NHL Playoffs First Round - Hockey and Bodog Odds

On Wednesday night, the NHL playoffs will officially get underway. With Lord Stanley’s Cup on the line, you can bet that every shot will be a little crisper and every punch will be thrown a little harder. Here’s a look at all the first-round playoff match-ups. Back in October, Bodog posted odds on which team would win the Stanley Cup. Next to the name of each team, I‘ve posted those odds.

NHL PLAYOFFS - FIRST ROUND

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Montreal Canadiens (40/1) vs. No. 8 Boston Bruins (30/1) - Montreal has a perfect 8-0 record this year against the Bruins, so many expect this one to be a sweep. It doesn’t help that the Bruins’ leading scorer, Marc Savard, is suffering from a nagging back injury. The Bruins will need a miracle to get out of the first round.

No. 2 Pittsburgh Penguins (9/1) vs. No. 7 Ottawa Senators (15/2) - These two teams squared off in last year’s opening round, and the Senators won the series 4-1. This year, however, Pittsburgh is 3-1 against the Sens in regular season play. The Penguins boast the best offense in the league with players like Malkin, Crosby and Hossa, and the Senators will be without the injured Daniel Alfredsson.

No. 3 Washington Capitals (38/1) vs. No. 6 Philadelphia Flyers (10/1) - The Capitals are led this year by Alexander Ovechkin, who should win the NHL MVP in a landslide. This is their first playoff appearance since 2003. During the regular season, the series was tied between the two teams at 2.

No. 4 New Jersey Devils (20/1) vs. No. 5 New York Rangers (5/1) - The Rangers won 7 out of 8 games between the two teams in the regular season. The Rangers were second in the league in home wins, but the Devils also have goalie Martin Brodeur. Expect this one to go down to the wire.

Western Conference

No. 1 Detroit Red Wings (7/1) vs. No. 8 Nashville Predators (75/1) - Detroit won the regular season series 5-3, but two games had to won by shootouts. In February, the number-one-seeded Wings went 1-8-2, but they have since righted the ship and lost only once in regulation in their last nine games. They should have more than enough in the tank to dispose of the Predators.

No. 2 San Jose Sharks (8/1) vs. No. 7 Calgary Flames (25/1) - Calgary won the regular season series 3-1, but San Jose has been smoking’ hot as of late. Sure, they lost back-to-back games to close the regular season, but they had nothing to play for at that point. Despite their success in the regular season against the Sharks, expect the Flames to go down in six games.

No. 3 Minnesota Wild (5/1) vs. No. 6 Colorado Avalanche (17/1) - The Wild won the series 5-3, and they only lost twice in regulation over their last 14 games. Translation = they’re on a massive hot streak. Still, the Avalanche will be getting back captain Joe Sakic, who missed 38 games with a hernia. It’ll be tough, but I’m betting on the Avalanche to win this series.

No. 4 Anaheim Ducks (7/1) vs. No. 5 Dallas Stars (18/1) - With Teemu Selanne back in the lineup, the Ducks are an impressive 20-5-1. Meanwhile, the Stars staggered to the finish line with a record of 4-8-2 to end the season. Keep in mind, though, that Dallas won the series 5-3. Still, I’ll be amazed if the return of Chris Pronger (coming back from a suspension) doesn’t lift the Ducks to an ultimate series win.

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NHL Playoffs First Round - Hockey and Bodog Odds