Friday, April 28, 2006

Avs to Eliminate Stars

The Colorado Avalanche will hope to eliminate the Dallas Stars in four straight games as the two teams battle Friday night in Denver.

The Avalanche are favored, opening as 160 chalk, with an opening total of 6. They are 46-30-9 this season and 51-30-4 OU. The Stars are 53-24-8 and are 40-42-3 OU.

The No. 2 seed Stars are coming off a 4-3 loss against the No. 7 seed Avalanche, a game in which they were underdogs. The game went over the closing total of 6.

Embattled goalie Marty Turco will be under the gun to extend the Stars' season, while Colorado netminder Jose Theodore will be looking for his fourth straight victory in his first taste of playoff action with his new Avalanche teammates.

Flyers are Favored

The host Philadelphia Flyers will be looking to even their playoff series at 2-2 versus the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.

The Flyers are favored, opening as 140 chalk, with an opening total of 6.

The Sabres come off a 4-2 loss in Game 3 against the Flyers, a game where they were underdogs. The game went as a push against the closing total of 6.

Philadelphia is 46-27-12 this season and 42-38-5 OU. The Sabres are 54-25-6 and 33-47-5 OU.

Peter Forsberg scored twice against the Sabres in Game 3, finally lighting a fire under his teammates after Buffalo posted victories in the first two games on home ice.

Canes Underdogs in Montreal

Oddsmakers don't give the Hurricanes much of a chance Friday, opening them as underdogs when they visit Montreal at the Bell Centre.

The Hurricanes come in as a slight road underdog and look to improve on their 53-23-9 mark. The Canadiens, 44-31-10, will try to pay out for bettors at home as -110 favorites. Totals bettors see the line opened at 6.

Peter Laviolette's Carolina team was busy last game winning against the Canadiens 2-1 as underdogs. The 3 goals sent that game under the total of 6.

This game is likely to come down to the Hurricanes's execution on offence. They rank 3rd in the league in scoring and look to sustain their 3.6 goals per game average against the Canadiens's #12-rated defensive unit. The Canadiens will be missing captain Saku Koivu, who suffered an eye injury in Game 2.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Senators to Avoid Lighting

The Ottawa Senators will be looking to grab a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven series when they play the Lightning in Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Wade Redden missed Game 2 to be with his family, but came back for Game 3 to notch a power play goal and two assists in the Sens' victory.

Oddsmakers like the Senators in this one, opening the line at 160 in favor of Ottawa. The total opened at 6.5 goals.

Bryan Murray's team hopes to build upon an 8-4 win over the Lightning in Game 3. They were favorites in a game that went OVER the total.

This game is likely to come down to the Senators' execution on offence, as Martin Havlat, Jason Spezza, and others have been piling up the points.

Flames Looking to Go 3-1

The Calgary Flames will be looking to take a 3-1 series lead on Thursday night when they play on the road against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

Kristian Huselius leads the FlamesCalgary's Kristian Huselius leads the Flames with two goals and three assists in his first-ever playoff action in the NHL. The Flames' power play was dynamite last game, getting three goals out of seven chances.

Oddsmakers like the Mighty Ducks in this one, opening the line at 140 in favor of Anaheim. The total opened at 5 goals.

The Flames come off a 5-2 win against the Mighty Ducks, a game where they were underdogs. The game went over the closing total of 5.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Sabres Pominville on Fire

<br />Jason Pominville is on FireThe Buffalo Sabres will have the chance to put a stranglehold on their series with the Flyers, when the two meet tonight in Philly for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

The Flyers are favored, opening as 145 chalk, with an opening total of 6. They are 45-27-12 this season and 42-38-4 OU. The Sabres are 54-24-6 and are 33-47-4 OU.

Buffalo won at home against the Flyers last game as favorites, tallying a score of 8-2. The total sailed over.

Jason Pominville and J-P Dumont both recorded hat tricks for the Sabres, who drove starter Robert Esche from the net with the offensive explosion. Rookie Antero Niittymaki didn't fare much better, however.

Stars Need to Steal One

After letting Game 2 slip away, the Dallas Stars will need to bounce back with a victory tonight in Colorado, if they want any chance of coming back in this series.

The Avalanche are favored, opening as 135 chalk, with an opening total of 6. They are 45-30-9 this season and 50-30-4 OU. The Stars are 53-24-7 and are 39-42-3 OU.

After losing last time out, Dave Tippett's team looks to rebound with a solid showing on the road in Colorado. They were moneyline favorites in that game, which went over the total of 6.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Martin St. Louis is Lightning

Martin St. Louis is the lightning Tampa needed. For most of the regular season Martin St. Louis has been trying to get back into the form that made him the MVP in the 2003-04 season. On Sunday night he seemed to capture that spark that Tampa need so desperately not to go down two games to none.

The 5-foot-9 forward's second goal of the game put the Lightning ahead to stay in a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night, evening the Eastern Conference series at 1-1.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Stanley Cup Run Begins

While my Vancouver Canucks have gone home without making the playoffs. This years playoffs are shaping out to be very exciting. Some of the matchups that standout more than others.


(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (8) Edmonton Oilers
The Detroit Red Wings will play host to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.

Even as the eighth seed, the Oilers will not be intimidated as they took five of a possible eight points in the season series between the two rivals. Edmonton will be hoping the recent stellar play of goaltender Dwayne Roloson will give them an edge.

Oddsmakers believe the Wings will show up in high gear to start the playoffs, installing them as -280 home favorites in the series opener on Friday. The opening OVER/UNDER total stands at 6.

(1) Ottawa Senators vs. (8) Tampa Bay Lightning
The Ottawa Senators will play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.

The Senators rolled to an Eastern Conference best 51-29-9 record, while the defending Stanley Cup champions from Tampa Bay finished with a record of 43-33-6, and enter the playoffs as the eighth seed in the East.

Oddsmakers set Ottawa as -255 home favorites on the opening line, with an opening total of 6.5 goals.


(4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) San Jose Sharks
The Nashville Predators will play host to the San Jose Sharks on Friday night in the opening game of their first-round playoff series in the Western Conference.

Despite entering the playoffs as the fifth seed the Sharks are listed as -115 road favorites on the opening line, with an opening total of 6.5 goals.

(3) Calgary Flames vs. (6) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
The Calgary Flames will play host to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks on Friday night in the opening game of their first-round playoff series in the Western Conference.

Calgary was set as a -170 home favorite on the opening line, with an opening total of 5 goals.

(3) New Jersey Devils vs. (6) New York Rangers

The New Jersey Devils will play host to the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.

The Devils finished the regular season with a record of 46-27-9, while the Rangers were 44-26-12 on the year.

Oddsmakers set New Jersey as -215 home favorites on the opening line, with an opening total of 5.5 goals.

(2) Dallas Stars vs. (7) Colorado Avalanche
The Dallas Stars will play host to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday afternoon in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.

Dallas is coming in as -170 home favorites to open the series, while the game's OVER/UNDER is set at 6.

(2) Carolina Hurricanes vs.(7) Montreal Canadiens
The Carolina Hurricanes will play host to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.

Carolina finished with a season record of 52-22-8, while the Canadiens sneaked into the playoffs with a record of 42-31-9.

Oddsmakers set the Canes as -190 home favorites in this game, with an opening total of 6 goals.

(4) Buffalo Sabres vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers
The Buffalo Sabres will play host to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.

Buffalo had their best season in franchise history, posting a record of 52-24-6, while the Flyers finished with a record of 45-26-11.

The Sabres opened as -165 home favorites in this game, with an opening total of 6 goals.