Online Betting Overview
At one point in this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs were cruising right along and chasing the Boston Bruins for first place in the Northeast Division. But as the March Madness betting starts to get underway, the Leafs find itself in ninth place and out of a playoff spot by one point. While the Leafs are perfectly capable of scoring goals, the problem has been on defense and in goal. James Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson have been going back and forth on sharing starting goaltending duties for the Leafs and that has created a bit of an inconsistency in the play. In the last couple of weeks, it looks like the Leafs are settling on Reimer and lately it has been for the worse. Reimer is 1-4-0 in his last five starts as the Leafs fall further and further from a playoff spot.

The pay per head sports experts remember a time this season when the Chicago Blackhawks were the top team in the league. The Blackhawks’ high-flying style of play was overwhelming opponents and winning games. But the lack of defense in Chicago has really caught up with the Blackhawks and sent the team into a tailspin. Chicago has dropped from first to third in the Central Division and down to sixth in the Western Conference. While the position of sixth is better than the ninth position the Blackhawks were in just before the All-Star break, it is still a far cry from where the Blackhawks were when the season started.

Toronto Maple Leafs
A bodog review of the Leafs’ 10 games leading up to the end of last week shows that the team had a record of 3-6-1. The Leafs used to win the 2-1 and 3-2 games earlier in the season, but the team has started to come out on the losing end of those contests and it is affecting where the team sits in the standings. The Leafs need to get balance back in its game if it wants to climb back up in the standings. The season is far from lost for the Leafs, but if the team does not start picking back up on these one goal games then it could be a while before Toronto is back in contention for a playoff spot.

Chicago Blackhawks
Fans in Chicago are wondering if the Blackhawks are going to be active around the NHL trade deadline this year. Too many things need to be addressed for the team to try and address them in a couple of trades. Chicago will probably not be active during the trade deadline, so the fans can expect to see this version of the team to the end of the season. Chicago finished up last week on a losing note and has had problems putting winning streaks together. But the Hawks may find reprieve with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Bottom Line
The combination of high-flying Chicago offense and disorganized Toronto defense does not bode well for the Leafs in this game. When this one is over, it may not be goaltending that was the difference but rather pressure from the Hawks on Toronto’s defense.

Pick: Chicago Blackhawks

The Toronto Maple Leafs could be on the verge of returning to the NHL playoffs for the first time since 2004, a drought that extends back to before the NHL lockout year and the changes that came with it for arguably the most intense hockey market. While on the surface it appears to be a good thing to Maple Leafs’ fans that their team could be heading back to the postseason, this run will be that much more harmful to the franchise in terms of its long-term outlook, as it continues to avoid its biggest problem, which is the fact that they are not on the right track to being a legitimate contender.

Fighting among the eight teams that are currently holding down a playoff spot in the Eastern conference has provided fans in Toronto with the illusion that they are progressing towards their ultimate goal, which is to bring the Stanley Cup home for the first time since 1967. However, while the mediocre season that the Maple Leafs’ have given their fans may be good enough to make the playoffs in a relatively weak conference, it won’t get them any closer to the big prize. Toronto has managed to tread water in the eighth spot for the past couple of weeks while the Washington Capitals, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, and Tampa Bay Lightning each continue to struggle, but the reality is that if the pay head bookies established future lines for which of those franchises would win the cup next the odds are that the Maple Leafs would be at the bottom of the list.

The Canadiens and Capitals both underwent major coaching changes this season in pursuit of a new direction, and while Washington is now much closer to overtaking Toronto for eighth in the conference with a solid core that still includes Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, the Canadiens aren’t very far away even with injuries to captain Brian Gionta and defenseman Andrei Markov handicapping their lineup. The Lightning could very well be ahead of the Maple Leafs at this point if they had better goaltending, while Buffalo also has a solid young core with Thomas Vanek, Tyler Myers, and Ryan Miller and is still favored in most of its games according to the sites listed with the sportsbook reviews.

