NHL Hockey Betting

Online betting sharps who were waiting for the Boston-Washington series to get physical got it in Game 3, and now the Capitals may be without their first-line center, which will surely hurt their chances when they host the Bruins in Game 4 on Thursday night.

What: NHL Betting
When: Thursday, April 19th, 7:30 PM ET
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Pick: Boston Bruins

Why Bet On Boston Bruins

The Bruins took a 2-1 lead in the series with a 4-3 win in Washington on Monday night, and captain Zdeno Chara led from the back with the game-winning goal to go with two assists and he was second on the team to Milan Lucic with seven hits. Brian Rolston, Daniel Paille and Rich Peverly also got on the scoresheet while Tim Thomas stopped 29 shots for the Bruins, who finally got to Washington rookie goalie Braden Holtby, and they won this game in the way they won last year’s Stanley Cup: by being tougher than the other team. The Bruins had 58 hits to the Capitals’ 36, and even though Lucic didn’t have a point, he may have been the Bruins’ most important player outside of Chara. The British Columbia native had eight hits and eight penalty minutes, and he was in the middle of most of the scrums that took place. Lucic is a handful for any team in the league with his combination of size and skill, and when he is being physical, he attracts more attention, which creates space for his teammates.

Boston may be getting goaltender Tuukka Rask (groin) back at some point in this series, but that’s not really important as Thomas is the No.1 guy and will be throughout the run. Defenseman Adam McQuaid (head) hasn’t resumed skating yet either, but the Bruins are set for depth and they have enough weapons to put this series in a real strangehold. The matchup turned nasty at the end of Game 3, and that may suit their chances better because you don’t want to challenge Boston to a street fight.

Why Bet On Washington Capitals

The Capitals’ NHL betting chances for Game 4 may drop a little if Nicklas Backstrom is suspended for his cross-check to the face of Peverly at the end of Game 3. Backstrom earned a match penalty, which nets an automatic suspension, but it could be overturned by the league and with the way discipline has been handed out in the playoffs, we have no idea what is going to happen. Backstrom had an assist in Game 3, while Brooks Laich notched a goal and two assists, Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist and Alex Semin netted a single marker for the Capitals. Holtby finally came back down to earth a little with 25 saves on 29 shots, and that was to be expected after the rookie played out of his mind in Boston. The Capitals should be down two games to none and only Holtby’s heroics carried them on the road, and now he has to re-focus because he didn’t play very well at home.

Neither Tomas Vokoun (groin) or Michal Neuvirth (lower body) appears to be coming back any time soon, so the Capitals have to ride with their rookie, which makes his play in Game 4 even more important. This is especially true if the Capitals are without Backstrom, who is just starting to get back to his best after missing the better part of four months with concussion problems. He only came back late in the regular season, but he is rounding into form and the Capitals need their best players on the ice if they’re going to avoid a 3-1 deficit going back to Boston. If not, Ovechkin and Semin have to continue to fill the net.

How It Will Play Out

Washington should be the NHL betting favorites at home in this massive Game 4, although it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Boston as the road favorites and if Backstrom isn’t in the lineup, all bets are off. The Capitals won three of four with the Bruins in the regular season, but the postseason is a different animal and the Bruins are raising their game to the level they showed when they won the Cup last season.

Simply put, Boston is a better team and built for this time of year, while the Capitals aren’t and even though they had some bad breaks in goal with injuries to their top two netminders, they still have to put in some work on their postseason play. The Bruins will take a 3-1 series lead back to Boston, so pick them in your sports betting book on Thursday.

Bruins Capitals Betting Pick: Boston Bruins

Sports betting players have been entertained from start to finish by the Eastern Conference match up between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, which has had everything you could ask for and more. But the Penguins have come up short in all three games so far and they’ll pull out their grittiest effort yet to send the series back home to Pittsburgh for a fifth game.

