Posted on
3/7/2008 3:14:19 PM
NHL Hockey Betting - Hawks Seeking Playoff Berth
By BetUS Staff
The Chicago Blackhawks seemed to have little chance of making the playoffs a few weeks ago, but anyone doing some NHL betting on (or against) the team since then would have noticed a reversal of fortunes. Now the playoffs aren’t out of the question.
Chicago got back on track in the middle of February with consecutive wins over the Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators; the Blackhawks scored a combined 13 goals in those contests. Including those games the Hawks have now gone 9-3 over their past dozen outings, losing only to the Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, and Anaheim Ducks.
And the Hawks got some revenge on the Ducks on Wednesday night, beating them 3-0 at the United Center. Dustin Byfuglien, Cam Barker, and Patrick Sharp scored for Chicago in that contest, while rookie Patrick Kane collected two assists. Freshman netminder Corey Crawford earned the shutout, stopping all 19 Anaheim shots on goal.
Crawford was playing in relief of a resting Patrick Lalime, who has been playing in relief of usual starting netminder Nikolai Khabibulin. Back spasms have kept Khabibulin on the bench since February 20, and he’s not expected to return to the ice until next week.
That should keep Lalime and Crawford as the team’s tandem through the weekend, as they look to keep their playoff chances alive. Chicago’s next game comes on Friday night, when they play host to the San Jose Sharks. The Blackhawks will then take Saturday off before returning to action Sunday for a game against the Edmonton Oilers.
There are four other contests on the NHL’s schedule for Friday night, including the Oilers playing a road game against the Blue Jackets. Columbus has only won one of their past four games, and they’ve slipped behind the Hawks in the Western Conference standings. The Jackets fell 4-3 in overtime to the Oilers when they played last Sunday.
Also on tap for Friday night are Tampa Bay at New Jersey and Nashville at Calgary, while Ilya Kovalchuk and his Atlanta Thrashers will get a visit from the Minnesota Wild.
Saturday’s action begins at 1:00pm ET, with the Boston Bruins hosting the Washington Capitals. These two teams just met on Monday night – and it was an ugly outing for the Bruins. Alexander Ovechkin scored three goals and picked up two assists to lead the Caps to a 10-2 romp on that night. Matt Bradley and Brooks Laich had two goals apiece.
Other Saturday matchups include Dallas at Colorado, Montreal at Los Angeles, New Jersey at Toronto, the New York Islanders at Philadelphia, Buffalo at Carolina, Atlanta at Florida, and St. Louis at Vancouver. As well, the Ottawa Senators will continue their western swing with a game in Phoenix against a Coyotes team striving for the playoffs.
Sunday’s most intriguing contest takes place in the afternoon, with the Capitals playing host to the Penguins. Sidney Crosby has now returned from injury for Pittsburgh, and he’ll be looking to team up with Evgeni Malkin to outscore Ovechkin and company. Crosby’s lengthy absence has knocked him out of the race for the Art Ross Trophy this year, but a strong finish to the regular season could help his teammate get that award.
Other games on Sunday include Boston at the New York Rangers, Nashville at Detroit, Tampa Bay at Columbus, San Jose at Minnesota, and Colorado at Dallas. As well, the Montreal Canadiens will head to SoCal for a date with the Anaheim Ducks to finish off the weekend. Check the BetUS.com NHL lines section for all the latest odds and totals.
Score big with online sports betting in the BetUS.com sportsbook, where you’ll find NHL odds and lines for every NHL hockey game of the year. If you like to bet on NHL hockey, you’ll love the NHL player and game props in our online sportsbook. Join BetUS today!