For Toronto, a sports betting option that has provided sub-.500 results over the course of its past 10 games, there is no solid foundation on which the team is built beyond leading scorer Phil Kessel. The team’s top center Mikhail Grabovski has been talked about in trade rumors as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, while popular opinion varies on captain Dion Phaneuf, who has been exposed several times already this year. James Reimer has not been able to step up and perform with the consistency required of a No. 1 goaltender, and their really is no plan B in place should he fail with Jonas Gustavsson set to move on by the end of the year. The Maple Leafs may still be holding down one of the top eight spots in a weak conference, but that has only influenced the team’s biggest problem, which is the illusion that they are that much closer to being a true contender than perennial pretender.

Sports Betting Overview
Former long-time Washington Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig gets asked to come back to Washington and join the Capitals organization as associate goaltending coach and he instantly gets on the bad side of Alex Ovechkin. Kolzig has a history of saying what is on his mind and most people that heard his comments knew that Kolzig meant no disrespect. But while many people are betting March Madness, others are trying to figure out why the Capitals cannot win games. Whether it is fair or not, most people are pointing at captain Alex Ovechkin. Even teammates are starting to say that the Capitals’ star player is getting too wrapped up in his own press. The current knock against Ovechkin is that he is not playing like a team player and is trying to win games on his own. In Ovechkin’s defense, at least he is trying to win games for Washington.

It has been a while since the Ottawa Senators have been the ones in the playoff hunt and the Capitals were out of the top eight. Price per head bookie experts are quick to point out that the Senators are only four points away from challenging the Boston Bruins for the lead in the Northeast Division. But he Senators have weaknesses that tend to get exploited from time to time. If the Capitals can pull it together for one game, then the Caps can take advantage of those weaknesses and get two badly needed points.

Washington Capitals
A betonline.com review of the Eastern Conference standings shows that the Capitals are in ninth place and three points out of a playoff spot. The biggest concern for the Capitals needs to be how tight the Eastern Conference standings really are. Only eight points separates the Capitals from last place Carolina. The Capitals are 3-4-3 in the last 10 games and are riding a two-game losing streak. If the Capitals are trying to finish in last place in the Eastern Conference, then it is doing everything right. If Washington wants to start moving back up the standings, then it will need to put some wins together starting with this game.

Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are one of the most difficult teams to bet in the NHL because of the inconsistency of goaltender Craig Anderson. Anderson is one of the main reasons why the Senators are locked into an Eastern Conference playoff spot. But he is also one of the main reasons why the Senators have given up 183 goals this year, which is the second-highest total in the NHL. Some night Anderson is great, other nights he looks awful and gets pulled by the second period. The key is getting pressure on Anderson and trying to disrupt his game. The Capitals have the personnel to disrupt things in front of the Ottawa net. It is just a matter of whether or not the Capitals can get the job done.

The Bottom Line
Washington needs this game but it may not play like it wants the game. Washington is a horrible road team and that will be one of the main factors in determining how this game plays out.

Pick: Ottawa Senators

As we draw closer to the beginning of the March Madness betting tournament, handicappers from all of the big four major sports leagues are looking at ways to gain an edge on the sportsbooks. In the NHL, sharp bettors are taking advantage of the concussion epidemic, as they compare how teams have faired both before and after their star players have sustained concussions. For years, the NHL has been criticized as being a regular season league made by individual players, but a playoff championship league driven by team depth. The concussion epidemic, has allowed us to watch how teams have faired when their depth has been exploited in the regular season.

It is important as NHL handicappers, that we do not let emotion cloud our judgment when sports betting on our favorite teams. Essentially, when Sidney Crosby was lost to concussion last season, and for part of this season, it would have been easy to look past who else is on the Pittsburgh Penguins roster and bet against the team. At the same time, it would have been crazy to bet more money on the Penguins once Crosby returned the first time and when he returns again. Yes, Crosby is the best player on the planet, but to look past the depth on the Penguins is illogical.

