1. Jeff Skinner

• Skinner is a true rookie in every sense, and has been nothing short of fantastic for the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes are 11-12-3, but Skinner has been a bright spot for the team and their fans, with an impressive 20 points on eight goals and 12 assists so far this season. The 18-year-old has defied the logic of young players needing time in the AHL to develop before contributing in the big leagues, coming straight from juniors and stepping in as one of Carolina’s best players this season. If Skinner can continue his torrid offensive start, he should find himself in prime position for the Calder Trophy by the end of the year.

2. John Carlson

• Carlson has been everything the Capitals needed and hoped for from their promising rookie this season. Washington is once again near the top of the NHL standings, and a large part of their success has to do with how solid Carlson has been on the blue line. The 20-year-old Ontario native has provided a great defensive presence and is racking up over 20 minutes of ice time per game. Carlson has three goals and ten assists so far this season, and while his point total won’t be off the charts at the end of the season, his contributions to his team cannot be overvalued.

3. Sergei Bobrovsky

• Bobrovsky hasn’t just been the best rookie netminder this season-he’s been one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. The Russian is seventh in the league in goals against average and save percentage, and just behind Carey Price and Jimmy Howard for total wins on the season. Bobrovsky has routinely seen his name in hockey news headlines thanks to the major contributions he has made to a Flyers squad that is first in the Atlantic Division.

4. Jordan Eberle

• Edmonton knew that they were getting a trio of young studs this season in Taylor Hall, Eberle, and Magnus Paajarvi, but few would have guessed how thoroughly Eberle has stolen the spotlight. The rookie scores and passes effectively, and has 18 points on five goals and 13 assists so far this season. On an Oilers squad hurting for leadership and consistency, Eberle has been one of the team’s most productive players, averaging just under 20 minutes of ice time each night.

5. Derek Stepan

• The 20-year-old American was one of the biggest surprises to start the season, and has continued to impress hockey experts with his mature style of play. The Rangers are third in the Atlantic and Stepan has been a steady presence at centre for the team. Stepan is on pace for a 45-point inaugural season, after being the only Ranger to register a goal in the team’s loss to Colorado. While there is still some fine tuning that needs to be done to his game, Stepan is already a solid NHL contributor and should only get better in seasons to come.

While most will be doing NCAA football betting on the championship games, there is a trio of NHL betting matchups on Saturday that are worth a look in your online sportsbook. Here are a few trends to keep an eye on.

Sharks Canadiens Betting – Saturday, 2:00 PM ET

The Canadiens are one of the best home teams in the league, and they should be favored in Montreal, where the Sharks are 2-3 in their last five trips.Three of the five meetings have gone under the posted total, and this could go the same way as both starting goalies in the top five in terms of goals against.

Bruins Maple Leafs Betting – Saturday, 7:00 PM ET

The Bruins should be favored in Toronto, who are helping the Bruins put together a nice team by giving them high picks for Phil Kessel. The Bruins are 3-2 in their last five trips to Toronto, and three of their last five meetings have been decided by a goal. Three of the five have also gone over the posted total.

Red Wings Kings Betting – Saturday, 10:30 PM ET

In the marquee matchup of the night, the Kings should be slight favorites at home, but they’re 1-4 in their last five home meetings with the experienced Red Wings, who don’t get flustered by going on the road. Three of the games have gone under the posted total, so be careful to check the total in your online sportsbook.

