player tonight and the Bruins have to find a way to score on Luongo, even if it’s not in bunches. The Bruins have only scored 2 goals in the 3 games they have lost, and they need more offense if they hope to win these games.
Vancouver Canucks @ Boston Bruins
Here are the odds for tonights game:
Vancouver Canucks +125
Boston Bruins -135
As you can see the Bruins are slight favourites, as they should be after dominating their two home games in this series. The Bruins outscored Vancouver 12-1 over two games in Boston and I expect them to find a way to put some pucks in the net tonight. If the Bruins can score 3 goals in this game they should easily win the game thanks to their stellar defensive capabilites and having the best goaltender in the world between the pipes.
If the Canucks do win the Cup tonight, you can still expect to see Tim Thomas receiving the Conn Smythe award in the losing effort. The Canucks really have no individual player worthy of receiving the trophy and Thomas has been the best player in these 2011 playoffs by quite some margin.
**The NHL playoffs have only 1 or 2 games remaining, then both hockey and basketball will be done for the summer. If you are looking for some wagering excitement, looking no further than placing a bet on Wimbledon this year. In the Men’s draw it will be quite a battle between the big three (Nadal, Djokovic and Federer) to see who will take down the most prestigious tournament of the year.
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A lot happened in game 3. There were a lot of goals, 9 in total, while all but one were scored by Boston Bruins players. An 8-1 dominating performance by the Bruins in a must win game gives Bruins supporters something to be hopeful about heading into tonights game 4 in Boston and also in the rest of the series. The other notable thing that happened was that two players, one from each team, will not be returning to the series. Aaron Rome delivered a big hit on Nathan Horton early into game 4 that caused the big Bruin to suffer a severe concussion, one which he will not be able to return from in the final 4 games of the series. The NHL then went on to suspend Rome for the remainder of the finals, citing that the hit was late and caused a significant injury to Horton. Most people will immediately say that Horton is a bigger part of the Bruins team than Rome is of the Canucks and they would likely be right, but that being said Rome has been playing well all playoffs and taking a decent amount of minutes (around 15) on D for the Canucks. Keith Ballard should step into the lineup and not miss a beat, which should benefit the Canucks, while Seguin will likely be back in the lineup for the Bruins. There is a good chance that Rich Peverley moves up to the top line with Krejci and Lucic, but if Julien feels like giving the youngster a chance, Seguin could fit in their nicely as well.
Canucks @ Bruins Game 4 Prediction
The Bruins are very slight favourites in this game mainly due to their home ice advantage. They finally got the special teams working in game 3 and if this can continue into game 4 they have a strong chance of winning. Nathan Horton will be missed, but Rich Peverley is no slouch and I expect him to have a strong game on the top line, which is where I expect him to play. The Canucks have only scored 5 goals in 3 games this series, so all of that talk about Tim Thomas having to change his game because of the East/West style of the Canucks was just something stupid to talk about. Even after 2 games having only been scored on 4 times, there is no reason to change the style for a goaltender. 2 GAA is pretty solid in my books.
I expect Tim Thomas to once again be on top of his game. The real question lies in whether Luongo can bounce back. If we look at the only other time the Canucks got lit up (game 4 in Chicago allowing 7 goals), Luongo did not bounce back with the best performance, allowing Chicago to score 5 more in game 5. I expect more of the same. Look for the Bruins to get at least 3 goals tonight, which should be enough to win the game.
If you are into spread betting on NHL games, the -1.5 line on the Bruins may also look enticing. If the Bruins win by 2 or more goals, the odds are +248. I could definitely see this happen considering Luongo and the Canucks track record. Another interesting fact is that the Canucks have allowed more goals per game (2.67) than they have scored (2.62) this playoffs.
**Update – Boston Bruins win game 4-0. Learn more about Boston Bruins betting in our new post for 2011-12.
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It has arrived. The Stanley Cup Championships are set to begin in a couple of days on Wednesday June 1st in Vancouver, Canada. The Canucks will face off against the Boston Bruins, each of which have won their respective Conference Championships and earned the right to play for Lord Stanleys Cup.
It may seem like the Canucks have had an easy road to the finals, but lets not forget that they were 1 bounce from being eliminated in the first round. It could have all came down to one goal Chicago’s way and the media would have ripped into the Canucks and the Sedins saying how they just don’t have it in them. But the bounce goes there way, Luongo makes a big save on Patrick Sharp early into overtime and the Canucks have cruised to the Stanley Cup Finals defeating the Preds in 6 and the Sharks in 5. The Sedins truly found their game in the Conference Finals when they were able to outmatch a Sharks team that did not have top shutdown players like Duncan Keith and Dave Bolland on the ‘Hawks or Shea Weber, Ryan Suter and pretty much the entire defensive team on the Preds. The Sedins will have to continue to put up points this series, which may prove difficult against one of the top defensive d-men in the league, Zdeno Chara.
