Sports Betting Overview

There is no way that the NHL schedule makers could have known that loading the end of the season with a few games between the St. Louis Blues and the Detroit Red Wings would have a profound effect on the end of the regular season. Even baseball betting enthusiasts are having a hard time following the extreme ups and downs of the Detroit Red Wings’ season. The team was flying high as one of the best teams in the Western Conference for months until it was destroyed by injuries. In the past few weeks, the mighty have fallen in Detroit. While the Red Wings are not in any imminent danger of falling out of the playoff race, Detroit could be as low as fourth in the Central Division and sixth in the Western Conference if it cannot pull itself together. With the injuries continuing to pile up, the Red Wings may be in bigger trouble than fans want to admit.

Sportsbook reviews of the St. Louis Blues’ season shows that the Blues have been well-coached this year by new head coach Ken Hitchcock. St. Louis has mastered the art of using two starting goaltenders and has put itself in a position where it can rise to the top of the Western Conference if it can win its last few games. The battle for the top spot in the Western Conference between the Blues and the Vancouver Canucks comes down to these last few games, and St. Louis is falling behind ever so slightly. But all it would take would be a season-ending winning streak to put St. Louis back on top and ready to dominate in the playoffs.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings tend to lose games in bunches and then come back strong with long winning streaks. But the team is 3-5-2 in its last 10 games and far removed from the status it held after breaking the single-season home winning streak earlier in the year. The price per head bookie experts honestly have no clue what to make of the Red Wings. It seems that the team goes as goaltender Jimmy Howard goes. Howard is 1-3-1 in his last five games. If that is any indication of what the Red Wings can expect to finish the season, then it may be a short playoff run for Detroit.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues have a lot of talent and are a very disciplined hockey team. But even with all of its success this season, St. Louis is still fighting with a poor road record. This game at home will be a good way of boosting the team’s confidence as it heads into the playoffs. But with a road record of 18-16-6, the Blues could look right past this game and start focusing on developing momentum on the road.

The Bottom Line

The Red Wings need this game and the Blues really do not. The NHL fans in St. Louis will want to see a show from its team against the Red Wings, but the Blues may be already looking to make a statement on the road when the team plays in Dallas to finish out the season.

Pick: Detroit Red Wings

Sports Betting Overview

There are still some very good playoff races in the NHL that will come down to the last game of the season. As the NHL season enters its last week, many teams are still fighting for the right to be in the post-season. This time of the year is always filled with college basketball betting and the anticipation of the NHL playoffs. As the Western Conference teams continue to jockey for position, the fate of the Los Angeles Kings is not yet decided. Even after adding Mark Richards and Jeff Carter from the Philadelphia Flyers, the Kings can still not score goals and have problems winning games. It is getting frustrating for the fans and team executives in Los Angeles to try and figure out what is going wrong.

The Calgary Flames are making a late season push to try and bolt itself into playoff contention. The Flames are only two points out of seventh place in the Western Conference and the team is playing very well. The price per head bookie experts did not expect Calgary to still be in contention this late in the season. But now that Calgary has put itself in a position to grab a playoff spot, it needs to keep winning down the stretch to get into one of the last two playoff spots that are up for grabs. Calgary has been getting superb goaltending lately and that has helped to propel the team into the playoff hunt.

Los Angeles Kings

It is getting to the point in Los Angeles where the Kings’ management may have to start seriously considering the idea of making some significant roster moves to get the team motivated for next year. The Kings are one of the best defensive teams in the league and goaltender Jonathan Quick is having a stellar season. But Los Angeles is unable to score any goals. Sportsbook reviews of the last two games for the Kings show that the team lost both games and could not put up key goals at key moments in either game. The most recent loss epitomized the problems when the Kings lost to the Vancouver Canucks 1-0. Jeff Carter has not picked up a single point in the last three games and Mike Richards is having a sub-par offensive season by his standards with only 39 points so far this season.

Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames is 5-2-3 in the last 10 games and making a serious push for the playoffs. This game against the Kings is what Calgary needs to leap into a tie in points for eighth place in the Western Conference. Calgary owns the tie-breaker over Phoenix, so it would put the Flames in the playoff hunt. That is not bad for a team that most NHL fans have ignored for the better part of the last few years. Calgary is strongest at home and that is not something that the Kings do not want to hear.

The Bottom Line

The Los Angeles Kings just cannot get the job done this year. Each time the team needs a win or two to jump into the playoff hunt, it falls short. There is no reason to expect that to change at this point.

Pick: Calgary Flames

Online Sportsbook Overview

This is the time of the year when the Vancouver Canucks kick things in to high gear just in time to disappoint fans in the playoffs again. But this season is something different. Rather than stampeding towards the playoffs, the Canucks are limping into the post-season. As the March Madness spreads for the next round in the NCAA tournament get announced, the Canucks are actually struggling to finish the season strong. Fans in Vancouver should not worry about the Canucks’ standing in the Western Conference because Vancouver has a huge lead in the Pacific Division and a lock on second place in the Western Conference. But Vancouver is not making a push to overtake the St. Louis Blues for the Western Conference lead and that may be a good thing for the Canucks.

Every team from the Central Division, with the exception of the Columbus Blue Jackets, is making the playoffs this season. The Chicago Blackhawks still have a chance to move up to fourth in the Western Conference but no chance of catching the Blues for the Central Division lead. Considering how the season started for the Blackhawks, being in sixth place in the conference with a comfortable six-point pad between itself an the eighth place teams is a pretty good accomplishment. But even with some consistency in its game as of late, the price per head sports experts are still not sure how the Blackhawks will fare when the playoffs begin.

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks is 3-5-2 in the last 10 games and facing a crisis. While it can be refreshing to fans that the Canucks are not breaking out all of the stops to try and win the Western Conference, the play of both goaltenders is not been impressive lately. Roberto Luongo is 0-3-0 in his last three starts and Cory Schneider is 2-2-0 in his last four starts. A betonline.com review of the Canucks’ situation shows that Vancouver may still not know which goalie it intends to start when the playoffs begin. Any hockey fan will tell you that goalie indecision heading into the playoffs is a very bad thing.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks is 7-2-1 in its last 10 games and is riding a three-game winning streak. To top that off, Chicago is 25-7-5 at home, which is the third-best home record in the conference. The Blackhawks started putting winning streaks together right around the time that the NBA trade rumors were getting strongest and has been able to build confidence heading into the playoffs. The Blackhawks still need defensive help if it is going to go deep into the post-season, but it won’t need that help in this game.

The Bottom Line

This is a momentum game. The Blackhawks will use its momentum to roll over the Canucks and the Canucks will be forced to pedal forward without any sustainable momentum at all. Canucks fans are hoping the team picks up the pace some time soon.

Pick: Chicago Blackhawks

Online Sportsbooks Overview

The  Buffalo Sabres have a chance to do something that no other team has ever done in the NHL since the league went to Eastern and Western Conferences. No team has ever come from last place in a conference to claim a playoff spot with 30 games or less remaining in the season. As the March Madness spreads get announced, the Sabres get ready to play the Colorado Avalanche in a game that could put the Sabres in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. If the Washington Capitals lose to the New York Islanders on Tuesday and the Sabres win in this game, then Buffalo controls the eighth and final playoff spot in the conference with only 11 games left in its season. The Sabres have put itself in a position where it needs to rely on a lot of “ifs” to get where it wants to be, but Buffalo is taking advantage of its opportunities.

