The sports book websites are heating up with NHL betting now that the playoffs are less than two weeks away. Some teams are fighting for their playoff lives, some are just trying to stay healthy until the playoffs and some teams are trying to play the role of spoiler.

 In this NHL game preview we look at the Carolina Hurricanes visiting the Montreal Canadiens. The Carolina Hurricanes started the season as a 20 to 1 favorite to win the Stanley Cup. They were solid in goal with Cam Ward, and Rob Brind’Amour was supposed to carry the team to the post-season. Throughout the season Cam Ward was first a disappointment, and then he got hurt. The Hurricanes cannot score goals and they are -29 in the difference between goals for and goals against. Now the Hurricanes are 200 to 1 to win the Cup and it is doubtful they will make the playoffs.

The Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins were supposed to battle it out for the Northeast division as the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators were left for dead by the hockey world. Then the season actually started and Montreal goaltender Carey Price did not deliver. The Canadiens started the season as 25 to 1 favorites, but their play throughout the season has dropped them to a 40 to 1 bet to win the Stanley Cup.

The Canadiens are fighting with the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers for the sixth, seventh and eighth playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Only two points separate the teams. It is doubtful that either of those three teams will catch fifth place Ottawa, but they are all looking in their rearview mirrors at the Atlanta Thrashers who are only two points out of a playoff spot and on the move.

It is difficult for a team to be battling for a playoff spot so late in the season because you are not afforded the luxury of being able to evaluate your talent to see who will play in the playoffs and who will sit. The Canadiens seem to still be jumping back and forth between Price and goaltender Jaroslav Halak. While it is expected that Halak will be the playoff starter, he is not getting all of the starts and that has to concern Canadiens fans.

While betters are considering the Final Four odds, the Carolina Hurricanes are trying to play spoiler. The NHL odds are less than 1% that the Hurricanes will make the playoffs, so now they are just playing for pride. Cam Ward is back from his injury but he is rusty and not winning just yet.

The Canadiens have found a focus in the last two weeks winning six of their last ten games. Their scoring has picked up and so has the play of Halak, when he is in net. If the Canadiens sit Price and ride Halak the rest of the way they could very well win out their remaining games. They are playing very well and they are playing with a purpose.

It does not appear as though the Hurricanes have enough to play spoiler against a Montreal team in their own building and focused squarely on the post-season.

Pick: Montreal Canadiens 4-2

Take a break from those March Madness odds for a minute and check out this NHL matchup on the horizon in San Jose, where two of the top three teams in the Western Conference will meet when the Sharks host the Canucks, and both teams have been up and down as of late, looking for a spark to take them into the playoffs.

Canucks vs Sharks odds – Saturday, March 27, 10:00 PM ET

Sportsbook players could see that the Canucks were looking ahead to their Wednesday game against Anaheim when they lost 3-2 in Edmonton on Tuesday, so they spanked the Ducks 4-1 behind goals from Christian Ehrhoff, Daniel Sedin, Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler. The Sedin twins combined for six points on the night, while linemate Burrows added his goal, and their production has to be one of the biggest surprises of the season. Everyone knew they were solid players, but now the Sedins are bonafide stars, and they’re two of the keys to the Canucks’ sportsbook odds to lift the Stanley Cup. The other key, Roberto Luongo, sat this game out, but Andrew Raycroft stepped in nicely to stop 30 shots.

After losing five in a row, all on the road, the Sharks have now won two straight after a 3-0 shutout of Dallas at home on Thursday. Evgeni Nabokov made 27 saves for the 50^th shutout of his career, and he got support by goals from Rob Blake, Dan Boyle and Logan Couture. This will be the second of a three-game homestand for the Sharks, who then head out on the road for four more games, and they’ll have to sort out their problems away from home if they want to feel like they can emerge out of the tough West.

