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posted April 24, 2008 at 16:53 in NHL Articles

Colorado Avalanche (44-31-7) vs. Detroit Red Wings (54-21-7)

Thursday, April 24th --- Joe Louis Arena, Detroit --- 7:30pm

Series: Tied 0-0

NHL Betting Line: Detroit -200

If you keep your friends close and your enemies closer, Detroit couldn’t have asked for a more suitable matchup. Colorado and Detroit have a storied rivalry. Both teams boast a nice blend of age and youth, both have question marks in net, and there’s no way the Avalanche have forgotten their 2003 Western Conference loss to the Wings. Sakic, Forsberg, Hejduk and Foote were all part of that team that lost to Detroit. There’d be no sweeter revenge then toppling Detroit this season.

The line isn’t reflective of Colorado in the least. It’s more a representation of Detroit’s insane play at home. They are undefeated in the last five games at home, and are 6-1 SU in the last 7 games when playing at home against Colorado.

Detroit has the best blue-line in the playoffs. With Norris Trophy finalist, Niklas Lidstrom, leading a crop of veteran blue-liners, Detroit is going to be insanely tough to score on. They allowed only 2.24 goals against this season and proved against Nashville to be a wall that was tough to burst through.

Of course, if and when Colorado does get past the defense, Chris Osgood will be waiting for them. And he is not a legitimate starter. He may have a stingy 0.39 goals against average in the playoffs, but he only played in three games and only started one. He made 53 saves against a hapless Nashville team, and Colorado brings a much better scoring punch to the table.

From Forsberg to Statsny to Captain Joe to “Hey Duke!”, the Avalanche have proven scorers who can come up massive in the clutch. The Avs managed 2.4 goals per game against Minnesota, but the also logged a mistake prone 81 penalty minutes. If they continue to do that, they will dig themselves in a big hole.

The difference maker for Colorado stands between the pipes. Jose Theodore allowed 1.88 goals against in six games against Minnesota and has looked like the Vezina Trophy winner everyone thought was the next Patrick Roy. However, Jose has to prove that this season, and these playoffs, are not a fluke. And that is a tough test to pass when Detroit is starting you in the face.

Keep an eye on Niklas Kronwall, Detroit’s leading point-getter in the playoffs. He has five assists, most coming off the power-play. Look for an over zealous Colorado team to put itself in the box far too often, giving the Wings plenty of man-advantages where Kronwall shines.

The trick is not whether Jose can win Game 1, because they likely won’t. It’s if he can withstand the punishment that Babcock will dispense upon him with Pavel Datysuk and Henrik Zetterberg haunting him all game.

This may be the new NHL betting, but old rivalries still spark the hottest games. Bet on Detroit in the UNDER for Game 1 because of their strong play at home. Colorado has to prove it can cut down on its mistakes before we lobby for their case at BetUS.com.

NHL Betting Free Pick: Detroit -200 (UNDER)

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