The Colorado Avalanche is caught up in the battle for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Avalanche currently holds on to that spot, but there are three teams within two points of Colorado in the standings. The price per head bookie experts did not expect a playoff run from the Colorado Avalanche and the Avalanche are having a pretty good time proving the critics wrong. Colorado has been playing some good hockey lately and has a chance to move into seventh place in the Western Conference with a win in this game.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres owe a lot of its success lately to goaltender Ryan Miller. But the team has started to come around as of late and fans are starting to see the kind of play that could have put the Sabres way up in the Eastern Conference standings if it had happened earlier in the season. A betonline.com review of the Sabres’ most recent success shows that the team is 7-2-1 in the last 10 games and riding a two-game winning streak. While the Sabres have a terrible road record for the season, the most recent road efforts have been quite successful for Buffalo. But it is at home where the Sabres have become most dangerous as the team has now won five consecutive home games.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche have been quite successful as well lately posting a 7-3-0 record in the last 10 games and bringing a two-game winning streak of their own to Buffalo. Colorado has also been getting stellar play from its goaltender as Semyon Varlamov is 4-1-0 in his last five starts and that includes a shutout over the Minnesota Wild. Colorado has always been able to put the puck in the net and now the defense and goaltending is starting to catch up as well.

The Bottom Line

The Denver Nuggets are not part of any potential NBA trade rumors this year, so the talk of Denver has been the Avalanche. The last time the Sabres battled to be within two points of a playoff spot, Buffalo lost the game that would have put it into the top eight. Unfortunately for Sabres fans, they can expect the same results in this game.

Pick: Colorado Avalanche

Online Sportsbook Overview

The Toronto Maple Leafs organization has seen a lot of potential saviors in the past few years. Brian Burke was supposed to come in and be the general manager that wins a Stanley Cup. So far, that has not worked out. James Reimer was supposed to be the answer in goal for years to come but he has been forced to share time with Jonas Gustavsson in goal. Now Randy Carlyle has been brought in to replace Ron Wilson as head coach to turn the season around. As the March Madness odds grab headlines in other parts of the world, the people in Toronto wait anxiously to see what results the newest savior will bring.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were having some serious issues about a month ago, but Pittsburgh has battled back in a big way. One of the things that the price per head sports experts have noticed is the rise of Evgeni Malkin as a team leader in Pittsburgh. With Sidney Crosby sidelined indefinitely with concussion problems, Malkin has been taking a more aggressive stance on the ice to protect players and act in a leadership role. The payoff has been a much more aggressive and confident Pittsburgh team that now looks to be a contender for the Stanley Cup.

Toronto Maple Leafs

So how much of a hill does Randy Carlyle have to climb? The Leafs are 2-7-1 in the last 10 games and have tumbled from fourth in the Eastern Conference to 12^th. A sportsbook review of the Toronto situation shows that the Leafs are currently five points out of a playoff spot with 17 games left to play. The gap is hardly insurmountable, but it becomes more intimidating when you consider that Toronto cannot win key games to make up ground. Every conference game is critically important for Toronto and, to this point, the Leafs have not been up to the challenge. As Randy Carlyle works feverishly to implement his system in to Toronto’s style of play, he knows that the clock is ticking.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Evgeni Malkin has eight points in his last five games and currently leads the NHL in points with 81. He is second in the league in goal scoring with 38. The Penguins are 8-2-0 in the last 10 games and are currently riding a six-game winning streak. Coincidence? No, it is not. Malkin has stepped out in front of his team and is leading it to the playoffs. While the Penguins may not be able to catch the Rangers for first place in the Atlantic Division and first place overall in the Eastern Conference, the Penguins can hold on to fourth place in the conference and gain home ice in at least the first series of the playoffs. How important is home ice to the Penguins? Pittsburgh is 21-8-2 at home, which is the second best home record in the Eastern Conference.