What: NHL Betting
When: Wednesday, April 18th,7:30 PM ET
Where:Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Pick:Pittsburgh Penguins
Why Bet On Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins got a pair of goals each from James Neal and Jordan Staal in their 8-4 loss in Game 3, and Neal was an all-around wrecking ball with hits that were bordering on dirty and the Flyers took exception to him in the third period, so he may have to keep his head up in Game 4. But Sidney Crosby had one assist, he was a -2 on the day and got involved in many of the shenanigans that went on during the game, and even though Evgeni Malkin had a better game with a pair of assists, he is still -4 for the series. But Marc-Andre Fleury, who has built his reputation on being a big-game goalie, allowed six goals on 28 shots and was pulled for Brent Johnson. His defense hasn’t been great in front of him, but Fleury is on the hook for at least three of the goals he let in, and that is probably being generous. The Penguins have the horses to score anytime they want, but none of it matters if they can’t keep the Flyers out of their net.

Aaron Asham (disciplinary reasons) may be suspended for this game as he cross-checked

Philadelphia’s Brayden Schenn in the face after Schenn buried Paul Martin with a fierce but clean hit, but Asham isn’t a concern for anyone. Simply put, the Penguins need their best players to put the team on their shoulders to avoid elimination and they have to remain disciplined in a hostile environment, which they clearly didn’t in Game 3. Fleury, in particular, has to make key plays when the team needs him.

Why Bet On Philadelphia Flyers

Daniel Briere, former Penguin Maxime Talbot and Matt Read all scored two goals apiece, while Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmons added singles for the Flyers, while Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 31 of the 35 shots he faced and he has been miles better than Fleury in this series. You can also tell that Briere is playing with a little extra jump after the Penguins injured him in the second-to-last meeting of the regular season between the two, and he now has four goals in three games, as does Giroux, who was involved with Crosby for much of the game. Even Talbot, the ex-Penguin, is getting in on the action with three goals and the Flyers are getting goals from everywhere.Philadelphia is beating their rivals to the punch in every facet of the game and Game 3 was a microcosm of how the season series has gone between the two.

Defense man Marc-Andre Bourdon (upper body) was hurt in Game 1 and still isn’t back, but wingers James van Riemsdyk (foot) and Tom Sestito (groin) are skating and could be back with the team soon, although they wouldn’t be risked for Wednesday’s game. The Flyers don’t need to add anything to the roster or do anything fancy, they just need to stick with what they’ve been doing and that is getting under the Penguins’ skin and taking advantage of a poor Pittsburgh defense.Philadelphia’s best players have outplayed their Pittsburgh counter parts, and they’re getting contributions throughout the lineup, while Bryzgalov has been sharp enough to make the necessary saves when he needs to. The Flyers need more of that to put their rivals to bed and advance to the next round.

How It Will Play Out

NHL betting odds have the Flyers as a -126 favorite to close out the series at home, while the Penguins are listed at +114 and those who are betting on the totals will see a total of 6.5, which is absurd for a playoff hockey game, but not when the two teams have combined to score 32 goals so far in the series.

This is all about pride for the Penguins and they just need to get one win to put a little doubt in the Flyers’ heads and go back to Pittsburgh. The Penguins’ top players haven’t been that in this series, but they’ll pull up their socks in this game, especially Malkin, who is due for a dominant performance. Fleury will also shut the door and keep the Penguins from getting swept by their bitter state rivals, so take Pittsburgh in your online betting book on Wednesday.

Penguins Flyers Betting Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins

The Detroit Red Wings have long been the standard by which most Western Conference hockey teams are judged. Nashville will get its chance to take down the Winged Wheel.

Western Conference Quarterfinals: (5) Detroit Red Wings vs. (4) Nashville Predators
Sports betting line: N/A

Why Detroit Will Win

When you place your best best sportsbook on an NHL series involving the Detroit Red Wings, its risky to pick the opponent unless it owns some very substantial credentials. Detroit has set very high standards, the best in the NHL over an extended period of time. Many franchises come and go in the playoffs, going deep in the playoffs one year and either bowing out in the first round the next year or failing to make the playoffs outright.

Detroit has been better than most teams in being consistently good. The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the few teams that can match the Wings playoff track record over the past five years. Detroit made the Western Conference finals in 2007, won the Stanley Cup in 2008, made the Cup finals in 2009, and reached the second round each of the past two seasons before losing to an immensely gifted assemblage of San Jose Sharks.

