NHL Hockey Betting

CBSSpo The NHL has extended its deadline to Friday for approving Ilya Kovalchuks $100 million, 15-year contract with the New Jersey Devils.

The league and the NHL Players Association announced the new deadline Wednesday.

The NHL has already rejected a front-loaded, 17-year deal valued at $102 million because the structure of the deal would have circumvented the leagues salary cap. An independent arbitrator upheld that decision.

The Devils and Kovalchuk submitted the new contract to the league last Friday.

“We remain optimistic that this extension will result in an approval of the contract and that Ilya Kovalchuk will remain a valuable member of the Devils for the balance of his career,” Devils president Lou Lamoriello said. “We will have no further comment until the decision is rendered.”

CBSSports.com San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison is stepping down from his job running the day-to-day operations of the club.

The team announced Wednesday that Jamisons last day as CEO will be Oct. 1. A search for a replacement will begin soon. Jamison will remain part of the ownership and will be the teams representative on the NHLs Board of Governors.

“I think the time is about right,” Jamison said Wednesday. “The franchise is in incredible shape. We have an absolutely wonderful ownership group who cares deeply about the team. The management group is strong and we have an incredible group of players. Im not going away, Im just stepping back a little bit and look at life from a different point of view.”

The 60-year-old Jamison took over as president of the team in 1996. In 13 seasons, the team has made the playoffs 11 times, made it to the Western Conference final twice and won the Presidents Trophy in 2009 for the best record in the regular season. The Sharks were 530-377-155 during his tenure.

“I dont expect too many changes,” Jamison said. “Our franchise is in great hands. Im excited how well continue to grow as a franchise.”

Jamison also hired Doug Wilson as general manager. Wilson has put together a perennial contender, including last years team that lost to Chicago in the Western Conference final.

“We like working, playing and living in the San Jose area,” Jamison said. “Going back to the first game we played here, it was against Chicago and we opened the doors and people were in awe of the new building.”

Among his cherished memories are the Sharks playoff run in 1993-94 and the sellout streak at the Pavilion.

“Even over the past few years this team we have now has continued the evolution,” Jamison said. “Doug Wilson and the coaching staff has done a great job. I love what Im doing. I have the greatest job in the world. I will always be a San Jose Sharks fan.”

CBSSpo Chris Chelios, the longest-tenured defenseman in NHL history, is finally hanging up his skates.

After 26 NHL seasons and three Stanley Cups, Chelios announced his retirement Tuesday at the age of 48.

“I guess Ive been dreading this day for a long time,” he said at a news conference in Detroit.

Chelios, who won three Norris Trophies during a career that included stops in Montreal, Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta, will become an adviser with the Red Wings. His new job will include working with Detroits front office and coaching staffs while helping to develop and mentor young players.

In NHL history, only Hall of Famer Gordie Howe was older than Chelios when he played, skating at 52 for the Hartford Whalers during the 1979-80 season almost a decade after leaving the Red Wings.

Chelios also is the only player in NHL history to appear in at least 400 games with three different teams.

Known for his strict workout regimen and surprising endurance given his age, he played the fourth-most regular season games in NHL history (1,651) and the most postseason games in NHL history (266).

Chelios said he has “nothing left in the tank.”

Chelios represented the U.S. on four Olympic hockey teams, including three as team captain - in 1984, in 1998, the silver-medal team in 2002 and in 2006. He spent seven seasons with the Canadiens before being traded to his hometown Chicago Blackhawks in June 1990. He played nine seasons there before being traded to conference rival Detroit.

He was limited to 28 games with Detroit during the 2008-09 regular season because of a broken leg suffered during an exhibition game and the Wings chose not to bring him back following season. Not ready to retire just yet, Chelios signed a few months later with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, and in March was recalled by the Atlanta Thrashers, where he appeared in seven games.

“I loved every minute of it,” he said of his long career.

Chelios, who ranks second all-time among defensemen with 2,891 penalty minutes, had this to say Tuesday to the fans of opposing teams: “I hope youll forgive me for the things I did to some of the players on your teams.”

CBSSports.com wi Edmonton Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin has been sentenced to 30 days in jail stemming from his Arizona drunken-driving conviction.

The four-time All-Star received the sentence Tuesday in Scottsdale City Court. He also was fined $5,100 and must enroll in an alcohol-treatment program.

He was ordered to report to jail Saturday, but that could be delayed because hes appealing his sentence.

The 37-year-old played for Phoenix from 1996-99 and still has a home in Paradise Valley. He was pulled over in his Ferrari on Feb. 8, after the car was clocked at 70 mph in a 45 mph zone.

Police said an officer smelled alcohol and Khabibulin was arrested after a field sobriety test.

