posted July 17, 2008 at 16:31 in NHL Free Picks

The NHL Schedule for the 2008 – 2009 season has been released and, man, it’s going to be a long, strange trip for online sportsbook hockey betting fans interested in the NHL!

There are games being played from October 4th thru April 12th. That’s a lot of sports wagering opportunities for a lot of NHL betting fans to make some money. So, it’s important to pay attention to some of the key games in the first week of the season.

Why? Because if us NHL online wagering fans can get a head start on one of the longest betting seasons in the world, then we could maybe, just maybe, carry the good times all the way to the day when the 2008 – 2009 NHL Champion is crowned!

Let’s take a look at a few of those first week key games!

NHL First Week Key Games

Penguins vs. Senators - - Oct. 4th and Oct. 5th 2008 - - Mr. Crosby and the Penguins pretty much open the 2008 – 2009 NHL Season against the Ottawa Senators in Stockholm. There’s nothing to dislike about Crosby and the Penguins this season. They have to be considered the favorites to win the Cup only because the Red Wings probably won’t play with the same sort of fire this season that they played with in the 2007 – 2008 season. In any case, hockey’s most popular player will be on an international stage to open the season.

Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings - -Oct. 9th 2008 - - Everything must start with the champs, right? The Red Wings won the 2007 – 2008 Stanley Cup by playing excellent defense and running other teams into the ground. Could they repeat? Maybe. I’m more interested to see the BetUS online sportsbook betting odds for this game. I mean, how much of a favorite are the Red Wings going to be early on in the NHL Season?

Bruins vs. Avalance - - Oct. 9th 2008 - - The Avalanche could be contenders which means this game is key. What sort of tone is going to be set in Colorado this season? The Avalanche have been historical contenders for the Cup for years. It’s about time that Colorado got things going again, right?

Ducks vs. Sharks - - Oct. 9th 2008 - - This is a game between two teams with eyes on the Stanley Cup this season. Will anything happen in this first game to clue us in as to how either team will ultimately do? I believe that that Ducks bounce back and the Sharks - - well, the Sharks could turn things around on the Red Wings.

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