The Bottom Line

While sports fans around the country contemplate NBA trade rumors, the fans in Toronto and Pittsburgh are fixated on hockey. While Randy Carlyle may be able to make the Leafs a better team, it is going to take time for his system to take effect. In the meantime, the Leafs get the opportunity to get steam-rolled by the force that is the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins

Online Sportsbooks Overview

With the NHL trade deadline completed, the Leafs had made some interesting moves. Veteran defenseman Keith Aulie was traded to Tampa Bay for forward Carter Ashton. To fill in for Aulie, the Leafs later picked up defenseman Mark Fraser from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Dale Mitchell. But that really wasn’t a trade to replace Aulie because Fraser will spend most of the rest of this season in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. So what did Toronto accomplish on trade deadline day? They gave up two experienced players to get two prospects. It looks like the Leafs are building for the future, but that has fans wondering if Toronto is giving up on the rest of this season.

The price per head sports experts are fairly impressed with the trade deadline move that the Chicago Blackhawks made. Chicago gave up a couple of 2013 draft picks to get rugged defenseman Johnny Oduya from the Winnipeg Jets. In an ironic twist, Oduya adds defensive muscle that the Blackhawks lost when it allowed Dustin Byfuglein to go to the Jets a couple of years ago. With a badly needed roster upgrade on defense, the Blackhawks come into Toronto to try and grab two points that Chicago desperately needs to stay in the hunt for a Western Conference playoff spot.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs really thought it had the goaltending situation solved with the emergence of James Reimer. But as the March Madness odds keep on shifting around, the Leafs are taking a closer look at its goaltending situation and not liking what it sees. Toronto is in the top half of the NHL in goals scored and goals against. That is one of the reasons why the trade of Aulie is a little confusing. Aulie is an NHL veteran that is effective at keeping players out from in front of the Toronto net. Without Aulie, the complexion of the Toronto defense will be much more different. A team that is already having problems in goal and playing defense just created an even deeper problem for itself. What does not help is that the Chicago Blackhawks are one of the highest scoring teams in the league.

Chicago Blackhawks

The addition of Oduya shows that the Blackhawks acknowledge that it needs some strength on defense. While Oduya is just one player, he is a good start. A sportsbook review of the Chicago situation in the Western Conference standings shows that the Blackhawks have climbed back into sixth place in the conference, but Chicago has also lost its last three games in a row. Moving up to fifth place may be a challenge, but the Blackhawks only have a three-point lead for their playoff spot and need to get back on the winning track.

The Bottom Line

The Leafs depleted its roster a bit at the trade deadline and the Blackhawks improved its roster. Unfortunately for Toronto, the hit to its defensive corps is going to be keenly felt in this matchup with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Pick: Chicago Blackhawks

College basketball betting is starting to heat up as the final week of the regular season winds down, but that is just a part of this week’s wagering action as there is also some NHL action and of course, the NBA as it returns from the All-Star break.

Monday

Notre Dame Georgetown Odds (7:00 PM ET): The No.20 Fighting Irish head to the nation’s

capital to take on the No.11 Hoyas after having their winning streak stopped at nine at St. John’s. Seeding is at a premium for the Big East tournament, so this game is going to be huge as both look to position themselves for a good spot.

Tuesday

Senators Bruins Odds (7:00 PM ET): Authors of an NHL trade deadline blog will be back to

normal on Tuesday after another uneventful deadline on Monday, and they’ll have their eye on a matchup from the Eastern Conference as Ottawa looks to end their jinx at the hands of Boston, who have won the past eight meetings between these two. The Bruins defeated the Senators 5-3 on the road on Saturday night, and Ottawa will be out to avoid another loss at the hands of the team led by former Senator Zdeno Chara.

Wednesday

Ohio State Northwestern Odds (8:30 PM ET): Those betting March Madness odds should be on the lookout for this contest as the Wildcats need a big win to boost their NCAA Tournament resume, and they’ll be facing the No.10 Buckeyes, who were beaten at home by Wisconsin and don’t look anything like the team many thought would be a lock for the Final Four. A win for Northwestern here would be massive ahead of the Big Ten tournament.

