{"id":10418,"date":"2011-02-14T22:50:14","date_gmt":"2011-02-14T22:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/?p=10418"},"modified":"2011-02-14T22:50:14","modified_gmt":"2011-02-14T22:50:14","slug":"nhl-odds-flyers-now-the-favorites-to-win-stanley-cup-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/2011\/02\/nhl-odds-flyers-now-the-favorites-to-win-stanley-cup-2011\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Odds: Flyers Now the Favorites to Win Stanley Cup 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the All-Star game behind us and the NHL trade deadline around the corner, hockey betting<\/a> shifts toward the playoffs and, of course, Stanley Cup futures. Let\u2019s look at the top 10 current contenders.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Philadelphia Flyers<\/p>\n

Sportsbook odds: +300<\/p>\n

We had to take them seriously from the start this year after they made an improbable run all the way to the Stanley Cup final last year. Not much has changed from that team. Philly has tremendous depth and skill up front, a bruising defense and goaltending that may or may not hold up come playoff time.<\/p>\n

VERDICT: Contender<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Vancouver Canucks<\/p>\n

Sportsbook<\/a> odds: +350<\/p>\n

It should come as no surprise that the NHL\u2019s most complete team has dominated the league this year. The Sedin twins and Ryan Kesler have been dynamite up front and Roberto Luongo has been his usual stellar self more often than not in net. Injuries to Vancouver\u2019s defense are a mild concern at the moment.<\/p>\n

VERDICT: Contender<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Detroit Red wings<\/p>\n

Sportsbook odds: +400<\/p>\n

Hockey\u2019s most successful franchise keeps getting it done without making major personnel changes every year. Nick Lidstrom just doesn\u2019t age and the Wings still have two of the game\u2019s best two-way players in Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Detroit could use some more size and grit, though.<\/p>\n

VERDICT: Contender<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Boston Bruins<\/p>\n

Sportsbook odds: +500<\/p>\n

Like the Flyers, the Bruins have that \u201cbuilt for the playoffs\u201d rep about them. They\u2019re big, mean, and extremely tough to score against. They could use a bona fide sniper, though, and perhaps a puck moving defenseman to set up Zdeno Chara on the power play.<\/p>\n

VERDICT: Sleeper<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Washington Capitals<\/p>\n

Sportsbook odds: +1000<\/p>\n

The Washington Capitals\u2019 management frustrates me and anyone betting<\/a> on them. Every year, they\u2019re just a few pieces away from becoming top contenders. Yet they rarely trade for veteran goalie help or a rugged defenseman. Until they step up at a the deadline, they may never get over the hump.<\/p>\n

VERDICT: Pretender<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n

Sportsbook odds: +1500<\/p>\n

Disaster struck Pittsburgh this season. Evgeni Malkin is done for the year after blowing out his knee. Sidney Crosby is still sidelined with a concussion. I know he\u2019s supposed to be back next month but you just never know with head injuries. The Pens don\u2019t have the horses to keep up in the East with their top stars out.<\/p>\n

VERDICT: Pretender<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tampa Bay Lightning<\/p>\n

Sportsbook odds: +1800<\/p>\n

Watch out for Tampa. Under power-play guru Guy Boucher, it\u2019s no surprise to see Tampa lighting the lamp so much. The Lightning were surrendering too many goals earlier this season but new arrival Dwayne Roloson has righted the ship in net. Could the Lightning be one defenseman away from contending for the Cup?<\/p>\n

VERDICT: Sleeper<\/p>\n

8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 San Jose Sharks<\/p>\n

Sportsbook odds: +1800<\/p>\n

Maybe all the Sharks needed was for everyone to forget about them. With the pressure off, hockey\u2019s perennial chokers are surging up the standings. Anti Niemi, who won the Cup with Chicago last season, has been as good as any goalie in the New Year. Could San Jose make a run?<\/p>\n

VERDICT: Contender<\/p>\n

9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n

Sportsbook odds: +1800<\/p>\n

Thanks to Carey Price\u2019s stellar season in goal and P.K. Subban\u2019s emergence, some hockey bettors will take Montreal\u2019s odds and hope for another miracle playoff run. This sports betting blog<\/a> isn\u2019t drinking the Kool-Aid. The Habs are still among the most talent-poor of all the playoff hopefuls.<\/p>\n

VERDICT: Pretender<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n

Sportsbook odds: +2500<\/p>\n

Oddsmakers aren\u2019t giving up on the defending champs, still giving them top-10 odds even though they\u2019re barely staying in the Western Conference playoff picture. Even if the Hawks make the big dance, it will be as a low seed with no home ice. That plus their lack of depth after trading so many guys in the offseason could be their downfall.<\/p>\n

VERDICT: Pretender<\/p>\n

Stanley Cup free pick<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019d throw my money down on the Vancouver Canucks if I were you. They\u2019re extremely strong at every position and their categorical rankings back that up: first in goals, first in goals against, first in power play, first in faceoff percentage, fourth in penalty killing. As long as Luongo holds up, it\u2019s Vancouver\u2019s year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the All-Star game behind us and the NHL trade deadline around the corner, hockey betting shifts toward the playoffs and, of course, Stanley Cup futures. Let\u2019s look at the top 10 current contenders. 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Philadelphia Flyers Sportsbook odds: +300 We had to take them seriously from the start this year after they made an … Continue reading NHL Odds: Flyers Now the Favorites to Win Stanley Cup 2011<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports_betting_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10418"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10419,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10418\/revisions\/10419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joeduffy.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}