While the city of Vancouver continues to clean up the mess following the collapse of their beloved Canucks in the Stanley Cup finals, another Canadian team still has its eye on the future as they look to build a contender. The Edmonton Oilers have done well in previous drafts to build a roster that is stocked with young talent, and with the 2011 NHL draft right around the corner they have the opportunity to add another top talent with the first overall pick. With that selection the Oilers will add a center to play alongside winger Taylor Hall, who was the first overall pick for Edmonton in last year’s NHL draft.

Hall showed enormous potential in his first season, scoring 22 goals and registering 42 points in 65 games before his season ended with a tough leg injury that came as a result of a fight. That intensity level is an indication of how bad Hall wants to be recognized as one of the top players in the league one day, but in order to get there he is going to need the help of a top-line center. Enter Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the consensus top talent available on this year’s board. After averaging more than a point per game during his career with the Red Deer Rebels, the young center will make the jump to the NHL and is seen as a top-two way player with a ton of offensive upside. While it may take some time for him to develop, Nugent-Hopkins will be paired with Hall on a top scoring line for years to come as Edmonton looks to emerge as a sports betting contender once again.

The 2011 Preakness betting lines opened earlier this week. However, if you are a sports betting enthusiast looking for something exciting to wager on before big racing event, look no further than the Eastern Conference Finals in the NHL. Featuring the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning, sports fans are being spoiled by a league that usually puts its owners first. Here is a preview of the upcoming Eastern Conference Finals, set to start on Saturday May 14, 2011.

Heading into Saturday’s matchup at the TD Garden Center in Boston, MA, hockey handicappers are looking forward to a fast paced defensive minded series between two of the NHL best teams. On the one hand, the Boston Bruins have destroyed a lot of demons this playoffs, as they went through their two biggest obstacles, the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers in rounds one and two. Conversely, the Tampa Bay Lightning are seen as an underdog in these playoffs, despite having an All Star roster that has grossly underachieved for the better part of the last three seasons.

On paper, this series has all the makings of a seven game triple overtime affair. What’s more, both of these teams are ridiculously balanced, as all four lines on either side of the ice can be matched up against each other. From top to bottom, every player on both Boston and Tampa Bay can counter one another.

In all honesty, the only area of the lineup where we can see playing an advantage to one team over the other is in net. Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas looks to be as good as he was during the 2008 – 2009 seasons in which he won the Vezina Trophy. Meanwhile, Dwayne Roloson at 41 years old has been channeling his inner Marty Brodeur. However, against a deep and determined Boston Bruins squad, does Roloson have enough in the tank to carry the Lightning to a series victory?

While there have been more than enough arguments about how this is finally the year of the Washington Capitals in the Eastern conference, it seems as though a familiar logo might represent the Western conference once again in the 2011 Stanley Cup finals. After consecutive conference championships in 2008 and 2009, including a Stanley Cup banner in their first of the two appearances, the Detroit Red Wings were held back by injuries a year ago. Fast forward to 2011 and head coach Mike Babcock has his team competing for a championship once again. After becoming the first team to punch its ticket into the conference semi finals with the lone sweep of the opening round, the Red Wings are beginning to look like a team that can win it all, unlike the betting on MLB Tigers.

There were times in their series against the Phoenix Coyotes where Detroit simply dominated, controlling the puck for long periods of time in the offensive zone while almost completing shutting things down at their own end. The Red Wings are not yet at full health with the pending return of Henrik Zetterberg and Nicklas Kronwall still on the shelf, but veterans such as Johan Franzen and Pavel Datsyuk have stepped up to fill the void. Both Franzen and Datsyuk are known as players that take their game to another level in the postseason, and with the ageless wonder Nicklas Lidstrom continuing to lead a solid defense Detroit will need only consistent play from netminder Jimmy Howard to go all the way. Babcock has earned a reputation as one of the top coaches in the league, and as long as the Red Wings stay healthy they should be a sports bet favorite to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.

Sports betting fans of the NHL are beginning to take a look at the futures odds for the Stanley Cup finals in six months in June. From the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals historic winter classic on New Year’s Day to the Vancouver Canucks recent surge to the top of the standings, there is much to decide when betting on the Stanley Cup finalists. Here is an updated look at the Stanley Cup odds.

Despite winning the Stanley Cup this past June, the Chicago Blackhawks currently sit at 20 to one to win the Cup for a second year in a row. After
winning the Cup for the first time in almost a half century, the Blackhawks ran into financial difficulty and had to unload the majority of their championship winning squad. As a result, the new look Blackhawks have struggled thus far in the early portion of the season. The goaltending is not as good as it was a season ago, and many speculate if the 20 to one odds are a little generous.

Meanwhile in the Eastern Conference, last year’s runner up to the Blackhawks for Lord Stanley’s mug, the Philadelphia Flyers, are a six to one favorite to once again make it back to the final. The Flyers were able to stay intact after last season and have once again dominated the NHL. Philadelphia only made one move so far this season, and that was to release Stanley Cup hero Michael Leighton, in favor of the duo of Brian Boucher and Sergei Bobrovsky. The latter of the two goalies is young enough that the Flyers could build the team around him for years to come.

Although the Flyers hold a six to one odd of winning the Stanley Cup, they are once again out down by state rival the Pittsburgh Penguins. This year,
the Penguins opened up as a three to one favorite to make it back to the Stanley Cup finals. With Sidney Crosby’s recent 25 game point streak coming to an end, the Penguins appear to be the best team in the entire NHL.

Oops! They Did It Again – Montreal Wins

First it was the President’s Trophy winners. Now, they knock out the Stanley Cup champions. What are the Canadiens drinking? Someone obviously forgot to tell them that they were supposed to lose in the first round in five games. Those betting on the Canadiens in the first two rounds made a killing.

Now, the Canadiens will face either Boston or Philadelphia in the conference finals. Both teams are grittier, but less talented than the two opponents that Montreal has knocked out. Overcoming the physical play in the next round will not be easy for the smaller Canadiens, but if they can do it, they will be on their way to the Stanley Cup finals. What a story.

Lucky Number Seven

There is a chance for history to be made on Friday. The Philadelphia Flyers can become only the third NHL team in history to overcome a three game deficit in the playoffs to win the series. This will be a highly unlikely comeback in a series that looked like it will end with a sweep. Boston is the NHL online betting favorite going into the game, but so were the Penguins. The truth is, anything can happen in a game seven. The fate of the entire season rests on a 60 minute or so performance and some luck. This is not a game to miss.

International Tournament Injuries And The NHL

Steven Stamkos may have suffered a concussion at the IIHF World Hockey Championship tournament. This, once again, brings us back to international competitions and NHL contracts discussion. As has been debated numerous times, the NHL feels that allowing players to participate in international competitions raises their chances of getting injured in games that are not part of their multi-million dollar contracts. Even with injury insurance, the NHL team risks losing a leading star player for the duration of the injury. The IIHF tournament is less of a problem because it takes place at the end of the NHL season, where only players of knocked out teams will participate. However, the Olympic tournament is the real concern, where a major injury can sideline a star player for the remainder of the season. It is still a while to the next winter Olympics, but the debate will continue.