Sports betting experts know that it is difficult for a franchise to put a winning team on the ice in the NHL every season. The Vancouver Canucks were the Western Conference champions last year and have been at the top of the league for the last four years. But Vancouver is having a rough start to the 2011-2012 season. The Philadelphia Flyers started off well this season, but hit a snag over the weekend. Both teams hope to get back on the winning track this week.
Vancouver Canucks @ Edmonton Oilers
Tuesday, 9:30 PM ET
It’s early in the season, but Edmonton Oilers’ fans are still loving it. The Breeder’s Cup betting is not getting much play in Edmonton as the Oilers are actually off to a good start this season and trail the Canucks by only one point in the standings. The additions of rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin seem to have helped the Oilers establish a little bit of consistency. The Canucks got off to a very rocky start but managed to start to pull things together over the weekend. But there is something about this Oilers team that makes them an interesting pick in this game. If Khabibulin can stay solid in the nets, then the young guns up front seem capable of scoring. As the season wears on, the Oilers may start to fade away and the Canucks will rise to the top of the conference again. But, for now, this game will be very interesting to watch.
NHL Betting Pick: Edmonton Oilers
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Buffalo Sabres
Tuesday, 7:30 PM ET
The Buffalo Sabres went out and spent a lot of money to bring in a stronger defense and some scoring forwards. As the season begins, the online wagering hockey fans in Buffalo are not seeing a huge difference in the way this team plays versus last year’s team. The one significant difference is that this year’s team wins. As has been the case with the Sabres for a long time, the wins do not look pretty, but they are still wins. The Lightning are having a problem picking up where it left off last season. It is the same cast of characters in Tampa, but the results are much different. The Lightning are having problems closing out games, but that may not be a handicap against a Sabres’ team that still cannot win at home.
NHL Betting Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning
Philadelphia Flyers @ Montreal Canadiens
Wednesday, 7:30 PM ET
The Pittsburgh Penguins are becoming a thorn in the side of the Philadelphia Flyers. The Penguins were not supposed to compete early in the season because Sidney Crosby is still out. But the Penguins currently hold a three-point lead over the Flyers in the Atlantic Division. The Flyers took a hammering from the Capitals late last week, but Philly should be able to recover in time for this game. The Canadiens are just not scoring enough goals to win games this year. The physical Philadelphia defense is not going to give Montreal a chance to fix that problem in this game.
NHL Betting Pick: Philadelphia Flyers