posted February 28, 2009 at 13:00 EST in NHL Articles
NHL Saturday - Western Conference Race Heats Up
by BetUS Staff
The race for the final playoff spots in the Western Conference gets the spotlight treatment on the NHL betting schedule Saturday as Anaheim takes on Dallas and Minnesota faces Edmonton.
The NHL the Ducks, Stars, Wild, and Oilers were in a tight battle for the final two playoff spots in the West with all four teams sitting just a few points out. All four teams also have their sights on Columbus, who are anything but safe with 66 points in sixth place. In other words, who’s in and who’s out in the West will most likely come down to the final day of the regular season.
That being said, Saturday’s two matchups mean even more in the fight for the postseason. Minnesota heads to Edmonton on Saturday after taking on Los Angeles on Friday. The Oilers had Friday night off after battling Columbus on Thursday. This is the fourth time this season the Wild and Oilers will meet up. They last clashed in early February in Minnesota when the Wild pulled out a 3-2 shootout win as a -200 favorite on the NHL odds. In previous matchups the Oilers defeated Minnesota 3-1 in Edmonton and the Wild crushed the Oilers 5-1 in Minnesota. The home team has won all three matchups, which would benefit Edmonton on Saturday night if that trend continues.
The Ducks visit Dallas on Saturday night after taking on the Bruins on Thursday, while the Stars are coming off a Thursday night game against St. Louis. This is also the fourth time the Ducks and Stars will clash this season. Their last matchup was back in December in Dallas, where the Stars recorded a 4-3 overtime win and Mike Modano scored the game-winning goal. Anaheim earned their lone win against Dallas with a 2-1 win in November, while Dallas won the first matchup of the season earlier in the month 5-2 behind a Mark Parrish hat trick.
Anaheim will likely have defenseman Ryan Whitney in their lineup for the first time on Saturday night, and they need every point they can get right now with fewer games remaining on their schedule than the Stars, Oilers, and Wild.