Pittsburgh has established a similar reputation for winning at least one playoff series almost every year, so its clear that the Red Wings are one of the toughest outs in the NHL. Detroit has also gotten healthier in recent weeks after being crushed by the injury bug over the past three months. The Red Wings were headed toward the best record in the league when a slew of injuries robbed them of momentum and depth. Now, players such as Dan Cleary and Darren Helm are returning to the lineup.

Goalie Jimmy Howard returned roughly a week ago and had a chance to shake off post-injury rust. Jonathan Ericsson is working his way back into playing shape as well. If once-injured players can play well, Detroit becomes the better team, and few pundits would be in position to argue with such a claim.

Why Nashville Will Win

The NHL season has been a rollercoaster ride, and as the playoffs arrive, the question is if Detroits injuries have healed, or merely diminished in terms of their severity. Its hard for any injury-ravaged team to simply flip the "on" switch and regain form after playing without its preferred lineup for an extended period of time. Nashville has been less affected by injuries and has therefore been the more cohesive team over the past few months. Moreover, the Predators – who won a first-round series in last years playoffs – are more mature this time around. The Red Wings, a former nemesis, shouldnt faze them as much. Also, Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne is a netminder who can be trusted in the postseason spotlight. He is likely to outduel Howard, and if that happens, its hard to see Nashville losing this series.

Who Will Win?

Rinne is better than Howard. Nashville has home ice in this series. Detroits injuries – though healing – have been so numerous as to rob the Red Wings of needed chemistry and fluidity late in the season. This should be a terrific betting sites series, but Nashville merits a slight edge. Take the Predators.

NHL Betting Pick: Nashville in seven games

The Pittsburgh Penguins won the 2009 Stanley Cup championship. The Philadelphia Flyers reached Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup finals. The teams meet in the 2012 first round.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: (5) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (4) Pittsburgh Penguins  
Sports betting line: N/A

Why Philadelphia Will Win

When you place your best best sportsbook on an NHL playoff series, there are so many pressure points and tension points to turn to. One of the biggest questions is this: Can one team survive the physicality of playoff hockey and emerge intact on the other side? This is the big worry facing the Pittsburgh Penguins, whose superstar, Sidney Crosby, missed a long period of time due to concussions suffered in the 2010-2011 season that kept him out of the playoffs. Pittsburgh got waxed by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2011 postseason, so Crosby is obviously wanting to write a different narrative in 2012. However, desire can only bring a player and a team so far. Crosby has to withstand the punishment thats likely to come his way in a grueling series against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Both of these teams accumulated more than 100 points, which makes this series such a spectacular matchup for a 4-versus-5 confrontation. Crosby and teammate Evgeni Malkin are going to be the two prime targets for a Flyer team that racked up more minor penalties than any other team in the league in 2012. Crosby will have his moments, and Malkin is likely to make his fair share of plays as well, but can Pittsburgh succeed long enough to win four games against the Flyers? Philadelphia brought goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov into the fold precisely for this moment.

The Flyers were noticeably weak in goal in 2011 when Boston manhandled them in the second round of the playoffs. Philadelphias commitment to playing tough hockey, plus the addition of Bryzgalov, could be just enough to give the Flyers a slight edge in what should be a terrific and very long series.

Why Pittsburgh Will Win

There is always the possibility that as this NHL season enters the playoff stage, Sidney Crosby wont be the same player that he was in the back stretch of the regular season. Crosby scored 37 points in his 22 games this season, coming on strong in recent weeks to enable Pittsburgh to gain home-ice advantage in this series against Philadelphia. Maybe Crosby will flinch as the level of hockey becomes that much more intense and physical. However, Crosbys MVP-level skill and dynamic leadership are hard to distrust at this time of year.

It was a big stretch to think that Crosby would be able to do much of anything this season after his concussion worries, which had his teammates and organization fearing the very worst. This is a player who overcomes obstacles, so it only makes sense to think that Crosby will overcome the Flyers as well. 