Along with Crosby, the Penguins have former first overall draft choices Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal. The trio in themselves are considered by many scouts to be franchise players. In other words, the Penguins are not in bad shape with the loss of Crosby, as they could be considered four franchises in one. On the other hand, the Penguins rivals the Washington Capitals have been disappointing, as they lost one of their franchise stars in Nicklas Backstrom to a concussion as well, and the team has struggled since.

The Eastern Conference NHL standings may be a bit of a surprise to some as we expected to see Boston near the top, but the New York Rangers have not only taken the baton in the East, but they’re running with it and they’re taking a seven-point lead into the TD Banknorth Garden on Tuesday night to face the Bruins.

Rangers Bruins Odds – Tuesday, 7:00 PM ET

New York (36-13-5) have now won three in a row after a 3-2 victory at home over Washington (one of the preseason 5dimes favorites to win the Stanley Cup) on Sunday afternoon, and Ryan Callahan lit the lamp for the fifth time in three games to lead the way. Ryan McDonagh and Brandon Prust also scored, while Henrik Lundqvist stopped 24 shots for the Rangers, who gave up a late goal to keep it interesting, but held on. Those who are betting March Madness will see Madison Square Garden being taken over for the Big East tournament in about a month, but the Rangers will be playing some meaningful games there as well and another win over the Bruins to go with their 3-2 overtime victory from January 21st in the Big Apple.

The Bruins (34-17-2) needed a late goal from Milan Lucic to force overtime on Saturday afternoon, and then pulled out a 4-3 shootout win over Nashville to stay within shouting distance of the Rangers. Patrice Bergeron and Dan Paille netted singles for the Bruins, while Tim Thomas made 19 saves as Boston outshot the Predators 41-22. The Bruins also did a good job in the faceoff dot, winning 38 of 64 against the Predators, and Boston is a solid team at doing those little things to win a hockey game. They should end up winning the Northeast Division and if they can go into the postseason healthy, the Bruins are going to be a favorite of players that are familiar with price per head bookie services when it comes to defending their championship.

Boston should be the home favorites in this crucial NHL betting contest, even though the Rangers are 4-1 SU and 3-0-2 ATS in their last five trips to Beantown, with three games coming in under the posted total (along with two pushes). The January 21st battle ended when Marian Gaborik scored on the power play with 3.6 seconds remaining at Madison Square Garden, after Andrew Ference earned a five-minute major and a misconduct for hitting McDonagh from behind. The Rangers were also physical in that game with 27 hits to 12 for the Bruins, and they’ll need to take that play into Boston because the Bruins will want to defend their home turf. In a hard-hitting game, lean towards the Bruins to get revenge on the road when you’re sports betting online on Tuesday.

While most NHL teams in the Eastern conference still have at least 30 games to play, the playoff race is already beginning to heat up as teams and their fans realize how important every point will be down the stretch. With the three points awarded in every overtime game, it is tougher than ever now to gain ground and make up points as the season winds down, which is why teams from the east are already beginning to approach games as if the postseason is just around the corner.

At the top of the conference, the New York Rangers continue to cruise as the sports betting favorites to win the Atlantic division with consecutive wins and points in seven of their last 10 games to build a three-point cushion over the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins for first place. The Rangers have some similar traits as the Bruins, including top-tier goaltending, big forwards that are capable of laying out the body, and scoring contributions coming from their top three lines. Focus and the ability to continue to approach every game with the same consistency will be crucial to New York holding off Boston down the stretch, with goaltending the biggest key for a team that ranks second in goals against with Henrik Lundqvist between the pipes.

The Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins are right behind the Rangers in the playoff race, which is an incredible accomplishment considering the injuries that both teams have dealt with. The Flyers are missing their top defenseman and have been without Claude Giroux, Jaromir Jagr, Daniel Briere, and others at different points in the season, while the Penguins have been without captain Sidney Crosby for almost the entire year, and have also faced injuries to Jordan Staal and Kris Letang. If those two teams can avoid getting hit even harder by the injury bug they should be able to clinch a playoff spot, joined by a New Jersey Devils’ team that came on strong at the end of last year and is playing good hockey with four straight wins coming in to this Betonline week.

