NHL Playoff Odds: Can the Sens Sweep?

The Ottawa Senators hold a 3-0 strangle hold over the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference finals and are one win away from their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals in the history of this young Canadian franchise. And Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson is confident his team is up to the challenge, despite having endured plenty of frustration along the way.

"You always go though life's ups and downs, and the belief you have is that every year is a new chance," Alfredsson said. "Even though you go through tough times, I'm not going to complain too much."

Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Ducks: 9 PM EST

But enough about the Sens. Tonight's got the Detroit Red Wings taking on the Anaheim Ducks, a nail-biting series that has both teams tied at one game apiece. Will tonight's lineup change for the Red Wings be enough to fend off a determined Ducks squad that may be bigger and faster (but not necessarily better)?

Maybe. Maybe not.

"I don't think anybody thought this was going to be easy," said Red Wings coach Mike Babcock. "I think everybody thought this was going to be a real battle. Thus far, it's been that way. I don't want to take anything away from the other team, because I think that's real important, but we don't think we've played as good as we can - not even close. We have to play better."

For more on the Ottawa Senators vs. Buffalo Sabres series, and the Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Ducks series, check out offshore sportbook Betting guide ("Second-Round Highlights"). And for all your NHL betting, go to the nhl playoff odds

Sharks, Devils and Some Horses In Between

May 5th may be the perfect day for hockey fans with a penchant for horse racing. At 2:00 PM ET the Sharks take on the Red Wings in Detroit; at 8:00 PM ET the Devils play host to the Senators. And between this all the 133rd Kentucky Derby (2 minutes as opposed to 3 hours, for those with short attention spans), with post time slotted for 6:04 PM ET.

How do these matchups stack up in the sports books? The Sharks are given 7/2 to win this year's Stanley Cup, compared to a distant 8/1 for the Red Wings. The Devils are 10/1 to take the Cup in the futures, where the Senators -- like the Sharks -- are given 7/2.

And in the ever-exciting world of Kentucky Derby odds, the favorite horse is Curlin, currently given 3/1 to win the Road to the Roses.

So bundle up in the jersey of your favorite NHL hockey team, watch the Sharks gobble up the Red Wings, have a late lunch -- and then recline with a cooling Mint Julep as the ponies work their way to the gate. After you've recovered from the excitement at Churchill Downs, you can get on your skates and return (at least virtually) to the ice.

Technorati tag(s): kentucky derby odds, nhl playoffs

NHL Winning Streaks

Longest winning streaks in NHL history:

17 - Pittsburgh Penguins, March 9 to April 10, 1993
15 - x-Buffalo Sabres, April 8, 2006 to present
15 - New York Islanders, Jan. 21 to Feb. 20, 1982
14 - Boston Bruins, Dec. 3, 1929, to Jan. 9, 1930

Technorati Tag(s): Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres

Marian Gaborik Still Out

Minnesota Wild winger Marian Gaborik will probably be out for another 10 to 14 days because of a mild groin strain.

Gaborik was hurt in the third period of Friday's game at Anaheim and did not play Saturday against San Jose. Gaborik is second on the team with four goals and also has three assists. He's been skating on a line with fellow Slovakia native Pavol Demitra, who was acquired in an off-season trade.

The Wild, whose 7-1 record is tied with Dallas for the best in the Western Conference, host Los Angeles on Wednesday.

I'm just glad I don't have him in my hockey pool.

Technorati Tag(s): Minnesota Wild, Marian Gaborik

Yelle Injures Ankle

Stephane Yelle was taken off the ice on a stretcher because of an ankle injury Thursday night after falling backward and being pushed into the boards by Bruins defenseman Jason York.

"He went into the boards awkwardly and he jammed up his ankle," Flames coach Jim Playfair said. "He'll fly home with us tonight and we will get it checked out."

Technorati Tag(s): Stephane Yelle, Jason York, Jim Playfair

Brendan Shanahan is on Fire

Brendan Shanahan is on FIRE! Shanahan scored his NHL-leading seventh goal of the season Monday night, when the Rangers held off the New Jersey Devils 4-2 in New York.

Rangers coach Tom Renney is maximizing what he has in Shanahan, who has 605 NHL goals but is about more than grabbing points.