The Sharks should be favored at home by your sportsbook odds (sportsbook reviews), and the Canucks have lost their last four trips to San Jose. Even though they’ve won two of their last three against the Sharks, the Canucks had lost seven straight to the Sharks prior to that, and it seems that this is just one of those matchups where one team has the number of the other. The gold-medal Canadian will be well represented, as Luongo will face Boyle, Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau on the other side. Luongo hasn’t played well since the Olympics ended, and the Canucks need him to be at his best if they want to be a factor in the playoffs. The Sharks are tough to beat at home, so you should take San Jose on Saturday night before making your NCAA basketball betting picks.

The March madness odds have hit full stride in Buffalo, NY as the first round of the NCAA tournament was played in Buffalo’s HSBC Arena. Now that the March madness picks have moved to the next round, the Buffalo Sabres can go back to their home and try and lock up the Northeast Division before the playoffs start.

The sportsbook reviews have the Buffalo Sabres’ odds at winning the Stanley Cup at 10 to 1 and the Montreal Canadiens at 50 to 1. The Canadiens and their early season indecision in goal cost them ground in the standings and spots in the Stanley Cup odds. The Sabres have been chugging along winning more than they have been losing since the Olympic break and winning their last three games in a row.

Right now the Sabres stand nine points ahead of the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens in the Northeast Division. More importantly, the Canadiens are fighting with the Boston Bruins and the Atlanta Thrashers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

When you bet March madness you sometimes look for that team with something to prove. The team that seems most desperate, with the talent to back it up, can be an appealing pick. In the NHL playoff run you can use many of the same betting rules in picking individual game winners. The Montreal Canadiens will be a very desperate team coming into this game. They need the points much more than the Sabres do. However, the Sabres just beat two very desperate teams in the Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes. The Sabres beat the Hurricanes only 22 hours after beating the Panthers.

The Canadiens could be coming into a buzz saw when they take the ice in Buffalo for this game. Players who have laid dormant such as Jochen Hecht and Adam Mair are suddenly offensive machines. Patrick Kaleta is an expert NHL pest, and Ryan Miller is a wall in net.

The Canadiens put up very similar offensive numbers to the Sabres, but what the Canadiens have now is a solid goaltender in Jaroslav Halak. The last time these two teams played on January 3, 2010 the Canadiens were still clinging to Carey Price. The Sabres won that game 1-0 with Price in net for the Canadiens. This game will be different with Halak between the pipes.

The Canadiens have been getting steady offense from scorers like Michael Cammalleri and Brian Gionta all season long. The problem for the Canadiens is that Cammalleri is hurt and they do not have his offense. Gionta scored twice in the Canadiens’ game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Canadiens will lean a lot on Gionta until Cammalleri comes back.

If the Sabres give Ryan Miller a rest for this game, which they may do because they have a cushion in their division, then the Canadiens may be able to get to Patrick Lalime with pressure. But with Ryan Miller in net, the Canadiens will have to crash the net from the point and that leaves the Sabres free to run towards Halak all alone in the Canadiens’ goal.

Pick: Buffalo Sabres 3-1

Hockey fans looking to watch something other than March Madness odds games on Saturday night will get to watch a classic, original six match up between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. Although the result in this one means little for the Maple Leafs non-existent playoff hopes, there will still be consolation for the team’s fans if they can play spoiler and hurt the postseason chances of the seventh seeded Canadiens.

Montreal Canadiens @ Toronto Maple Leafs

Saturday March 20, 2010 – 7PM ET

Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

Online Betting Line: Montreal -110

The Canadiens have been playing their best hockey of the season since the Olympic break, registering a 7-1 record including their current six-game winning streak they will look to defend against the last place Maple Leafs. Even without leading scorer Mike Cammalleri, Montreal has found a way to ignite the offense, which was its Achilles heel for much of the first half of the season. The Habs have scored 24 goals on their current winning streak, an average of four goals per game. A big reason for the offensive success has been the chemistry between Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, and Benoit Pouliot. Gomez and Gionta played together in New Jersey several years back, and look to have found that chemistry. Pouliot has been the perfect complement as the power forward with a scoring touch. Three of the Canadiens’ next six games are against teams currently placed outside a playoff spot, and it will be important to take advantage and gain maximum points in those games to help clinch a playoff spot.