The real battle will be for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern conference, as things really heat up for the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers, and Winnipeg Jets. The Capitals and Panthers will fight for the Southeast division, but the loser of that battle will be in a dogfight for a playoff spot. The Senators and Maple Leafs have opened some room between them and the Jets over the past couple of weeks, with six points separating eighth-place Toronto from tenth-place Winnipeg, but this week will be crucial for both going forward. The Maple Leafs have three games in four nights beginning Monday as pay head bookie favorites against the Edmonton Oilers, highlighted by a trip to Winnipeg on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Senators will play three-straight against teams from the Western conference this week, and while none of those matchups are against teams they are fighting for a playoff spot, they will still be crucial to their success since they have played three more games than Toronto, and one more than the Jets.

The unofficial second half of the NHL Super Bowl betting season kicked off last night, as there were 14 games on the schedule. As we move towards the playoffs, we’ll be blogging about different positions on the fantasy wire that should have fans and handicappers alike picking up new players for their teams. Today, we will be providing some bookie software analysis, to determine which defensemen should be acquired or let go on the fantasy waver wire. Here is a guide to help you with your decision.

Buffalo Sabres – The final three months of the season will be huge for the Buffalo Sabres, as they look to finish off the year strong. They got off on a good start yesterday, defeating the Montreal Canadiens three to one. One of the major reasons the Sabres were able to win last night, was the fact they received a slew of defenseman. As you may recall, the Sabres had an awful first half of the season, and you can credit the defense’s inability to stay healthy. Yet, with the returns of Christian Ehrhoff and Tyler Myers to the starting lineup, the Sabres may be able to finish off the year the way they hoped before the season started, with a playoff berth.

Chicago Blackhawks – currently in fourth place in the division of death, their forwards have carried the former Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks this season. For all intents and purposes, the trio of Duncan Keith, Nick Leddy, and Brent Seabrook needs to step their game up for the second half of the season. The first half caused room for concern, as the trio combined for six goals and 54 total points. In perspective, last season, 54 total points would have been what Keith and Seabrook accumulated on their own. If the Blackhawks want to raise the NFL scores Stanley Cup again they will need the big three quarterbacks to prove their worth.

If you’re following NHL scores, you’ll be happy to see the second half of the regular season get underway on Tuesday, and there is a tasty matchup coming out of the Eastern conference as Ottawa heads to Boston.

Senators Bruins Odds – Tuesday, 7:00 PM ET

The Senators got off to a horrible start, and more than a few BetOnline players probably gave up on them. But now the Senators are in sixth place in the East and are in prime position to move up the standings as they’re only six points behind first-place New York (the Rangers, not the Islanders, obviously). The break couldn’t have come soon enough for Ottawa, who dropped three straight before the All-Star game, but now you have to wonder how the team’s All-Stars, captain Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and Milan Michalek will fare coming back to the team. Superbowl betting players could compare this to Tom Brady, Wes Welker and company coming back from the Pro Bowl to play this weekend; they probably didn’t do a whole lot on the ice (or on the field, for football players), but they were still there and it was a busy weekend, especially with it being held in Ottawa. Pay attention to Alfredsson, who was one of the team captains.

The other captain was Zdeno Chara of the Bruins, and he was busy shattering his record in the hardest-shot competition (108 mph? Wow!). The Bruins are second only to the Rangers in the East, but most of the talk going into the break surrounded goalie Tim Thomas and his refusal to go to the White House with his teammates because he doesn’t agree with the way government is running things. There were rumors that the Bruins are shopping their Vezina winner around, and you can bet that would affect lines and picks among those that work with price per head software.