Khabibulin signed a four-year, $15 million deal with Edmonton last year.

CBSSports.co The Buffalo Sabres have re-signed unrestricted free agent forward Matt Ellis to a one-year contract.

A gritty fourth-line player, Ellis rejoins the team for a third season after setting career-highs with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) and 72 games played last year. The signing was announced by the team as Ellis celebrated his 29th birthday on Tuesday.

Overall, he has 13 goals and 20 assists in 187 career NHL games split over parts of the past four seasons. He previously played with Los Angeles and Detroit, after breaking in with the Red Wings in 2006-07.

He originally was signed by Detroit in 2002 as an undrafted free agent.

CBSSports.com The Phoenix Coyotes re-signed right wing Lee Stempniak to a two-year contract.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Stempniak, 27, arrived in Arizona in a trade deadline deal with Toronto last season and gave the Coyotes a playoff-run boost with 14 goals and four assists in 18 regular-season games. He wasnt quite as effective in the playoffs, managing two assists in seven games.

Stempniak had a career-high 28 goals and 20 assists in 80 games with Toronto and Phoenix last season. He has 96 goals and 113 assists in a six-year career that includes a stop in St. Louis.

CBSSports.com wir Free-agent forward Paul Kariya will not play next season after being diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome.

The decision was announced Friday through a release from his agent.

Don Baizley said in a statement that the decision was reached after Kariya was examined by concussion specialist Dr. Mark Lovell.

The 35-year-old spent the last three seasons with the St. Louis Blues. He had 18 goals and 25 assists last season.

Kariya missed six games last December and January after sustaining a concussion. He missed the 1998 Winter Olympics because of a concussion.

The two-time Lady Byng Trophy winner has 402 goals and 587 assists in a 15-year career with Anaheim, Colorado, Nashville and St. Louis.

CBSSports The Pittsburgh Penguins wont re-sign forward Bill Guerin, preferring instead to give several young forwards a chance to play on one of their top lines.

The 39-year-old Guerin scored 21 goals last season and had four more during the playoffs while often playing on Sidney Crosbys line. He has 429 goals and 427 assists in 1,263 career games with eight teams, starting with New Jersey in the 1991-92 season.

Guerin was dealt to Pittsburgh during a trading deadline deal on March 2, 2009. He had 26 goals in 95 regular season games and 11 goals in 35 playoff games, helping Pittsburgh win the Stanley Cup in 2009.

The Penguins plan to give a longer look during training camp to younger forwards Eric Tangradi, Dustin Jeffrey and Mark Letestu.

Chicago has been an online betting favorite to win the Stanley Cup since the beginning of the season, and now theyll finally get their chance to win their franchises first Cup in almost 50 years. Theyll have to get rid of a pesky and scrappy Philadelphia team to do so, but the Blackhawks should come out on top.

The Story

The Flyers rolled over New Jersey in five games before completing one of the biggest comebacks in sports history, battling 3-0 deficits in the series and Game 7 of a historic victory over Boston. Philadelphia then went on to oust Montreal in five games in a clash of underdogs, and theyve had to battle through a number of injuries to do it.

The Blackhawks beat Nashville and Vancouver in six games before romping to a four-game sweep over San Jose in a meeting of the top two teams in the Western Conference, and you have to say that captain Jonathan Toews is the favorite for the Conn Smythe award for playoff MVP.

Who Has The Edge On Offense: Flyers Or Blackhawks?

Philadelphia captain Mike Richards is second to Toews in playoff scoring with 21 points, but hes gotten some help from players who werent even supposed to be playing. Simon Gagne singlehandedly turned the Boston series around with four goals in the last four games of the series, while Jeff Carter notched a pair of goals in the clinching win over Montreal. Both came back from foot injuries to take part in this run, which takes some of the pressure off Richards and Danny Briere.

There may be no team more talented in the NHL than the Blackhawks, and Toews and Patrick Kane have combined for 47 points so far in the playoffs. Their line really didnt take off until the Vancouver series, when they were joined by Dustin Byfuglien, who scored the Game 4 winner against the Sharks. Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa thrive off the attention paid to the top line, and the Blackhawks also get scoring from their third and fourth lines, which gives them a slight edge.

Edge: Bet Blackhawks

Who Has The Edge On Defense/Goaltending: Flyers Or Blackhawks?

The Flyers have gone from Brian Boucher to Michael Leighton, but their defense keeps rolling. Leighton allowed seven goals in five games against the Canadiens, and hes now 6-1 in the postseason with a 1.45 GAA. Of course, he isnt doing it on his own as Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timmonen, Matt Carle and Braydon Coburn have been spectacular, and the Flyers forwards backcheck as well as anyone in the league.

