NHL betting action is underway once again with the preseason, and here at Cappers Mall, we are previewing the 2011-12 Stanley Cup odds! Visit our hockey forum to talk NHL betting.
The favorites to win it all once again this year are the Vancouver Canucks and the Washington Capitals, both of which are 7/1 choices of the oddsmakers. And why not? These two teams clearly have some of the best talent that the league has to offer, and it is clear that they are both going to be in the top few seeds in their respective conferences.
However, both have had a history of choking in the playoffs. It's hard to blame the Canucks for the way that they ended their season last year with a loss in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Boston Bruins, but the Capitals crashed out in a four game sweep at the hands of their division foes, the Tampa Bay Lightning. There's a real question as to whether Roberto Luongo has what it takes to win a Cup in the pipes, and there's an even bigger question whether Alexander Ovechkin really has the ability to lead a team to a championship up front for the Caps.
The next tier of teams includes both the Lightning (16/1) and the Bruins (10/1). These two teams are interesting this year, as they were the last two standing in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Both return the mass majority of the pieces to their puzzles from a season ago, and that bodes well for both sides. Tim Thomas was the real deal in net, and he finally won his Cup, but now, the boys from Beantown have a gigantic bulls-eye on their back. The question for Tampa Bay is whether Dwayne Roloson can keep up his solid play in net, as there really aren't any other options for Head Coach Guy Boucher to turn to.
Also in this mix are the Pittsburgh Penguins (10/1), who are eagerly awaiting the return of Sidney Crosby, the San Jose Sharks (11/1), Chicago Blackhawks (12/1), Detroit Red Wings (12/1), and Los Angeles Kings (14/1).
The one team that we didn't mention is the squad that we think has the fewest questions this year, the Philadelphia Flyers (11/1). About the only thing that held this team back last year was its goaltending, something that was immediately remedied at the beginning of the trading season when Philly added Ilya Bryzgalov from the Phoenix Coyotes. Bryzgalov really carried the Yotes for a number of seasons, and now, he has a great offense to work with as well. It's clear that the combo of Michael Leighton, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Brian Boucher isn't going to cut it, so Bryzgalov will hope to be the answer to all of Head Coach Peter Laviolette's problems.
From here, we get into some teams that have some great goaltenders, but not necessarily the best units surrounding them. The Buffalo Sabres (18/1) went on a nice run last year with Ryan Miller in net, and there is no doubt that the American net minder is one of the best in the game. Head Coach Lindy Ruff just doesn't have the offensive weapons quite yet to make that stand up though, especially in a division with a slew of other great goalies.
One of those goalies is Montreal's Carey Price. The Canadiens (25/1) stood toe to toe with the Bruins for a full seven games last year, and the likelihood is there that they are being underpriced. There is just this aura surrounding the Bell Centre right now though, that this team can't get the job done in the biggest games, which is why Montreal is 25/1 on the Stanley Cup betting lines in 2011.
The Nashville Predators (28/1) are intriguing to say the least. Mike Fisher brings a new force to this offense from last season's team, and now that he has a full offseason under his belt, we think that he can really help this offense out. It's a good thing too, because Pekka Rinne and Anders Lindback basically stood on their heads last year to get this team into the postseason. If they do the same this year, the Preds could be a force.
Back in the East, the New York Rangers (30/1) and New Jersey Devils (30/1) are next in line. These two Atlantic Division teams are clearly going to be chasing the Penguins and Flyers this year, but both could be playoff teams. The Rangers are the more dangerous of the two teams, knowing that they have a fantastic net minder in Henrik Lundqvist, while the Devils, though clearly the more talented team up front, have a big question mark in net replacing their stalwart in that position for the past two decades, the now retired Martin Brodeur.
Finally, if you believe in positive karma, why not think about the Winnipeg Jets (60/1)? Sure, the Atlanta Thrashers weren't all that great last year, but they didn't have all that much support either. Home ice advantage in Winnipeg is going to be outrageous, and we absolutely expect to see this team finish third in the Southeast Division this year. That very well could be enough to get the job done and to get the Jets in the playoffs, where absolutely anything can happen.