The Bruins should be the favorites at home in this contest, and they’ve won six in a row against the Senators in Boston, so the line could be very staggered towards the home team. It’ll be interesting to see if Thomas is in goal for the Bruins; if he isn’t (and he wasn’t in the Bruins’ final game before the break), that will only add fuel to the fire, which is another distraction that the defending Stanley Cup champions need. This helps the Senators, who are basically playing with house money as no one expected them to challenge with a first-year head coach in Paul MacLean, but he is quickly earning consideration as the Coach of the Year. Go for the upset and take Ottawa in your sports betting picks.

The biggest turnaround in an NHL season that has been highlighted by several surprises has to be the play of the St. Louis Blues, which have transitioned from a team that appeared destined to miss the playoffs once again to a team seemingly destined to be among the top contenders in the Western conference. St. Louis struggled out of the gate with just two wins through its first six games, but has since turned things around, and become even stronger with the addition of head coach Ken Hitchcock behind the bench. The Blue have a ton of talent throughout their lineup but their biggest strength was also their biggest weakness as they were young and inexperienced. Hitchcock coming in helped stabilize that aspect of the team, and since then they have flourished among the most complete teams in the NHL.

It has to be noted that while Hitchcock’s presence has been among the biggest keys to the turnaround, it is not the only reason. St. Louis has allowed a league-low 1.9 average goals against per game, and the goaltending tandem of Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott has everything to do with that as well. Hitchcock’s system has his defenders collapse down low and clear out the rebounds in front of his goalies, but it is on them to make the first save. While both the forwards and defenseman have been responsible in their own end, Halak and Elliott have a combined save percentage of .928, and nine shutouts between them. Blues’ fans have been waiting on Halak to deliver for quite some time, and perhaps all it took was a little healthy competition with the addition of Elliott in the offseason. Both netminders have exceeded expectations, and having two capable goalies has been among the keys to St. Louis’ success, something the pay head bookies have taken notice of.

General manager Doug Armstrong has told the media that he will not break up that tandem before the trade deadline in order to acquire players at other positions, and it is a good thing that he isn’t. St. Louis has some solid depth on the blue line and some capable forwards up front, and the more experience they get the better they will be able to handle pressure situations. David Backes leads all scorers with 37 points on the year, however the Blues could be in the market to add another scorer before the deadline if the price is right, since after Backes there is only one other player on the roster with more than 30 points. There is no shortage of options available with several teams looking to make a move to sell, and it might not be long until St. Louis makes a move to increase their odds of emerging from the conference on Betonline.

The Blues have a solid blend of youth and experience now thanks to Hitchcock, and as long as they continue to buy in to his system and execute they should be fine. St. Louis has been one of the biggest surprises this season as they currently sit fourth in the Western conference, and look for them to continue to execute down the stretch as legitimate sports betting contenders.

This season, there has been much debate within the NHL regarding the safety of goalies. Comparable to the NFL, the goalie like the quarterback is the most important player on the ice. Essentially, your season depends not necessarily on who scores the most points on your team, but rather which goalie plays hard enough night in and night out, that it allows your team the best opportunity to win the Stanley Cup. Earlier this season, Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic body checked Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, giving the latter a concussion. As a result, Miller and his team have struggled, as he is still experiencing signs of the concussion. Thus leaving the question, is it time that the NHL adopted rules to protect goalies?

As we noted above, the goalie position in the NHL is just as important as the quarterback position in the NFL. While the quarterback is responsible for calling everything on offense, and dictating who does what, the goalie is responsible for stopping the puck and on many nights making the key saves which can keep their team in a game. When an opposing teams player strikes a goalie, the automatic response, in our opinion should be not only for a penalty to be administered similar to roughing the quarterback, but a fight to breakout. The goalie may have more equipment on then the average skater, but 90 percent of goalies are much skinnier then the bruising players crashing into them.

In other words, regardless of the equipment, the goalie needs to be protected, as they are the most important assets on your team. With this in mind, the NHL needs to make stiffer punishments for players that attack goalies, because it can affect the outcome of the game. If the goalie isn’t protected, then teams such as the Boston Bruins, will always have their sports betting lines skewed because they can injure who ever they please.