The Maple Leafs have long been out of contention for a playoff spot, but that hasn’t stopped them from actually becoming a more competitive team since the Olympic break. Toronto is two games above .500 in eight games since returning from the break, and what is more impressive is that four of those six wins have come against teams currently holding a playoff spot in the Eastern conference. After trading several veteran players at the trade deadline, the Maple Leafs have thrived as the National Hockey League’s youngest team.

No matter where these teams are in the standings it is always a competitive game when they meet. Montreal has won three of the first four games they have played, but since they all went past regulation, including two overtime wins and one shootout win, Toronto has earned a point in every one of those games with a 1-0-3 mark. Both teams have been playing their best hockey of the season in March, and with Montreal looking to continue their winning streak and become one step closer to clinching a playoff spot, this game should be as exciting as any March Madness predictions come Saturday night. Expect the Canadiens to continue to roll with a road win over their longtime nemesis, in a game that very well could once again go to extra time.

5dimes reviews Pick: Montreal -110

NHL Game Preview: Phoenix Coyotes @ Tampa Bay Lightning (3/16/2010)

During all of the march madness odds it is easy to overlook the fact that the Tampa Bay Lightning have snuck up to within four points of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Ever since the trade deadline the sports betting community has been picking the Phoenix Coyotes to win almost every night, and for the most part the Coyotes have delivered. This game is a story of a team trying desperately to cling to life, and another team looking to establish their new-found dominance.

Goaltending

This will be like a March madness contest between two teams looking to move up in the bracket. The goaltending difference is glaring between these two teams, and could be the difference in the game.

As is the case when figuring odds on NCAA basketball, defense is important in the NHL. The Lightning have been using a platoon of two goalies and neither can seem to get the job done or lay claim to the number one goalie spot. Antero Niittymaki was supposed to be the starter but the Lightning have turned to using Mike Smith as well and neither has played exceptional. Niittymaki remains the de facto number one goalie because he has a winning record, but he has been pulled several times this season and leave instability in the Tampa nets.

The Coyotes have Ilya Bryzgalov and have no problems between the pipes. Bryzgalov is in the top of the league in shut-outs, wins and goals against average. He has also won four of his last five games with two of those wins being shut-outs.

Offense

The Coyotes have 10 players with double-digit goals and one of those players is the recently acquired Lee Stempniak from Toronto. Throw in the other superstar new addition in Wojtek Wolski from Colorado and it is easy to see why the Coyotes are surging at the right time.

The Lightning are getting the majority of their offense from Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, Ryan Malone and Vincent Lecavalier. That is not enough to establish a winning season and it is showing in the standings.

Defense

The difference between Tampa goals against and goals for is -27. That is really all that needs to be said about their goaltending, their defense and their offense. It is lacking, and it is hard to win games when you cannot put the puck in the net.

The Phoenix production has picked up steadily in the past two weeks to the point where they are +18 in their goals against versus goals for differential. It is good to see a team make the right trades and then benefit from them.

Bottom Line

There is a very good chance that the Lightning will put up a good fight in this game. Their top scorers will put pressure on Bryzgalov and the Phoenix defense, but in the end it may not be enough. With the new high-flying Coyotes on the ice, the team is looking to establish itself for a playoff run. This game will be another statement game by the new Coyotes.

Pick: Phoenix Coyotes 4-2

While Pacquiao Clottey betting and college basketball odds will be hot this week, another powerful pair will meet on Saturday afternoon on the ice in Philadelphia, where the Flyers will host Chicago. Both teams have won seven of their last 10 games, and as we head towards the stretch run, both will be looking to keep up their momentum.

Blackhawks vs Flyers odds – Saturday, March 13, 1:00 PM ET

The Blackhawks ended a four-game homestand with a 3-2 overtime win over Los Angeles at home on Wednesday, powered by a pair of goals from Patrick Sharp. Kris Versteeg notched his 15^th goal of the year for the Blackhawks, who got 28 saves from Antti Niemi as they held a 43-30 edge in shots over the Kings. The Blackhawks sat just two points behind San Jose for the top spot in the Western Conference before Friday’s games, and they would also like to keep their eight-point cushion on third-place Vancouver.