Calgary Flames at Philadelphia Flyers, Friday November 26^th 1:00 PM

The Flames will try to turn their season around when they face the best team in the Eastern conference and one of the hottest teams in the league on Friday night. The Flyers have won three straight and seem to have picked up right where they left off last season when they bulldozed through the playoffs only to lose to Chicago in the Stanley Cup Finals. Philly is led by their young captain; center Mike Richards, who is a two-way competitor – able to dominate the game by checking the opposition’s top player and by creating offense. The key to the Flyers’ great start, and one of the biggest surprises in NHL news this season, has been their improvement at the goaltending position. 22-year old Russian Sergei Bobrovsky has appeared out of nowhere to become one of the NHL’s best backstops and the rookie has finally given the Flyers a tender who can match the skill of the players up front. Bobrovsky will be tested by Flames’ captain Jarome Iginla, one of the league’s most prolific scorers, as the winger will be eager to get his team on the right path.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Washington Capitals, Friday November 26^th 5:00 PM

Friday’s game in Washington will feature a battle between two of the league’s best players. The Lightning’s Steven Stamkos is currently on pace for one of the greatest statistical seasons ever as he has already recorded 38 points through 22 games. After leading the league in hockey scores last season, Stamkos has emerged as one of the top talents in the NHL. Stamkos has the full package of skills: speed, size, passing and shooting accuracy. Capitals’ winger Alexander Ovechkin can never be left out of the best player discussion and the Russian’s 29 points are third in the league behind Stamkos and Sidney Crosby. These are two offensive teams with marginal goalkeeping and defense so expect a game with plenty of scores.

San Jose Sharks at Vancouver Canucks, Friday November 26^th 10:00 PM

The Canucks host one of the NHL’s best scoring lines on Friday. The Sharks’ Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau are a difficult trio to stop but Vancouver has the defensive personnel to limit them. Canucks’ goaltender Roberto Luongo is a perennial all-star who can use his experience practicing with Team Canada when preparing to face the Sharks’ Canadian scorers. Vancouver center Ryan Kesler, a checking specialist, will team with defensemen Alexander Edler and Christian Ehrhoff to limit Thornton and his wingers. Vancouver has a dangerous top line of their own, led by the Sedin Twins Daniel and Henrik so expect a few shows of skill as these two Western Conference powers battle it out.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators, Saturday November 27^th 7:00 PM

Despite the two teams’ average to poor placing in the NHL standings, this game should always be circled on the calendar. The Maple Leafs and Senators have struggled to produce strong NHL results this season but the “Battle for Ontario” will nonetheless be an entertaining contest on Saturday night. The Leafs’ second line of Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin and Clarke MacArthur will be imperative in providing NHL scores for the team. MacArthur leads Toronto with 18 points and Ottawa has struggled defensively thus far. This rivalry always gets chippy so don’t be surprised to see Leafs’ enforcer Colton Orr get involved to draw the ire of the Ottawa crowd.

Chicago Blackhawks at Los Angeles Kings, Saturday November 27^th 10:30 PM

These two young teams have had opposite starts to the season. The reigning Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks have stumbled to a .500 record while the Kings have been enthused in accumulating 26 points thus far. The game will feature a matchup between one of the league’s top young forward lines against an elite and equally youthful defensive core. ‘Hawks center Jonathan Toews has been one of the few Chicago players who has performed well at both ends this year and Kings’ defensemen Drew Doughty is as brilliant scoring the puck as he is stripping it from opposing forwards. Doughty is a smooth skater who is riding a three-game point streak so expect him to handle the puck with confidence against a team that has been error-prone in checking to start the season.

If you’re betting on college football, you’re going to ride the top teams as much as you can. It’s the same in hockey, and here are the top five to ride so far in this young NHL betting season.

Washington- There isn’t a more sure thing in the NHL than the Capitals at home, where they are 10-1-1. Any time they’re at home, it doesn’t matter against you, take them and run to the house.

Detroit- The Red Wings are a bit more balanced than the Capitals, although like most teams,they’re better at home. Detroit has too many veterans on their team to be bothered by a little crowd noise.

Philadelphia- The Flyers are tied with Washington for the league lead in points, and they’re good both at home and on the road. Along with the top two, they have nine home wins, but the Flyers are also a stellar 5-2-2 on the road.

Columbus- A surprising inclusion, but the Blue Jackets are off to a good start and it’s because they have six wins at home, and seven on the road. If they can improve their home form even a little bit, watch out: Columbus could be this year’s Phoenix.