Who Will Win?

Philadelphia did well against Pittsburgh in the regular season, but the Penguins have the big-time players who typically rise to the moment in the heat of playoff competition. Its hard to pick against Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Trust the Penguins to eventually get the job done in the betting websites battle for the state of Pennsylvania.

NHL Betting Pick: Pittsburgh in seven games

Although his name never seems to come up in the debate over which NHL general manager did the best job this season, Florida Panthers’ GM Dale Tallon certainly deserves some credit for what he has done. The Panthers weren’t even considered a playoff team, let alone the eventual Southeast division winners, so as we head to the opening round of the postseason with Florida in the No. 3 slot, it simply doesn’t make sense to overlook them now after all that they have accomplished. Only the Panthers will open their first round series on home ice with just two wins through their past 10 games, and they will be playing against a New Jersey Devils’ team that won six-straight to close out the regular season. This is a tale of two teams heading in opposite directions at the most crucial point in the season, and unless Florida can snap out of its best best sportsbook funk in a hurry it will be the lower seed getting through.

Considering that the Devils actually finished with eight more points than Florida during the regular season, it isn’t like those best sportsbook seeds matter anyway when breaking down this series. New Jersey has a ton of offensive skill in Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, and Patrik Elias, and all three have something to prove heading in to this postseason. Elias averaged nearly a point per game and will be eager to prove that despite his veteran status he is capable of scoring at that pace when it matters the most, while Kovalchuk will continue to try to live up to expectations placed on him by the massive deal he signed with the Devils less than two years ago. Parise meanwhile will be looking for a big deal of his own when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, and when you factor in the secondary contributions made by players such as David Clarkson and rookie Adam Henrique, it will be difficult for the Panthers to keep up on offense.

Florida will face a disadvantage in between the pipes as well, with Jose Theodore matched up against Martin Brodeur. Theodore was excellent at the beginning of the year for the Panthers, but awful down the stretch when the team had to call on Scott Clemmensen on more than one occasion. By contrast, Brodeur has had a solid season so far and should be determined for what could be his final playoff run, and his experience and character will play a huge role in the Devils’ success.

For many of the Panthers’ players including Stephen Weiss, this will be the first taste of the postseason that they get. Florida has already exceeded sports betting expectations by winning the division and clinching home ice advantage, and with the Devils facing such a small window with Brodeur inching closer to retirement and Parise playing in what could be his final playoff series for New Jersey, they will be focused and ready to at least get through to the second round.

NHL Betting Pick: Devils In Six

When the final regular season standings were set, and the Chicago Blackhawks weren’t matched up against either the Nashville Predators or the San Jose Sharks for their opening round series, the majority of Windy city hockey fans were quick to voice their satisfaction. Despite finishing with 97 points and clinching the Pacific division title, the Phoenix Coyotes still haven’t managed to gain the same level of respect as some of the other teams in their conference. However, that is something that the Coyotes are determined to change heading in to their first round series against Chicago, and while they may not be getting the credit they deserve up to this point, that certainly will change if they manage to get through to the second round as the best sportsbook underdogs.

The Coyotes closed out the regular season on a roll with five straight wins, and that helped them earn home ice advantage for at least the opening round. Phoenix won three of its four games against the Blackhawks this season, and with their best player absolutely on fire heading in to the playoffs, it is hard to ignore their chances. Goaltender Mike Smith has allowed only two goals through his past five games, and easily gets the nod over either Corey Crawford or Ray Emery in goal for Chicago.

Another area where Phoenix should have the advantage is on special teams, where the Blackhawks ranked 26th on the powerplay and 27th on the penalty kill this season. Although the Coyotes’ powerplay was a mess for most of the sports bet season, they did finish the year with the eighth-best penalty kill, and will have the chance to improve with the man-advantage against one of the worst PK-units in the NHL. If that happens, and the Phoenix skaters can close down the gaps in front of Smith and clear the garbage in front of him after the first save, then the Coyotes will be in good shape.