The Flyers were thumped 5-1 by Boston at home on Thursday, although the Bruins were certainly fired up over the loss of Marc Savard, who was knocked out by Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke last Sunday. Jeff Carter’s 32^nd goal of the season was a power-play marker, but that was the only shot that the Flyers could get past Tuukka Rask. The Flyers were outshot 37-32, and at home, these are the types of games you cannot have, especially against a team trying to catch you in the standings. Heading into Friday’s games, the Flyers were tied with Montreal on 74 points in the Eastern Conference in sixth place, but Boston is just two points behind.

The Flyers should be favored at home in this contest according to bookmaker odds (bookmaker reviews), and they’ve won eight of their last 10 against the Blackhawks, but the two haven’t faced each other since Boxing Day 2006, when the Blackhawks routed the Flyers 5-1 at home. The Blackhawks are great on the road, but the Flyers will be eager to get back on the ice after their poor effort against Boston on Thursday, and that should fire them up. There are still questions about goaltending on both teams, and whichever goalie plays better will lead their team to victory. The Flyers seem to be settled on Michael Leighton, and it’ll be interesting to see how he bounces back from his worst game with Philadelphia. The Blackhawks will be beginning a tough stretch of four road games in five outings, and they may be looking ahead to Sunday afternoon’s nationally-televised showdown with Washington, another favorite according to Stanley Cup odds. Take the Philadelphia Flyers at home before you make your boxing picks Saturday night, followed by some college basketball betting picks on Sunday.

Boston Bruins @ Toronto Maple Leafs

Hockey Odds: Bruins -120

The Boston Bruins will look to continue its dominance of the Maple Leafs when they make the trip to Toronto this Tuesday. Boston has taken three of the first four meetings between these teams, including most recently a 3-2 shootout-win at home on March 4.  The Bruins went on to beat the Islanders the following Saturday, before falling to Pittsburgh the next night leading in to this Northeast Division match up. Perhaps more importantly, Boston center Marc Savard suffered a minor concussion on a dirty blindside hit to the head by the Penguins’ Matt Cooke. The injury is not as serious as originally thought, and Savard may play in this game. Toronto, ranked dead-last in the Eastern conference, split its weekend games with a win over Ottawa and a loss to Philadelphia entering Tuesday night’s game.

How The Bruins Can Win:

The Bruins have struggled offensively for most of the season, as indicated by their league-low 157 goals for. With Savard’s status for the game uncertain, not just if he will play but how well he can perform should he get clearance to, the expectation will be for his teammates to step up. David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, and Michael Ryder must get on the score sheet in a game that the Bruins should win if they can get a couple of goals according to betting services. Tuukka Rask and Tim Thomas have served as one of the more formidable netminding tandem’s in the league, with Rask second only to Buffalo’s Ryan Miller in goals against average, and Boston will rely on more above-average play in goal should its offense stumble.

How The Maple Leafs Can Win:

Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke executed a fire-sale at the NHL trade deadline, leaving his team the youngest in the league. With a lack of firepower up front, and a lack of experience, Toronto will need a solid performance from its goaltender to win. Head coach Ron Wilson has said he will rotate his goalies game-by-game, and if that is true rookie Jonas Gustavsson will get the start. Gustavsson was outstanding in his last start, a 2-1 shootout win over Ottawa on Saturday, and will need to best at his best again if the last-place Maple Leafs are to steal a win. The top line of Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak, and Nik Kulemin will be expected to score the Toronto goals.

Who Will Win:

Not in recent memory has an NHL roster been so void of NHL-caliber talent as the Maple Leafs is at this point. Buried at the bottom of the Eastern conference standings, Toronto will be hard-pressed to secure two points in any of its remaining games down the stretch. On paper, Boston outclasses the Leafs in every aspect of the game, and, barring a massive  sports betting meltdown, the Bruins should secure the two points in their pursuit of the eighth and final playoff spot.