Pittsburgh- You can never count out a team with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and even though they got off to a slow start, the Penguins are warming up, and they’ve been better on the road than at home, which you can expect to change. When that happens, the Penguins will be an even stronger team to lay a bet on.

NFL football betting players know all about rivalries, and there are a couple of matchups on Saturday night in the NHL that fulfill all aspects of a full-blooded rivalry. Here is a look at the two games to keep an eye on.

Maple Leafs Canadiens Betting – Saturday, 7:00 PM ET

The Canadiens should be favored at home in the NHL’s best rivalry, but the Maple Leafs always seem to get up when they go to Montreal, coming away with the win in four of their last five trips to the Bell Center. Four of those games have gone over the posted total, and two of the last three have been one-goal games.

Blackhawks Canucks Betting – Saturday, 10:00 PM ET

The Canucks should be favored at home after a trip through the East, and revenge will be on their minds as the Blackhawks eliminated them in the playoffs for the second straight season last year. But again, the road team could have the edge as the Blackhawks have won four of their last five trips to GM Place, scoring 17 goals in three games there during last year’s postseason meeting. Three of those games went over the posted total. But the Canucks may have a small edge as the Blackhawks will be in Calgary on Saturday night, so they’ll be hoping that the Flames can soften them up. Even still, this is going to be a great game, and it’ll be a tough call in your sports book.

NFL football betting players have their share of disappointments this season, and while it’s only early in the NHL betting season, a few players are off to slow starts.

Roberto Luongo, Vancouver- The Canucks’ goalie has been all over the place this season, even with a four-game winning streak. He’s given up 10 goals in those four games, and
Vancouver needs him to be better.

Tuukka Rask, Boston- Another disappointing goalie, this isn’t even really Rask’s fault: it’s just Tim Thomas has been lights out. At this point, how will Rask’s confidence be when he gets called?

Olli Jokinen, Calgary- Jokinen gets the nod over Jarome Iginla, who at least plays with passion. Jokinen has two goals in 13 games, and he’s really struggled in Calgary, yet they keep bringing him back.

Jay Bouwmeester, Calgary- Bouwmeester is possibly the biggest disappointment in the NHL, and he seems to shrink away from the spotlight. He was great down in Florida where no
one was paying attention, but since moving to Calgary, he hasn’t been the dynamic defense that we saw in junior hockey and in Florida.

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey/Ryan Miller, Buffalo- Both of these great goalies have battled injuries this year, but neither played all that great before they got hurt. We expect both of them to come back strong, perhaps stronger than the other goalies on this list, but their teams need them badly because they don’t score that much. Without Brodeur and Miller, their teams’ NHL betting odds go down the tubes.

While NFL football betting players will be making their fantasy picks for Sunday, NHL betting players can do it all week long, although this will focus mainly on the weekend. Here are three players to watch.

Patrick Sharp, Chicago

Sharp is off to a great start with 11 points, and he has a home game against Los Angeles on Wednesday. The Kings are an open team, so there will be chances for Sharp. Then the Blackhawks host a young Edmonton team on Friday before they head to Minnesota on Saturday, so have him in your lineup.

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh

This is a no-brainer: never sit Sidney Crosby unless he’s hurt. The Penguins go to Tampa Bay on Wednesday before hosting Philadelphia in a rivalry game on Friday night, and Crosby loves playing against the Flyers. On Saturday, the Penguins will be in Carolina, and he’s a pretty strong player in back-to-back games.

Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim

Getzlaf, like Sharp and Crosby, has 11 points to start the season, and the Ducks are counting heavily on his production. Getzlaf should be well rested as the Ducks play in Dallas on Tuesday, then they’re off until Friday when they host New Jersey on Friday, and then they head to San Jose on Saturday
night. Getzlaf gets all the ice time he can handle with regular shifts as well as on the power play, and he’s a guy that will make an impact not only on your fantasy team, but on the Ducks’ odds if you bet sports.