"My scoring is getting a lot of attention but I really go out and concentrate on playing a complete game," Shanahan said. "I get just as much of a rush out of making defensive plays or killing off a penalty. I just feel very involved."

Technorati Tag(s): Brendan Shanahan, Tom Renney, New Jersey Devils

Bourdon Gets Another Shot

Young Canuck Luc Bourdon will be given another chance to show if he should stay when the Vancouver Canucks face the San Jose Sharks Friday night in their NHL home debut.

Bourdon, picked 10th overall by Vancouver in last year's draft, will replace Sami Salo, who will miss the game with a groin injury.

After almost making the team last year, a lot was expected of the six-foot-two, 200-pound Bourdon this season. He has size, he likes playing physical, and he can move the puck.

The 19-year-old struggled during the exhibition season. He then looked tentative and nervous in his first NHL game Tuesday night in Minnesota where he saw almost eight minutes of ice time dressed as a seventh defenceman.

All eyes will be on the young defensemen on Friday night at GM Place. Fans will be looking for a new dman that can chalk up some points like special Ed.

Technorati Tag(s): Luc Bourdon, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks

Blackberry to Save Penguins

Jim Balsillie, chairman and co-CEO of Research in Motion, the Canadian-based company behind the popular BlackBerry products and services, has signed a purchase agreement to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins. The remaining step for Balsillie is to get the approval of the NHL Board of Governors, a process which is expected to be completed this fall.

This is great new for the penguins, a storied franchise that with this deal will live on!

Technorati Tag(s): Jim Balsillie, Research in Motion, Pittsburgh Penguins

Season Under Way

Let's hit the ice. The season starts today and I got my hockey pool done yesterday.

I'm feeling pretty good about my team: Crosby, Kovalchu, Savard, Spezza, Marleau, Lecavali, Sedin, Lupul, Smyth, Pronger, Malkin. I know Evgeni Malkin might be out for a while but I am hopefull.

Last year Daniel Sedin killed me in my pool, so this year he was one of my first pics. We will see!

You will also notice at the bottom I have started using Technorati Tags this is apparently a great way to get more people infront of the game we love!

Technorati Tag(s): Daniel Sedin, Evgeni Malkin, Hockey Pool

Edmonton Still Alive

Alive to see another game. Oiler fans where happy with the effort their team displayed on Saturday night as they beat out the Carolina Hurricanes in their home ice.

Edmonton has it's work cut out for them tonight when they face Carolina in game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Check out Bodog Sports for all your Stanley Cup Betting Lines and Odds.

Canes battle Sabres

The Carolina Hurricanes will be looking to finish off the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday by grabbing a win in Game 6.

The Canes lead the best-of-seven series 3-2, and would move on to face the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals with a win.

Carolina comes in as a small road dog, as the line opened at 130 in favor of the Sabres. The OVER/UNDER has been set at 6 goals for this game.

In Game 5 the Hurricanes picked up a 4-3, overtime victory as the favored team. The seven goals made that game an OVER play. It was Carolina's second straight victory.

If the Sabres manage to win on Tuesday night Game 7 of the series will take place at the RBC Center in Raleigh on Thursday night.

Round 3 Game 3

By the time this game ended (in nail-biting, ulcer-inducing fashion, btw) the Sabres were able to field, by my personal count, 3 NHL-Quality defensemen: Jay McKee, Brian Campbell (my how times have changed) and Toni Lydman. For those who don’t know Henrik Tallinder left the game with 6 minutes to go (timing eerily coincidental with Lydman’s penalty) with what appears to be some kind of hand injury.

Carolina skates into Buffalo

The Buffalo Sabres can move one step closer to the Stanley Cup Finals if they can defeat the Carolina Hurricanes at home Friday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Oddsmakers like the Sabres in this one, opening the line at 140 in favor of Buffalo.

Last time out, at HSBC Arena against Buffalo, the Hurricanes as underdogs lost to the Sabres 4-3. The game was an over play. The Sabres took a 2-1 series lead with the win.

Daniel Briere scored a pair of goals for Buffalo in the Game 3 win and now has seven playoff markers. He leads the Sabres in playoff scoring with 17 points.

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 3.5 goals per game average against the Sabres's #10-rated defensive unit.

Gretzky impressed by Oilers

Gretzky, who won four Stanley Cups in Edmonton, would never openly admit to rooting for the Oilers, but certainly admires how they've performed in this year's playoffs.