Pick: Boston

This Saturday there are two games on the slate in the NHL that are no doubters on who will win. These games if parlayed can bring a keen sports-bettor a nice return on investment.

Dallas Stars (28-23-12, 68 points 11^th in Eastern Conference) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (38-22-4, 80 points 2^nd in Eastern Conference)

Sportsbook: NHL Odds

Spread: Penguins -1.5 (+160), Stars +1.5 (-210)

Total: 6

Money Line: Penguins -300, Stars +215

The Pittsburgh Penguins will get to play with their latest toy gained at the NHL Trade Deadline; Alexei Ponikarovsky. Without their new top-line left winger, the Penguins beat the Rangers in overtime, 5-4 on Thursday. Goalie Marc Andre-Fleury was pulled after allowing four goals on just 12 shots. Pittsburgh had a whopping 55 shots on goal in the game. Pittsburgh, after a slow start this season has really come on and looks to solidify their spot as one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference.

Dallas is going the other way after being quiet at the trade deadline and only waiving goalie Alex Auld and extending winger Steve Ott for four more years. This team doesn’t do anything exceptionally well and have dropped both games since the Olympic break ended by a combined score of 11-2. They lost to St Louis at home 6-1 on Thursday. Loui Eriksson and Brad Richards have been bright spots for an otherwise run of the mill team that will just miss the cut for the playoffs.

Prediction: With the Stars struggling and the Penguins goaltending a little shaky, although nowhere near as shaky as Turco has been this year, expect to see a lot of goals in this one. Pittsburgh is playing at a new level and Ponikarovsky will just make this already very good team better. Look for Crosby, Malkin and company to roll.

Final: Penguins 7 – Dallas 2. Take the Pens and the Over

New York Rangers (29-27-8, 66 points t-8^th in Eastern Conference) @ Washington Capitals (43-13-8, 94 points 1^st in Eastern Conference)

NHL Odds

Spread: Capitals -1.5 (+190), Rangers (-225)

Total: 6

Money Line: Capitals – 290, Rangers +185

The Rangers were lucky to come away with a point in their loss to Pittsburgh Thursday. The Rangers were outshot by a total of 55-16 including only one shot in the whole third period and overtime. Henrik Lundqvist stood on his head and still gave up five goals, three on deflections including the game-winner.  The Rangers will face another vaunted offense, perhaps a better one on Saturday.

The Capitals bolstered their already solid roster at the deadline by adding D Joe Corvo, F Scott Walker and C Eric Belanger and reacquired D Milan Jurcina. Walker scored two goals in his first game with the Caps and C Eric Belanger was added for his speed, face-off skill and ability on the penalty kill .Corvo is an excellent puck moving defenseman and will make for a scary tandem with Mike green at the point, especially on the power play. This team has the best record in the east by far and doesn’t look like they can be stopped by just anyone.

Betting Tips: The Rangers decided not to do anything at the trade deadline except add some tough guys and a backup goalie. The Rangers have been without star winger Marian Gaborik since returning from the Olympic break and may be out for this one as well with a disclosed injury from Olympic play. The Rangers will have to hope Lundqvist can be exceptional again if they want to even have a remote shot at this game.

Final: Washington 5 – Rangers 2, Take the Caps and the over.

Sportsbook Review: Take the Penguins money line and the over and the Capitals money line in a three bet parlay, with the over in the game a decent choice if you want to up it to a four.

Favorite: Colorado / Over-Under: 5.5

The sports betting is focused squarely on the NHL as the league makes its push to the playoffs. There is a lot going on this week with the teams resuming play from the all-star break and the trade deadline approaching. In looking at an NHL game preview it only made sense to discuss gold medal winning Team Canada coach Mike Babcock and his Detroit Red Wings.

There is some speculation that the NHL trade deadline will bring some changes in Detroit and that may be necessary if Hockeytown is to have any chance of re-claiming its status as a “team to beat.”