1. Blackhawks

• Turco has been rock-solid and Chicago is starting to roll.

2. Bruins

• Power-play success leads to statement win over the Caps in home opener.

3. Red Wings

• Detroit is proving it can score with the best of them, and is eighth in the league in goals per game (3).

4. Penguins

• Pittsburgh flexed its experience in their latest gritty win against Nashville.

5. Islanders

• Another surprisingly effective team in tight games; New York has gone to four extra sessions already this season.

6. Capitals

• After four-game streak, Washington isn’t looking as aggressive, letting Boston put them on the wrong side of the NHL scores twice in a row.

7. Stars

• Talk about a high-scoring squad: the Stars are averaging nearly four goals per game.

8. Predators

• Head Coach Barry Trotz has his team playing with great chemistry and intensity.

9. Kings

• Despite their recent loss, LA is still undefeated at home, and looks great in goal.

10. Maple Leafs

• Could it be back to reality for the Leafs, who have dropped two straight?

11. Lightning

• With Washington lagging, Tampa Bay could take an early lead in the division.

12. Avalanche

• Vancouver is bound to get better, but for now, Colorado is enjoying division supremacy.

13. Hurricanes

• Their offence is a little stagnant, but the Hurricanes proved in Europe they are much-improved.

14. Canucks

• What’s up with the Canucks? Vancouver’s penalty kill is suspect, and they’ve struggled to score goals.

15. Canadiens

• Defence is the only thing keeping the Habs hovering around the middle of the NHL standings.

16. Wild

• The Wild have been fun to watch-can they translate entertainment over to the win column?

17. Sharks

• San Jose has been efficient on the man advantage, but otherwise is struggling on offence.

18. Blues

• The Blues have been taking tough opponents down to the wire; they just need to start finishing.

19. Thrashers

• All the good feelings evaporated in a hurry after a 4-1 beatdown at the hands of Buffalo.

20. Blue Jackets

• Columbus has done well so far for a team predicted to be one of the NHL’s worst.

21. Flyers

• After a decent start, Philly has been increasingly underwhelming.

22. Ducks

• Anaheim’s lack of offence or defence is making it hard to believe they’re a good team, even when they win.

23. Coyotes

• Inconsistency could be the biggest challenge for Phoenix this season.

24. Rangers

• Injuries are already taking a toll on New York.

25. Devils

• Jersey needs to right the ship ASAP, or else this season could turn ugly in a hurry.

26. Sabres

• Buffalo picked up a good win over Atlanta, but this team is all Ryan Miller at the moment.

27. Flames

• Calgary is dead last in scoring with 1.8 goals per game.

28. Panthers

• Florida is playing the right way, which is what matters for this young squad.

29. Oilers

• After their 2-0 start, the Oilers are where everyone expected them to be.

30. Senators

• In contrast, no one expected Ottawa to be this bad this season.

So NHL, what have you contributed to the world of sports this year? Sportsbook odds indicate that it’s not a whole hell of a lot, which sucks.

I’m not talking to you hardcore NHL betting fans. Right now, I’m talking about the NHL on a global sports scale.

For example: baseball had Roger Clemens and his trip to congress, the NFL had Brett Favre, the Olympics had Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt, baseball had the Tampa Bay Rays and basketball had the Lakers-Celtics.

Those who bet online know that there haven’t been that many memorable, stay-with-you-until-2010-type of moments. Sean Avery’s sloppy seconds come to mind. Maybe Sidney Crosby’s first Stanley Cup Finals, but that guy lacks personality so much that nobody really empathizes with him. How about Jonathan Toews crazy goal? Again, hardcore hockey fans will remember but general sports fans don’t care too much.

The bottom line is the NHL has put together a better product on the ice but it still lacks story lines, personalities and off-ice excitement.