"They're fast, they're explosive, they play hard, they play gritty," Gretzky told Pierre LeBrun of Canadian Press.

"And I think [head coach] Craig MacTavish has done an incredible job - the best coaching that he's done in his career."

Led by MacTavish, Edmonton eliminated the top-ranked Detroit Red Wings in six games and lead the fifth-seeded San Jose Sharks 3-2 in their NHL Western Conference semifinal.

Sharks Fight to Stay Alive

The San Jose Sharks will be fighting to extend their season when they visit the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday at Rexall Place for Game 6 of their Western Conference playoff series.

San Jose trails the series 3-2, having lost three straight games to the Oilers after winning the first two games in San Jose. Edmonton won Game 3 in triple overtime and then posted back-to-back 6-3 victories to take a stranglehold on the series.

Oddsmakers like the Oilers in this one, opening the line at 165 in favor of Edmonton. In Game 5, the Oilers won as underdogs in San Jose and the 6-3 final sent the game over the total.

Sharks coach Ron Wilson has indicated that Vesa Toskala will once again get the start in goal for San Jose tonight.

Oilers Bite Back

The Oilers will be looking to even their playoff series with the San Jose Sharks at two, when the two teams face off tonight for Game 4 in Edmonton.

The Oilers are favored, opening as 145 chalk, with an opening total of 5. They are 46-31-14 this season and 41-44-6 OU. The Sharks are 50-28-12 and are 39-46-5 OU.

After losing last time out, Ron Wilson's team looks to rebound with a solid showing on the road Friday in Edmonton. They were moneyline underdogs in that game, which went under the total of 5.5.

Senators on the Brink

The Ottawa Senators will try and do what only two other teams have ever done and that's come back from being down 3-0 in a best-of-seven-game series.

They face the Buffalo Sabres in New York Thursday as the Sabres look to advance to the Conference finals with a sweep tonight.

Ottawa will try and end the Sabres five-game winning streak and try and put some rubber past standout goalie Ryan Miller.

The Sabres opened as -110 home favorites in this game, with an opening total of 6.5 goals.

Last time out, at HSBC Arena against Buffalo, the Senators as underdogs lost to the Sabres 3-2 in overtime. The game was an under play.

Ottawa will need its best players to step up and they need to get more traffic in front of the rookie netminder, who plays with poise.

Avs Look to Avoid Sweep

The Avalanche are facing a 3-0 deficit as they look for a win in Game 4 Thursday when they face the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the Mile High City.

Joffrey Lupul on Fire for the DucksThe Mighty Ducks hope backup, turned starter Ilya Bryzgalov can continue his magic between the pipes, while Colorado will need to score some goals as they have tallied just three goals in three games.

The Mighty Ducks come in as slight 105 road favorites and look to sweep the series from Colorado. The Avalanche will try to bite big as a home dog. Totals bettors see the line opened at 5.5.

Randy Carlyle's team was busy last game winning against the Avalanche 4-3 as underdogs. The seven goals sent that game over the total of 5.5.

Oilers Face Shark Attack

Down 2-0 to the San Jose Sharks, the Oilers will be looking for a win tonight in Game 3 in Edmonton to try and climb back into this series.

Oddsmakers like the Oilers in this one, opening the line at 140 in favor of Edmonton. They are 45-31-14 this season, while the Sharks are 50-28-11.

Last time out, at HP Pavilion against Edmonton, the Sharks as favorites defeated the Oilers 2-1. The game was an under play.

Senators set for Game 3

Down 2-0 in their second-round series with the Sabres, the Ottawa Senators will be desperate for a win tonight when the two teams faceoff tonight for Game 3 in Buffalo.

Ottawa takes its 56-23-10 mark to Buffalo to rumble with the 58-26-6 Sabres.

Oddsmakers like the Sabres in this one, opening the line at 135 in favor of Buffalo. They are 58-26-6 this season, while the Senators are 56-23-10.

Last time out, at Scotiabank Place against Buffalo, the Senators as favorites lost to the Sabres 2-1. The game was an under play.

This game is likely to come down to the Senators' execution on offence. They rank 1st in the league in scoring and look to sustain their 3.9 goals per game average against the Sabres' #11-rated defensive unit.