If you bet hockey then you are well aware of the sad truth the Red Wings are facing, and that truth is that they are old. It is now apparent that Chris Osgood had one more championship season in him, and now he is starting the downhill slope of what should be a Hall of Fame career. Right now the Red Wings are chasing the Calgary Flames for the eighth and final playoff spot, and they are only out of it by one point. Unfortunately for the Red Wings they have to start their playoff push against one of the surprise teams in the West – the Colorado Avalanche.

Last season the Colorado Avalanche were left for dead. They were a shell of the team they used to be, and the playoffs were a distant memory. Enter goaltender Craig Anderson. Anderson was a journeyman at best for years in the NHL, but he has found a home in Colorado. With 31 wins and a .924 save percentage, Anderson is one of the reasons why the Avalanche sit in sixth spot in the Western Conference and poised to make the playoffs this season.

Veteran defenseman Adam Foote, who has been on and off with the Nordiques/Avalanche since 1991, always adds toughness to the team and gives them the leadership they need to win. Leadership is important to the Avalanche because they are essentially a bunch of kids overachieving this season. While that probably sets them up to get clobbered in the playoffs, it also helps them to establish a foundation to work from for many years to come.

Most people still automatically assume that the Red Wings are a lock each season to make the playoffs and challenge for the Stanley Cup, and up until two seasons ago that was the case. But with very few moves being made to shore up an aging team, and musical chairs being played at goalie with no clear successor to Chris Osgood, the Red Wings find themselves on the cusp of a rebuilding year. It appears as though the many years of Stanley Cups and champions in Detroit will have to make way for new names and new faces for a few years. Hockeytown will be hurting while they attempt to re-define themselves, and this game against the Avalanche is a good indication of how far the Red Wings have fallen in a short period of time.

Pick: Colorado 4-1

Olympic hockey betting players are preparing for what should an exciting semifinal day on Friday, with the host country, Canada joined by the United States, Finland and a surprising Slovakia team. The smart money says that Canada and the Americans will go through to stage a rematch of their group-stage clash, won by the USA.

USA vs Finland odds – Friday, February 26, 3:00 PM ET

The Americans pummeled Swiss goalie Jonas Hiller in a 2-0 win in the quarterfinals, and Hiller stood on his head until a pair of third-period markers from Zach Parise. Ryan Miller stopped all 19 shots he faced for the Americans, who are perfect so far in this tournament and are playing the underdog role to a tee. The Finns came away with their own 2-0 win over the Czech Republic, and they also needed goals in the final 20 minutes from Niklas Hagman and Valtterri Filppula. These two know what it’s like to be in the gold-medal game, as the Americans lost to Canada in Salt Lake City in 2002, while the Finns lost to rival Sweden in Torino in 2006. This game should be won between the pipes, as Miller has been standing on his head during this tournament, while Finland’s Miikka Kiprusoff has answered every question asked of him. This will go down to the final period, but the Americans are the play here.

Canada vs Slovakia odds – Friday, February 26, 9:30 PM ET

US sportsbook odds (US sportsbook reviews) had Canada as the pre-tournament favorites, but everyone worried after their loss to the Americans in the final group game, and there was nervousness before Wednesday’s game with Russia. The Canadians put that to bed quickly, jumping out to a 3-0 lead before rolling to a 7-3 romp over the Russians, and they got a huge game from Dan Boyle, who had three points in the first period. Roberto Luongo made 25 stops as the Canadians held a 42-28 edge in shots. The Slovaks knocked off the defending gold medalists from Sweden with a 4-3 win in the quarterfinals, and Jaroslav Halak stopped 26 shots, outplaying Henrik Lundqvist as Slovakia were outshot 29-14. The Canadians will be the heavy favorites in this game, and they need to come out and do what they did against the Russians, which was to get rid of the cute passes and hit everything in sight. The Canadians can play with skill, but their game is power, and they can really wear down the Slovaks, especially on the forecheck. The Slovaks don’t have the depth to skate with Canada, and their only chance is Halak, who needs to have the game of his life if Slovakia are going to pull off one of the biggest hockey betting upsets in history.