Antti Niemi was thought to be the weak link in the Blackhawks diamond sportsbook odds, but so far he is 12-4 in the playoffs with a 2.33 GAA and he was at his best against a powerful San Jose lineup, posting a 1.67 GAA. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are as good a defensive pairing as youll find in the NHL, while Niklas Hjalmarsson is very underrated. Theyre not as deep as the Flyers, which is why Philly gets the edge, but Chicagos defense is nothing to sneeze at.

Edge: Bet Flyers

Who Has The Edge In Experience?

The Flyers have one big NHL Free pick in Pronger, who is in his third Stanley Cup final with a different team in the last five years. Richards was a monster at the Olympics for Canada, while Gagne has big-game experience with the 2002 gold-medal team, and Briere has been around the block. The major question is Leighton: will he stay steady for the Flyers?

Toews was named best forward at the Olympics with a sterling performance, and hes played in many big games for Canada, usually coming up big. Keith and Seabrook also played a big part at the Olympics, along with Kane for the United States. Marian Hossa will be playing for the Stanley Cup for the third straight year after coming up short in Detroit and Pittsburgh, so at least none of his former teams will be in this final. Like the Flyers, the Blackhawks biggest question comes in goal, where Philadelphia will be looking to make Niemi blink.

Edge: Draw

Who Will Win The Flyers vs Blackhawks Series?

The Blackhawks are the sports betting favorites in this series at -230, and these two have met just once this season with the Flyers coming away with a 3-2 win at home in a third period where all five goals were scored. The Flyers have won four of their last five overall against the Blackhawks, but the stakes are high now, and were expecting the rest of the Chicago players to follow the lead of Toews, Kane and Byfuglien. The Flyers defense are going to have their hands full against Chicagos big line, but the Blackhawks just have more weapons than Philadelphia.

Pick: Bet Blackhawks In Five

If you had the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals in the NHL, then youre one heck of a handicapper. Two teams that needed the qualify for the postseason on the last day of the regular season have surprised everyone in the first two round and now square for the right to go to the Stanley Cup Finals. While Montreal has had a nice ride, Philadelphias size will be a problem for them as evidenced in Game 1.

The Storyline

Online betting fans have to be shocked with the performance of both teams, but the Habs especially. Montreal knocked off the Presidents Trophy winners in the first round of the playoffs, coming back from 3-1 down in the series, then knocked off the reigning Stanley Cup Champions in seven games in Round 2.

Meanwhile, the Flyers knocked out the Devils in the first round and then came back from an 0-3 whole to Boston to win four straight times and win the series.

Both teams have defied the odds and both have been the two biggest surprises in the playoffs so far.

Who Has The Edge On Offense: Canadiens vs Flyers?

The Canadiens have won two rounds against the two teams considered to be the best in the East, so no one can call them a fluke, but they have scored a lot of lucky goals. Against the Capitals and Penguins, it worked because the Habs kept it low-scoring and eked out wins with whatever offense they can get. That may be a problem in this series. As evidenced in Game 1, the Flyers can score goals in bunches.

The reason the Flyers should be more effective than the Caps or Pens were is because of their size. They crashed the net in Game 1 and theyll do the same throughout this entire series. The Canadiens kept the Caps and Pens on the outside, but the Flyers will get in front of Jaroslav Halak and prove that hes human.

Edge: Flyers

Who Has The Edge On Defense/Goaltending: Canadiens vs Flyers?

The story of this series will be the goaltending of Halak versus the Flyers offense. Halak carried the Canadiens through the first two rounds and if they expect to move on one more time, NHL betting fans know hell have to do it again.

The Flyers are fairly weak in net with Michael Leighton, but can the Canadiens exploit that?

In Game 1, the answer to that question was no, but the series is all about adjustments.

The Flyers have the short end of the stick in the goaltending matchup but they do have a better blue line. The Canadiens didnt see anyone like Chris Pronger in the first two rounds, which is partially why Mike Cammalleri is having such a huge postseason. Dont expect that to continue on Prongers watch.

Edge: Canadiens

Who Will Win The Canadiens Flyers Series?

No team in NHL history has won a series after winning the previous two in seven games (in one playoff) so dont expect it to happen again. The Flyers size is a problem for Montreal and so is Pronger. Since the Habs dont have the scoring depth to produce consistent scoring from multiple lines, they are going to find a way through Pronger to score goals. Thats unlikely.

Halak has been incredible but hell have to be even better than that in this series. Dont expect it to happen.

Sports betting fans also should expect fatigue could be a factor for the Habs the longer this series progresses.

Pick: Flyers In Five