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Stanley cup playoffs are around the corner, with most of the teams locking up final spots in the next couple days what are everyones favorites both on the east and west. My vote is for the capitals out of the east and the blackhawks out of the west assuming they can get some consistent goaltending. Discuss.

Red wing fan here😁

Well john your wings are probably the scariest opponent for anyone to play. any thoughts on who should go in goal? the veteran thats been there but had a so-so year or the "rookie" that stepped his game up

Washington are the favorite as they have opened as +350 favorites to win the Stanley Cup.

The NHL post-season begins shortly as 16 teams are set to fight to become the 2010 National Hockey League champ.

With straight up, against the spread, and over/under odds on each NHL Playoff game, as well as a good selection of individual player and game propositions, Bodog Sportsbook is your home for hockey betting.

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If there has been a bigger Stanley Cup playoff upset in history than the No. 8 seed Montreal Canadiens completing their rally from a three-games-to-one deficit by holding the high-scoring, top-seeded Washington Capitals to one goal in three consecutive games for the series shocker following Wednesday’s 2-1 win in Washington, then I’d like to know what that upset was. Answer: there isn’t one.

Sure, a No. 8 seed has now beaten a No. 1 seed in the NHL playoffs nine times since 1994, but these Caps won the Presidents’ Trophy, were the NHL’s top-scoring team, had the league’s top power play and best home record, and finished a whopping 33 points ahead of the Habs in the standings with 101 more goals.

So what?

Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak stood on his head in winning the past three games, stopping 131 of 134 shots – two on the Caps’ ice. And the Canadiens became the first No. 8 seed to ever rally from a 3-1 deficit. Washington finished just 1-for-33 on the power play in the series — including 0-for-3 Wednesday. Alexander Semin, who had 40 goals in the regular season, didn't score once in the series, and two-time NHL MVP Alexander Ovechkin didn’t score in the final two games. In the last 25 years, the Capitals have now blown a two-game lead in a playoff series seven times. Ovechkin-led Caps teams are now 1-3 all-time in Game 7s.

Now the Canadiens will be huge underdogs again – they were sizable dogs on Bodog's NHL odds for every game against the Caps – vs. the reigning Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and another superstar, Sidney Crosby. And beware Habs fans: of the eight previous No. 8 upset-pulling teams, only the 2006 Edmonton Oilers made it out of the next round. The Canadiens and Penguins, the only higher-seeded team to win in the East’s quarterfinals, open their series Friday.

Get Canadiens-Penguins series odds and props at Bodog Sportsbook


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I am from Montreal and can tell you first hand that our Habs are bigger then anything😡!! I cannot begin to tell you just how exciting it was to watch the last 3 games of this series. Not even Montreal fans figured we had a chance at winning this. I know a lot of people are going to say the only reason we won is because of Halak, but if we don't score goals....all the saves in the world wouldn't matter. Montreal played amazing defensive hockey.

Looking forward to watching us play Pittsburgh.........I think we have proven that we can win😡

I gotta agree with you guys here one of the most entertaining series I have seen in a while. Should be an interesting match up this next round. I can see it goin 7 games again.

Feeling the absence of his usual energy, Jacques Lemaire has decided to walk away and leave coaching behind..............


Read more: Coach Jacques Lemaire of Devils Retires

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Defenseman Mike Green of Washington Capitals breaks his silence about being eliminated early in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the first round. Obviously, Green was disappointed with how their game against the Montreal Canadiens turned out. He admitted feeling so frustrated that he chose not to speak up for fear that the might say the wrong things and perhaps regret them..............


Read more: Green Finally Speaks up about the Playoffs

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An unbelievable playoff run by the Montreal Canadiens has led to a crucial seventh game for two continuous series..............


Read more: Penguins Squashed by Canadiens, Game 7 is On

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There is a complete contrast between conferences in the NHL playoffs this year.

In the Eastern Conference it's the first time ever that a seven-seed has home ice advantage in the Conference Final. Over in the Western Conference, you could say it's the way that this format is "supposed" to play out…with the top two teams going head-to-head to decide which will advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Montreal Canadiens (7/1 odds to win the 2010 Stanley Cup at Bodog) and Philadelphia Flyers (3/1 odds to win the 2010 Stanley Cup at Bodog) have surprised just about everyone since squeaking into the playoffs on the last day of the regular season.

But how surprising is it? When you really think about it…?

Not two years ago the Flyers were a six-seed and made it to the Conference Final after upsetting the Pittsburgh Penguins (3) and the Canadiens (1). It was just four years ago that every first round match-up in the West resulted in an upset. Not to mention from '03-'06, a team that was lower than a fifth seed made the Cup Final every year.

The Chicago Blackhawks (11/10 odds to win the 2010 Stanley Cup at Bodog) and San Jose Sharks (13/5 odds to win the 2010 Stanley Cup) match-up marks the first time since '03 that the one- and two-seeds are in the Conference Final.