The Bruins haven’t had an easy trek to the finals. Their road included two game 7’s and just like the Canucks, one bounce goes the other way in game 7 of the first round and they are out, seeing as they beat the Habs in overtime in the 7th game, thanks to a Nathan Horton goal early into OT. Horton was also the hero in game 7 of the Conference Finals against the Lightning when he scored the lone goal of the game in the third period on a sweet pass by David Krejci. These two forwards have come to play, and they will need to continue producing to have a shot against the Canucks. Bergeron has also been playing well, but the team does need regular season scoring leader Milan Lucic to step up and really take his game to the next level against the Canucks. Lucic has only 9 points in the 18 Bruins games, but he has picked it up a little bit of late.
The main questions of the series are as follows:
Can Zdeno Chara contain the Sedins?
I think he can, at least as well as they were contained in the first two rounds. 12 of Henrik’s 21 playoff points and 6 of Daniel’s 16 came in their 5 games against the San Jose Sharks. This means that each player was hovering around the 0.7 points/game mark in the first two series, where they were contained much better. I believe that Chara must keep the pair to around 0.8 points per game or under for the Bruins to have a shot. I think this is doable, especially with the help of Patrice Bergeron, one of the elite shutdown centres in the league.
Roberto Luongo or Tim Thomas?
Two of the elite goaltenders of the past several years have finally made the finals. Which one will rise to the challenge and claim the Stanley Cup? I can’t give an edge in this category. Each goaltender has been playing fairly well, but not unbelievably. It’s not like either of these goaltenders has stolen games to get their team to this spot. Each has done his job and it’s been good enough not to lose games for their teams. I expect the same in the finals. The goaltenders won’t be who decide this series.
Can Kesler Keep It Up?
With the Sedin’s possibly being shut down by Chara and Bergeron, Kesler will have to keep his production high and also help shutdown the Krejci and Horton tandem that have been on fire this post season. Krejci is an underrated centre in this league, who sees the ice very well and makes things happen on offense. Meanwhile he is also very responsible defensively. The other factor is the Kesler may be hiding an injury. He returned to game 5 against the Sharks and scored the game tying goal late, but he wasn’t exactly himself and time will tell if he can maintain his level from the first three series’.
Will The Power Play Be A Factor?
The Canucks power play in the playoffs is 28.3%, while the Bruins is 8.2%. If this is maintained into this series, it could be the end of the Bruins chances. Even though the powerplay for the Bruins has not been clicking they have still managed to win, which shows they are a top 5 on 5 team. The Bruins will have to stay out of the box and capitalize on at least a few of their PP chances to have a shot against this Canucks team.
Best Series Odds
Boston Bruins +205
Vancouver Canucks -225
Based on the odds the smart bet has to be the Boston Bruins. I give the Canucks a slight edge in the series, but the Bruins have a legit chance, especially with Chara and Bergeron likely shutting down the Sedin’s and Kesler possibly injured. The Bruins have the best shot in the NHL to beat the Canucks, and this should be a solid series that will go at least 6 games either way.
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Tampa Bay Lightning @ Boston Bruins
This is what it comes down to. Game 7 for the Eastern Conference Championships and a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals where the Canucks await. Boston weren’t able to close out the series in Tampa Bay, but they have one more chance tonight playing at home.
Tim Thomas will have to be better. He didn’t have the best game 6 and has struggled in this series as a whole. David Krejci has been the Bruins best player and he will need to continue putting points on the board if the Bruins will win tonight. Boston needs to get traffic in front of Roloson and get dirty goals or redirects because he will stop the first ones.
Boston and Tampa were both in this game 7 position in the first round, with Boston needing extra time to oust the Canadiens and the Lightning having to battle hard to use their superior talent to win against the defensively sound Penguins. Tonight only one team will be able to keep their undefeated game 7 record.
The Bruins should be able to batter the Tampa Bay defensemen down low and the home crowd should give them the push to win this game.
The NHL is winding to a close with only one series remaining before a Cup champion is crowned. If you want something to bet on during the summer months check out http://www.betonmlb.net to learn about MLB betting and which sportsbooks are best for baseball.
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The Canucks are through to the Stanley Cup finals after their wild double overtime win last night in Vancouver. It now comes down to the Bruins and Lightning to see who will represent the East. The Bruins have a 3-2 series lead and travel to Tampa Bay tonight with the hopes of not allowing the series to go to 7 games.
Boston won last game 3-1 after blowing a 3-0 lead in game 4, losing 5-3. Tim Thomas has not been at his best in this series, but he was stellar in game 5 and will look to continue with that momentum into game 6 tonight. At the other end of the ice Mike Smith played game 5, allowing only 2 goals in the loss, but Roloson is the confirmed starter for tonights game. The Lightning have gotten to this point largely on the play of Dwayne Roloson and it makes sense for them to go back with him in this one, even though Smith has had a solid past 2 games. When Roloson is at the top of his game he is very difficult to beat.
This series has been back and forth with the majority of games being very tight and coming down to the wire. I expect tonights game to be no different. The Bruins are slight underdogs because the game is being played in Tampa Bay, but I think the Bruins have been a strong away team all season long and this has continued into the playoffs. I expect the Bruins to come out firing and their top players, should provide enough offense to send them through to the finals.