The X-factor that could end up swaying the series in either direction at this point has to be the health of Blackhawks’ captain Jonathan Toews, who has been out since February with a concussion. Toews led Chicago to the Stanley Cup in 2010 and was named the Conn Smythe winner, and he is one of the few players in the NHL that can absolutely dominate a series on his own. The Blackhawks will not only need Toews to return, but also to play at a high level despite missing so much time, and that may be too much to ask heading in to the postseason.

While Chicago did finish with four more points during the regular season, they will be without their captain and leader Toews, and concede a lot in the goaltending matchup. Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett is one of the best and most underrated in the game today, and if the Coyotes’ powerplay can show even the slightest improvement against one of the worst penalty kill units in the league, then there will be a sports betting upset in this opening round series.

NHL Betting Pick: Coyotes in Seven

The Vancouver Canucks needed 16 wins to capture their first-ever Stanley Cup last spring. They won 15 games. The quest to win that one extra game begins this week in the 2012 playoffs.

Western Conference Quarterfinals: (8) Los Angeles Kings vs. (1) Vancouver Canucks  
Sports betting line: N/A

Why Los Angeles Will Win

When you place your best best sportsbook on an NHL playoff series, the mindsets of the respective goaltenders regularly offers a reasonable place to start. Vancouver certainly has a credentialed netminder in Roberto Luongo, the man who brought the Canucks within one game of the Stanley Cup a year ago. Luongo won the 2010 Olympic gold medal with Team Canada, and hes certainly a battle-tested performer who is not a shaky rookie or a below-average veteran. Luongo has chops, without question.

However, Luongo was chased from multiple playoff games last spring against both the Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins. He could very well feel the pressure of the moment in this series against the Los Angeles Kings. Moreover, Luongo – by being the goaltender for a top-seeded team against a number eight seed – might recall the scary series against Chicago last year, in which the Canucks barely avoided losing in the first round as a number one seed.

Luongo might play well in this series, but he might be dogged by internal psychological demons as well. If the latter is the case, Los Angeles has a very realistic chance of taking this series. The Kings have a high-quality netminder in Jonathan Quick who can outplay Luongo between the pipes and steal perhaps two games in this best-of-seven set. If Los Angeles can legitimately outplay the Canucks on two other occasions, it can collect the four wins it needs to move to the second round of the postseason.

Why Vancouver Will Win

The course of this NHL season has been a lot like the previous one for the Canucks, who are the Presidents Trophy winner for the second straight year. Vancouver once again accumulated the most points of any NHL team thanks to its depth, balance, and diversity of strengths. The Canucks are an adept skating team, but theyre very physical as well. They can play and win by using different styles, attacking opponents in numerous ways. Los Angeles needs to be fully equipped in order to win this series. Yet, the Kings biggest acquisition this past season, Jeff Carter from the Philadelphia Flyers, has been injured, and his status for Game 1 of this series is unclear. Even if Carter plays, its unlikely that hell be supremely effective, and that deals a harsh blow to Los Angeles before this series gets off the ground. Los Angeles has an offense that is ranked near the very bottom of the NHL – 29th in the league, in fact. The Kings will be operating at a deficit of talent and manpower in this series. Vancouver should take advantage.

Who Will Win?

A healthy Jeff Carter would have made this series an even fight, but its doubtful that Carter will be 100 percent. Advantage, Canucks. Theyll survive a 1-versus-8 matchup again.

NHL Betting Sites Pick: Vancouver in six games

The New York Rangers’ transformation from upstart to heavyweight in one year has attracted notice throughout the NHL. Now, the Broadway Blues need to deliver in the postseason.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: (8) Ottawa Senators vs. (1) New York Rangers  
Sports betting line: N/A

Why Ottawa Will Win

When you place your best best sportsbook on this NHL series, you need to chuck away the seedings that are attached to these teams two names and focus on the fact that top seeds in the Eastern Conference playoffs really havent fared all that well over the past eight years. The last time the top seed in the East actually made the Stanley Cup finals was in 2004, when the Tampa Bay Lightning went on to claim Lord Stanleys big drinking bowl in a seven-game series triumph over the Calgary Flames. The last time the regular-season East champion even made the conference finals (the league semifinals) was in 2007, when Buffalo lost to Ottawa in five games. East champions simply dont do very well in the playoffs. Teams that spill the tank and excel in the regular season arent happy to be in the playoffs – thats not quite the explanation.