If the "West is best" theory holds any water, then going by points the fourth place Phoenix Coyotes could have finished second in the East, while the sixth place Los Angeles Kings could have snagged third place in the East. (But then that doesn't really work because the points on either side would have been different and scheduling would come into play…among other issues.)

Whoever comes out on top in the East will likely be cast as underdogs going into the Stanley Cup Final. I'm just saying. And yeah I'm also saying that I find it rather interesting that the East's #7 and #8 teams have beaten some seriously talented teams with pretty deep pockets…and that the West's top two teams are still standing.

You can get all your NHL futures betting and Stanley Cup odds at Bodog's online sportsbook!


Welcome:

So who will hoist the Stanley Cup this season? We have two Original Six teams left among the four conference finalists of San Jose, Chicago, Philadelphia and Montreal. And Bodog has it all covered with numerous hockey odds and props...........


Read more: We’re Down to the NHL’s Final Four

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Looks like another parade down Broad Street. The Flyers shock the hockey world

After 13 long years, the Philadelphia Flyers have finally made a comeback for the Stanley Cup, winning 4-2 against the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference finals.......

Read more: Flyers Gets a Shot at the Stanley Cup after 13 Years

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If Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup final was any indication, bettors should be very excited about Philadelphia at Chicago Game 2. The Flyers and Blackhawks went shot for shot and goal for goal in Game 1 and, when the dust settled, Chicago scraped by with a 6-5 victory.

Daniel Briere had a four-point night for Philly but the effort wasn’t enough, largely because his starting goaltender let him down. Michael Leighton, who was stellar against Montreal in the conference final, allowed five goals on just 20 shots before getting pulled from the game.

Antti Niemi wasn’t much better for the Hawks, stopping 27 of 32 shots, but Troy Brouwer’s two-goal effort made up for that. Tomas Kopecky’s fourth goal of the playoffs came at 8:25 of the third period and served as the game winner.

Get your NHL Odds in the Bodog Sportsbook!


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Any team who wants to take home the Stanley Cup will not enjoy a losing position at 0-2 in any series. However, for the Philadelphia Flyers, they know what it’s like treading on familiar territory. During the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Flyers lost 0-3 against the Boston Bruins, but the team fought back to prevail in four games straight, allowing them to enter the conference championship, where they knocked down the Montreal Canadiens............


Read more: Blackhawks and Flyers Both Determined to Win Stanley Cup

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The young and brash Blackhawks delivered Chicago a Stanley Cup Wednesday night, ending a 49-year drought by beating the Flyers 4-3 in overtime at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center on Patrick Kane's goal at 4:06.

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Do do do do do do doooo do dooo

😁😁😁

The Atlanta Thrashers continued to add Stanley Cup championship experience to their young roster with the addition of free agent left-winger Frederik Modin.

After stealing forward Dustin Byfuglien off the reigning champion Chicago Blackhawks earlier this summer, the Thrashers will gladly welcome a second big man who knows what it takes to make it to the top. Especially when that big man (6′4″) has the potential to hit the 40-point mark provided he stays healthy for the 2010-11 season.

The Thrashers won't be Stanley Cup favorites by any stretch of the imagination, but could be a fun bet given their 80/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup. Intrigued? The Bodog Sportsbook has all team odds of taking home the 2011 crown, so if you're feeling brave enough to bet on NHL hockey this season, play at Bodog.

Heading into a regular season without Ilya Kovalchuk for years will be refreshing for the Thrashers, who even as a franchise are young and inexperienced. The players that make up the roster are no different. Modin will join a young core that will be led by Nik Antropov and Bryan Little.

Perhaps the most notable assets the team has heading into the season are prized prospects Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian.

The Thrashers might not be pounding on the playoff's door once spring rolls around, but for the first time in a long time the club can focus on building a balanced, connected line-up, free of the obligation to focus their plans on Kovalchuk.

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The New Jersey Devils haven't had time to discuss a possible contract extension with Zach Parise because they've been too busy worrying about locking up Ilya Kovalchuk.

Now that the commotion over their Russian superstar has subsided, they can start thinking about what they'll do about their American one.

Last season Parise continued to blossom into one of the league's best young stars, following up an outstanding 2009-10 season (94 points) with an impressive 82 points. This year, with Kovalchuk by his side for the whole campaign, the sky is the limit.

Scheduled to make $5 million in the last year of his current contract, expect Parise to request a raise. Especially considering the precedent set by Kovalchuk.

If the Devils can manage to lock Parise up long-term the team will have a solid core of offensive players to build around for years to come.

The New Jersey Devils have 15/1 odds of winning the 2011 Stanley Cup, provided they manage to keep themselves together more than the 2010 Playoffs in which they fell to seventh-seeded Philadelphia in the first round.

As far as contenders go, one can never truly rule out a franchise that has contended steadily since the mid-1990s. Now, with Martin Brodeur approaching the twilight of his career, the team will look to cash in at least one more time.

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