Betting On The NHL Playoffs: Stanley Cup Picks

Writing by admin on Tuesday, 13 of March , 2007 at 4:54 pm

Betting on the winner of the Stanley Cup over the last three seasons hasn’t been overly difficult if you actually look at the final standings. The last three Cup winners have all come from the Eastern Conference, and all three have been division winners. Carolina finished second overall in the East last year, Tampa Bay finished first overall in the East back in 2003/2004, and New Jersey finished second in the East way back in 2002/2003.

Oddly enough, the West has been the exact opposite. The Western Conference has sent low seeds to the finals over the last three seasons, including No.8 seed Edmonton last season, No. 6 Calgary in 2003/2004, and No. 7 Anaheim back in 2002/2003.

If the East maintains this trend then the safe money right now would have to be on Buffalo or New Jersey. The Sabres finished one win away from the Cup final last season and have ruled the Eastern Conference since the puck first dropped back in October. If Buffalo doesn’t make the Cup final out of the East, the Devils have to be the clear favorite. New Jersey will go as far as goaltender Martin Brodeur will take them. Brodeur has already backstopped the Devils to three Cups in his career, and at age 34, remains by far the best goalie in the league this season with 36 wins and 11 shutouts.

The West is packed with Stanley Cup contenders, but like we said earlier the West hasn’t sent a top seed to the Cup final since Detroit won in 2001-2002. The Red Wings have been near the top of the Western Conference standings all season, thanks to their outstanding record at home. Detroit hasn’t had very much luck in the playoffs since winning the Cup back in 01/02, but if they can get home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs this year that could definitely change.

The team to watch in the West could be Calgary. The Flames are sitting near the bottom of the Western playoff pack, but it didn’t seem to hurt them a few years ago when they went to the Cup final as the No. 6 seed. With Jarome Iginla healthy and the Flames’ lineup improved by some recent trades, Calgary could be a winning bet come June.

Looking to get your Stanley Cup picks in early? Check out Bodog Sportsbook.

Category: Online Sports Odds

• Add this post to Del.icio.us - Digg

No comments yet.

You must be logged in to post a comment.