Sports Betting: The Road to the Stanley Cup (Pt. 2 of 2)

Welcome to part 2 of our segment on 2007 NHL playoff betting. In the previous piece, we looked at this year’s sportsbook favourites, the teams who according to the oddsmakers, have the best chance of winning the Stanley Cup. This time we’ll concentrate on those middle-of-the-road teams who, with favorable odds for the bettor, could make great picks heading into the playoffs. Remember, the last two Stanley Cup Champions were the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Carolina Hurricanes, two strong teams albeit mild surprises to be the ones to come out on top. This of course resulted in some pretty nice payouts for anyone astute enough to pick them. Also, keep in mind which teams made the finals in those years. Edmonton and Calgary both made incredible playoff runs as huge underdogs, and in doing so proved that any one of the sixteen teams who appear in the NHL postseason are capable of winning it all.

Middle-of-the-Road Contenders

Ottawa Senators – 12/1
Senators fans have been waiting a long time for some playoff magic. If they make the playoffs –and it looks as though they will, sitting in fourth in the Eastern Conference – it will be their tenth consecutive postseason appearance. Apart from the 2002-03 campaign, when they lost the conference finals in seven games to the Devils (who would go on to win the Cup), the Sens have been a disappointing playoff team to say the least. This spring they will be looking to lose that reputation, and with a talented group of veteran players led by Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley, and Jason Spezza, this could be their year indeed.

Pittsburgh Penguins – 16/1
If the Penguins don’t make a solid run for the Cup this year, then you can’t help but think it’s only a matter of time before they are reliving the glory years of the early nineties. They have a talented core of young players, led by franchise player Sidney Crosby, which could surprise everyone this spring. They are currently the hottest team since the All Star break, and certainly have the necessary momentum heading into the playoffs to upset the powerhouse playoff elite, teams such as the Sabres or Redwings.

Vancouver Canucks – 16/1
This is another team which is riding a current high. They recently won six games in a row and now sit atop the very competitive Northwest Division, owing largely to some stellar play by goaltender Roberto Luongo and a resurgence in play by captain Markus Naslund. If the Canucks are going to make serious bid for the Cup, however, they are going to need some more consistent output from their third and fourth lines.

Calgary Flames – 20/1
The Flames are a team which simply can’t be underestimated come playoff time. In 2004, they delighted their home fans and surprised many pundits with their aggressive and hungry playoff performance. It doesn’t hurt that they have goaltender Mikka Kiprusoff in net, who seems to elevate his game when there is something on the line. If the Flames can put together a few road victories, they will be serious contenders in the playoffs because they are such difficult team to beat at home. They sit only two points behind the Canucks for that highly coveted division title and along with it some much-needed home-ice advantage.

Carolina Hurricanes – 20/1
Defending Stanley Cup champions always have an edge over the competition as they know, more than any other team, exactly what it takes to get the job done. Conversely, there hasn’t been a back-to-back winner since the New Jersey Devils did it in ’97 and ’98. The question is, can the Hurricanes put together another run like they did last year?

Atlanta Thrashers – 20/1
The Thrashers proved to all that they are serious about turning around their disappointing performance of late. Right before the trade deadline, they acquired veterans Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhitnik in hope of stemming the tide. They sit at 20/1 long-shots at the moment and look for this margin to increase, unless of course they return to the form we saw in the first half of the season.

Dallas Stars – 20/1
The Dallas Stars are proven playoff contenders although they haven’t made it past the second round since the 1998-99 season, the year they won the Stanley Cup. With a balanced combination of young talent and seasoned vets, the Stars could make a few waves this playoff season. A healthy Mike Modano and the recent addition of Ladislav Nagy will only increase their chances of another successful postseason.

Tampa Bay Lightning – 20/1
The Lightning are surging at just the right time, and are sparking a lot of renewed interest in their postseason chances. The 2004 Stanley Cup champs know that momentum heading into the playoffs is sometimes all that a skilled, experienced team needs to make a serious playoff run. The biggest question mark with their current squad is the goaltending situation, with Marc Denis and Johan Holmquist splitting the duties. Neither goalie has a single game of NHL playoff experience, a stat which could seriously affect the Lightning’s chance of going anywhere in the postseason.

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