Thursday

Thunder Magic Odds (8:00 PM ET): Sportsbook reviews of the All-Star game on Sunday would show that Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant led the West to a win over the East with a 36-point performance, and he ended up with the MVP award. He’ll return to Orlando on Thursday night to kick off the weekly TNT doubleheader against the Magic, who are still dealing with the Dwight Howard “will he stay or will he go” drama.

Friday

Kings Lakers Odds (10:30 PM ET): In that same All-Star Game, Kobe Bryant had his nose broken by Miami’s Dwyane Wade and managed to break Michael Jordan’s record for points at the All-Star games. Broken nose and all, expect Bryant to be on the floor on Friday against the Kings, who just learned that they’re going to stay in Sacramento as they sorted out an arena deal. Bryant has played through worse injuries, so the Lakers won’t fall much in the eyes of those that purchase pay per head services.

Online Sportsbook Overview

If the sports experts had said during the NHL preseason that a game in February between the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues could be a Stanley Cup finals preview, they would have received strange looks. Most people could see the Bruins getting back to the finals to defend its Stanley Cup title. But the St. Louis Blues just seem to be an unlikely opponent. But the price per head sports experts have been impressed with what new head coach Ken Hitchcock has been able to do with the team and turn St. Louis into a playoff contender. Now the Blues to get gauge how far it has developed when it takes on the Bruins in this game.

The Bruins looked almost unbeatable as the All-Star break approached, but Boston has hit a bit of a bump in the road that is costing it points and is on the verge of costing it the lead in the Northeast Division as well. Many hockey fans in Boston are not paying much attention to the 2012 March Madness betting activity because they are becoming increasingly concerned with the play of the Bruins. Boston was keeping pace with the New York Rangers for the Eastern Conference lead, but the Rangers have pulled away and Boston is left to try and put its game back together as the final push for the playoffs is just around the corner.

St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues is 7-3-0 in the last 10 games and trying to keep pace with the Detroit Red Wings for the lead in the Central Division and the Western Conference. One of the glaring weaknesses the Blues have is on the road where the team is 10-13-3. Ken Hitchcock knows that his team is not going very far in the playoffs if it cannot win on the road. But this game is being played in St. Louis where the Blues are an impressive 26-3-4. A 5 dimes review of the NHL standings shows that the Blues have the second-best home record in the league and are only one win behind the Red Wings in that department. The Blues are an extremely strong home team and that is not what the Bruins need to hear.

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins is 4-6-0 in the last 10 games and currently riding a two-game losing streak. But Boston still plays one of the more solid styles of team defense in the league which is backed up by Vezina-winning goaltender Tim Thomas. Boston can also score goals and have actually outscored the Blues this season by a substantial margin of 190 to 150. But the Blues also play a shut down style of defense that can stifle a physical team like Boston. This game will be a good test to see if the Bruins is ready to come out of its slump yet, or if the tough luck will continue.

The Bottom Line

Neither one of these teams is looking to make a move at the NHL trade deadline 2012. But both of these teams would like some momentum to go into the stretch run before the playoffs. St. Louis is an extremely tough defensive team, but the Bruins will try to pound its way past the Blues’ defense and grab a win.

Pick: Boston Bruins

Sportsbooks Overview

If anyone would have said that a game in February between the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers would be a battle of two playoff powerhouses, most price per head sports experts would have called that statement crazy. But the Panthers are the top team in the Southeast Division and the Senators have been battling for the fifth and sixth playoff spots for most of the season. The Florida Panthers are the only team in the Southeast Division currently in the playoff hunt. Things have turned a bit upside down in the NHL and now we have a game where both teams need the points to stay in the thick of the playoff race.