The reason why top seeds are often vulnerable is simply that they put in so much more energy than lower seeds over the course of a long and meandering 82-game schedule. The lower seeds, by contrast, dont play at the same high level throughout the season but are sharpened by the fact that they had to win most of their last 10 to 15 games to even make the playoffs in the first place. That dynamic could very well emerge here.

Ottawa is likely to be in a good frame of mind, and if it can simply steal one of the first two games at Madison Square Garden in New York, this will cease to feel like a 1-versus-8 matchup. It will be a relatively even battle of two teams contesting a playoff series on very even terms. All the pressure is on the Rangers in this series, so the Senators have a very reasonable chance of using that fact to their advantage. If their penalty kill can hold up, they will feel very confident as this series continues.

Why New York Will Win

The course of this NHL season has been more consistent in the case of the Rangers, who fended off all challenges to gain home ice throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. Coach John Tortorella has squeezed the most out of his team, and while this is not a dominant squad, it certainly boasts one of the biggest trump cards in the playoffs, star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. All along, Lundqvist simply needed a little help from his teammates, and this season, hes received exactly that. The Rangers are deeper and more balanced than theyve been in the past. That should make them a favorite in this series.

Who Will Win?

Ottawa should give the Rangers a strong run; the online sports book line between a top seed and a lower seed seems to blur in the NHL playoffs, especially in the East. However, Lundqvist will stand tall between the pipes and lead New York to a narrow escape.

NHL Betting Pick: New York Rangers in 7 games

Most online betting players know that Pittsburgh and Philadelphia don’t like each other, and last Saturday’s contest boiled over into a fight-filled end to a win for the Flyers. In a potential preview of a first-round playoff matchup, expect a physical hands-on clash that will be more about setting a tone than three points, but give the edge to Pittsburgh.

What: NHL Betting
When: Saturday, April 7th, 4:00 PM ET
Where: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins

Why Bet On Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers fell 5-3 at home to the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, giving up four goals in the first period and it wasn’t a banner night for goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, who stopped just 19 of the 24 shots he faced. Scott Hartnell, Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek found the scoresheet, while Claude Giroux added three assists, but it’s tough to come back from a four-goal deficit, especially against the best team in the conference. The power-play was atrocious, going 1-of-8 on the night and it’s always difficult to take a loss when you outshoot a team 40-24. The Flyers will have their final home game on Thursday night against Buffalo, who are still trying to fight their way into a playoff spot, so they can’t take their foot off the gas yet because the Sabres will be coming for them.

They’ll also have to go into battle without former Sabre Daniel Briere (back), who is injured in last Saturday’s melee (the hit on Briere was the spark that lit the fire), and their NHL betting odds for the playoffs could be impacted by his absence. Defenseman Andrej Meszaros (back) and forward James va Riemsdyk (foot) are also on the mend and could be back at some point in the postseason, but the loss of Briere really hurts as it could have been avoided, although replays show it was a completely clean hit by Pittsburgh’s Joe Vitale. The Flyers could be out for blood in this game against the Penguins, but they have to play smart hockey.

Why Bet On Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins dropped the defending Stanley Cup champions from Boston by a score of 5-3 on Tuesday night in an impressive road win, and Sidney Crosby led the way with a pair of goals along with an assist. Aaron Asham, Paul Martin and James Neal also lit the lamp, while Brent Johnson gave Marc-Andre Fleury the night off and stopped 26 shots for the Penguins, who scored on two of their four chances with the man advantage. It was a big win for the Penguins, away from home against a team that they could have to go through to get to the Stanley Cup, and Crosby is getting better with every game after missing the better part of more than a year because of his concussion problems. He also had to brush aside the “punk” comments made by analyst Mike Milbury (who has since apologized) as he thought Crosby was the one who started the mess last Saturday with a few slashes to the back of Brayden Schenn’s legs, who then cross-checked the Penguins’ captain and that could have put a target on Briere. Crosby didn’t really have much to say about Milbury’s comments, and went out and had a big game, like he always seems to do.

