Top Five Secretly Dirty NHL Players

Online sportsbook bettors and hockey fans have been thrown for a loop during the 2009-10 NHL season, haven’t they? We’ve seen head shots, high sticks and, last Monday, an accidental goalie bludgeoning by Keith Ballard and a knee-on-knee hit by Alexander Ovechkin. Ovie’s hit sparked discussion about whether or not he’s a dirty player. We know the Jarkko Ruutus, Sean Averys and Chris Prongers of world are goons, but how many other Ovechkins are out there – guys who are quietly dirty and to whom we turn a blind eye because they bring so many good things to the game?

5. Martin Havlat

Marty’s gone dark in the dirty department over the last few seasons, especially because he spends half his time in the press box nursing injuries. But no one can forget his infamous kicking incident.

4. Daniel Alfredsson

Leaf fans know Alfredsson’s evil side more than most other hockey odds followers. Mocking Mats Sundin’s stick throw a few years back could be chalked up to a Swede teasing his countryman. But his blindside elbow on Darcy Tucker in the 2002 playoffs, which broke Tucker’s shoulder, will forever live on in angry Toronto supporters’ minds... [More]

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Five Most Important NHL Injuries

The NHL betting season has reached the one-quarter mark and we’ve seen some strange things. Top contenders like Detroit and Boston stumbled out of the gate while Colorado and L.A. saw their Stanley Cup odds skyrocket. Sometimes, a big reason for the change in a team’s status is injuries. Here are the five most important injuries to note so far this season; some are now healed but did major damage when they happened while some are wreaking havoc right now.

5. BOSTON: Marc Savard’s broken foot

The Bruins already lost Phil Kessel in a trade and Milan Lucic to a broken finger. When Marc Savard went down, the Bruins had to play for a month without their entire top line from a season ago. One of the league’s most underrated players, Savard is a scrappy, creative center who makes others around him better. He’s been back for two games and the Bruins’ have won four straight. Here they come.

Bettor need-to-know: Consider betting on the Bruins’ Stanley Cup futures now; their odds went down during their injury-affected slump, so you can get great value for them right now.

4. PITTSBURGH: Evgeni Malkin’s shoulder strain<... [More]

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Top Five Early NHL MVP Candidates

NFL betting circles have plenty of MVP discussion going on; that’s understandable considering that the season is half over. A month into the NHL season, however, it’s probably time for our first MVP chatter. Here’s a look at the top five candidates so far.

5. Craig Anderson, goaltender, Colorado Avalanche

It’s been a bizarre, improbable sportsbook run for the Avs so far this season and unheralded netminder Craig Anderson is the driving force behind that run. When we stop and realize that he’s just 28 – not ancient for a goalie – and has a .914 career save percentage, maybe he’s not flash in the pan after all. How long before Tim Thomas starts sweating about his Team USA roster spot?

4. Marian Gaborik, winger, New York Rangers

Online betting fans shouldn’t be too shocked to see Marian Gaborik light up the scoreboard. He tends to do that whenever he plays – which is rarely. The oft-injured sniper is loving life in the Big Apple so far, tied for second in the league with 11 goals in 14 games. But how long before his next serious injury?[More]

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Top Five Stanley Cup Favorites

Offshore sportsbook sharps who wager on futures have to keep a close eye on the oddsmakers throughout each season of every sport. In the NHL, for example, the top-five Stanley Cup favorites get shuffled every week as teams get hot and cold. Here’s a look at the current top five at most books.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins (+500)

BOOM: They’re the defending champs, so it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know they have excellent hockey odds. Any team with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will compete every season; it also helps that Marc-Andre Fleury has established himself as a big-game goalie. And does any team get more from its checking forwards than Pittsburgh does?

BUST: It’s the Crosby/Malkin show but Pittsburgh’s offensive depth isn’t great. An injury to either of the Dynamic Duo would almost certainly derail the Pens’ Cup hopes, especially since they compete with some deep offensive teams in the East.

2. Detroit Red Wings (+500)

BOOM: I have to be honest – I think the oddsmakers are mistaken here. The Wings are the top favorites for the same reason the Patriots were in ... [More]

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