The 2012 March Madness betting is in full swing in the state of Florida and the only Florida NHL franchise currently in a playoff spot is the Florida Panthers. While the Panthers are taking advantage of a weak Southeast Division, it should be noted that Florida would still have a playoff spot even if it was not the division leader. The Senators are clinging to a playoff spot in a Northeast Division that has seen the re-emergence of the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens. When you factor in the Toronto Maple Leafs who are right on the Senators’ heels, then you get a congested playoff race in the Eastern Conference.

Ottawa Senators

The Senators have not been doing itself any favors lately. The team is 2-6-2 in the last 10 games and has fallen to seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The sportsbook reviews on the Ottawa season have shown that the team has been wildly inconsistent behind the spotty goaltending of Craig Anderson. The Senators cannot play great team defense, so it relies on Anderson to hold down the fort. Sometimes Anderson comes through, other times he does not. When Anderson has a bad night, the Senators have a bad night and that has been happening a lot lately. With the rest of the Northeast Division starting to pick up its game, the Senators need to get back on the winning path if it wants to stay in the playoff hunt.

Florida Panthers

The Panthers have been on a roll lately with a 6-3-1 record in the last 10 games. The Panthers are still riding that thin line between playing good defense and allowing way too many shots on goal. Scott Clemmensen has been the goaltending hero as of late in Florida, but that job has shifted a lot this season. The Panthers may try and use the NHL trade deadline 2012 to bring in a new goalie, but that would be like putting a band-aid on a broken arm at this point. Florida needs to keep playing its grinding style and make its own offensive opportunities to win games.

The Bottom Line

Florida is a good home team and Ottawa plays well on the road. But Ottawa has been taking a beating on the ice lately and the Panthers are on too much of a roll to stop now.

Pick: Florida Panthers

Sports Betting Overview

The Washington Capitals and the Florida Panthers are the two best teams in what is turning out to be the worst division in hockey. The Capitals are in first place in the Southeast Division but would not have enough points to be in the playoff hunt if it was not a division leader. The Florida Panthers have the same amount of points as Washington, sit in second place in the division but are still out of the running for a playoff spot. The Capitals will take the first place status in the division, but this is hardly the dominating team that fans have been seeing for the past few years. This battle for the division lead could be where the Caps start to separate itself from the rest of the division.

Sports fans in Florida are probably doing a lot of Superbowl betting but very little hockey betting. Both Florida teams, the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, are playing poor hockey and neither Florida team looks to be making a move towards the playoffs. The Panthers were riding the great play of goaltender Jose Theodore early in the season, but there is only so much that Theodore can do without a defense in front of him. The luckiest thing for the Panthers is that it plays in the worst division in hockey. That alone gives the Panthers hope for a playoff berth in April.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals do not seem to have any problems scoring goals, but the team is not getting the kind of play it expected to get from its goaltending. Newly acquired goalie Tomas Vokoun is doing well with a 20-12-0 record and a .916 save percentage. But Michal Neuvirth is obviously not enjoying the role of backup as he has posted a 6-7-3 record this season and has a .892 save percentage. The price per head bookie experts do not have a lot of faith in the Capitals when Neuvirth is in net and the Capitals seem to love to play its backup more than most other teams. As Vokoun plays more, the Capitals seem to gain stability. The fans are hoping that interim head coach Dale Hunter can see that and keep Vokoun in the nets.

Florida Panthers

The Panthers’ problems are not so much the lack of defense, it is more a lack of balance that plagues this team. Sportsbook reviews of games earlier in the season show a team that leaned way too much on a hot goalie. Once Theodore started to crack under the pressure, the offense could not pick up the pace. The Panthers need to start balancing their attack and bring their forwards back to start playing defense. If Florida does not make some changes to the way it plays, then other teams will just continue to skate around them.

The Bottom Line

NHL fans in Washington are frustrated and fans in Florida are apathetic. There is a feeling in Washington that the Capitals had its shot at the Stanley Cup but are past that and back into rebuilding. The Capitals players need to start picking up the pace to bring hockey excitement back to Washington.

Pick: Washington Capitals