**I also want to give a shout out to a friends website, http://www.icehockeybetting.org, which is a great resource for new online hockey bettors.
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Tampa Bay Lightning @ Boston Bruins
The Lightning continued their hot streak against the Bruins in game 1 of this Eastern Conference finals on Saturday, winning their 8th straight game for a very impressive playoff winning streak. Tampa Bay is firing on all cylinders at the moment with Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis leading the charge. The Lightning were on the brink of elimination, down 3-1 to the Penguins in the first round a few weeks ago, but have since not lost a game and look poised to make another cup finals appearance, which many would have thought ridiculous at the start of the season, considering that Tampa had missed the playoffs for 3 straight seasons (2 of those seasons finishing in the bottom 2 in the league).
Tampa Bay will need to continue getting traffic in front of Tim Thomas and their depth players such as Sean Bergenheim will have to continue to produce a few goals in order for the Lightnings success to continue. Stamkos only has 6 points through the 12 playoff games, so if he can pick it up offensively the Lightning may be unstoppable this playoffs. Roloson was able to see the puck in game 1 and the Lightning need to continue moving the Bruins out of his line of sight and he will continue making the first saves.
The Bruins on the other hand have to start getting traffic in front. It seems like Bergeron will still be out of the lineup in this game, so Seguin will have to play as well as he did in game 1 and he may see some more ice time.
The Lightning are on such a heater that I have to take them in this one because they are the underdogs and have shown me no signs of letting up. Lecavalier is leading his team like he hasn’t done since the last Stanley Cup win for Tampa.
**For anyone who follows tennis I invite you to check out the Roland Garros betting page on my other website, http://www.onlinetennisbetting.com. Roland Garros is set to take place next week and I for one am very excited, especially to see how Milos Raonic (the Canadian) can do in this second Grand Slam of the season.
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The Red Wings have won 3 straight to force a game 7 in San Jose tonight. This is already the second time this playoffs that a team that was trailing 3-0 after the first 3 games of a series rallied to force a game 7. The other team to do this was the Chicago Blackhawks, who showed why they were the defending champs by dominating the top ranked Canucks in games 4 and 5, before losing at the hands of a Burrows overtime clapper in game 7. The Sharks are hoping that they can do like the Canucks did and end this losing streak at 3 and avoid becoming the 4th team in NHL history to give up a 3-0 series lead (Boston did so last season, but made sure not to this year by sweeping the Flyers in the second round rematch).
Detroit Red Wings @ San Jose Sharks
Two legitimate cup contenders battle it out tonight in a winner take all game to see who takes on the top ranked Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference Finals. The first five games of the series were each decided by one goal, while the 6th game featured an empty net goal allowing the Red Wings to win by a score of 3-1. I expect this game 7 to be another nail biter that comes down to the very end.
Both teams are hoping one of their star players returns from day to day injuries tonight, with the Sharks desperately hoping Ryane Clowe, their leading scorer this playoffs, is available to return after missing game 6 with an upper body injury. The Red Wings on the other hand, would like to see Johan Franzen back in uniform. He missed game 6 with a sore ankle.
The Red Wings have a much more experienced team and the pressure is entirely on the Sharks in this one due to their history of playoff collapses and because they are the team that has given up the 3-0 series lead. The Red Wings are slight underdogs in this one, but I expect them to come out firing on all cylinders and their playoff experience should be enough to push them through this game against a talented Sharks team.
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The Capitals have put themselves up against the wall losing the first two games of this series, while outplaying the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Capitals have a better overall team than the Lightning, but Tampa Bay has those few players who can put the puck in the back of the net when they get the opportunity, namely St. Louis, Lecavalier and Stamkos. The Caps also have players like this (Ovechkin, Semin and Backstrom), but Backstrom has disappeared for this entire playoffs, while Semin has scored some big goals, but more production is needed out of both him and Ovechkin if the Capitals are going to be able to get back into this series.
Dwayne Roloson has played outstanding as we have come to expect from this ageless veteran. Neuvirth at the other end hasn’t been bad, but he hasn’t been able to steal any games for the Capitals, and he shouldn’t have to. As long as Neuvirth continues to keep the Capitals in the games they just need to find a way to beat Roloson. Missing Knuble and his presence in front of the net has really hurt the Caps, but sources say he may be back in the lineup tonight, which would be a huge help to get Roloson off his game.
The Lightning said they were lucky to win both games and they know they cannot continue winning one goal games while they are outplayed. That being said I don’t think the Lightning have the depth to outplay the Capitals in a 60 minute game. Their hope is to score on their chances, while allowing Roloson to see pucks in their own end and make the necessary saves. A tactic that has been working, but could prove difficult to continue and the risks involved are high.
This is a do or die game for the Capitals and their star players must step up at this big moment. I expect to see big games out of both Ovechkin and Backstrom in this one.
I’m heading on vacation to Las Vegas this weekend, so I may not be able to get up many more predictions until next week. While I’m there I will be laying a bet on the Kentucky Derby and I suggest you do to if you enjoy one of the most historic and exciting races in sports.
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