The aforementioned Vitale (face) took a puck to the face against the Bruins, but he should be fine for the Flyers and he’ll have to keep his head up because the Flyers will be looking for retribution. Winger Steve Sullivan (undisclosed) was limping after the Boston game, so you’ll have to check the injury report before making your call. This is going to be a very physical game between teams that don’t like each other and the Penguins’ main concern should be to get through it without any major injuries because Philadelphia surely isn’t happy about losing Briere.

How It Will Play Out

You would think that NHL betting odds would favor the Penguins at home, and they probably still will, but the Flyers have won five in a row in Pittsburgh and six of their last seven overall. The Flyers seem to thrive in the hostile environment of their opponent’s home rink, and they put the screws to the Penguins in last week’s 6-4 win in Pittsburgh.

The game will likely start off with some fisticuffs and then settle into an actual game, and the Penguins should be able to end their home jinx against the Flyers with their best players, Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, stepping up to the plate. Also, Fleury didn’t play that well last Saturday and he’ll have the upper hand against Bryzgalov (or whoever is in the Philadelphia goal). Take Pittsburgh in your sports betting picks.

Flyers Penguins Betting Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins

The New York Rangers’ foremost goal is to gain home-ice advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Pittsburgh Penguins are aiming for seeding advantages.

New York Rangers @ Pittsburgh Penguins – Thursday, April 5
Sports betting line: N/A

Why New York Will Win

The course of this NHL season has been more consistent in the case of the Rangers, who have steadily held onto the top spot in the Eastern Conference, week after week and month after month. After lingering near the bottom of the East in prior seasons, the Rangers – who have always been blessed with top-notch goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist – have now been able to supplement their Swedish superstar with a better, more complete club on the rice. The Rangers can roll more – and better – lines onto the rink, and they dont suffer the way they used to.

While Washington, the former regular-season Eastern Conference champion, has spectacularly tumbled downward in the East standings, the Rangers have taken the Capitals place as the almost-certain No. 1 seed in the conference. This is a testament to a superior team, so when the Rangers take on Pittsburgh in the next to last game of the regular season, they will skate onto the ice with the credibility of a group that has fended off every imaginable challenge over the course of the regular season. This is a team that should be taken seriously.

Why Pittsburgh Will Win

When you place your best best sportsbook on a regular-season NHL game, you should always account for the particulars of the circumstances that greet a specific gameday situation. In this case, the dynamics surrounding this tilt – the 81st out of 82 regular-season games in the National Hockey League – run strongly in favor of the homestanding Penguins. Its really rather simple: New York will likely enter this game having already locked up home-ice advantage throughout the Eastern Conference.

Yes, New York could perhaps desire to gain the Presidents Trophy and the top overall seed in the NHL postseason (battling the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues for that prize, should the Rangers meet one of those teams in the Stanley Cup Finals), but in terms of a realistic set of motivations, the Rangers primary concern was always to get the number one seed in the East, and since they have a five-point lead over the Penguins heading into Monday, April 2, theyre likely to have clinched the top seed when this game begins. New York would clinch if it wins its 80th game, or if any other combination of events leaves the Rangers up by five points heading into game 81. Pittsburgh, though, is facing a much more urgent task. The Penguins are trying to fend off the hard-charging Philadelphia Flyers for home-ice advantage in the first-round playoff series that is likely to unfold between the two Pennsylvania franchises. The Pens and Flyers are occupying the fourth and fifth slots in the East pecking order, behind second-seeded Boston and third-seeded Florida. Pittsburgh has more to play for in this game than the Rangers do. Theres your simple answer about who will win this online sportsbooks game.

Who Will Win?

Pittsburgh wants to host a Game 7 if it plays Philadelphia in the first round. Thats a more urgent task and a more short-term goal. That kind of incentive should propel the Pens past the Rangers.

NHL Betting Pick: Pittsburgh