posted May 23, 2008 at 12:24 EST in NHL Free Picks

Nicklas Lidstrom and the veteran-laden Detroit Red Wings have made it back to the Stanley Cup final, but in order to claim that championship they’re going to have to get past Sidney Crosby and the youthful Pittsburgh Penguins. So if you’re planning on doing some NHL sports betting on this series, who will you find pegged as the online betting Cup favorites?

That’d be Detroit, who the BetUS online sportsbook oddsmakers have listed at -165 to win this year’s Stanley Cup. The Penguins, on the other hand, find themselves entering the best-of-seven series as the +135 underdogs. The Red Wings will have home-ice advantage in this sports betting set, and Game 1 will be played in Detroit on Saturday night (puck drop is 8pm ET).

Lidstrom and company didn’t have much trouble with the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference final – at least not in the first part of that series. The Red Wings won Games 1 and 2 at home, and then put a stranglehold on the Stars with a 5-2 road win in Game 3. However, Dallas rebounded with wins in Games 4 and 5 to make things interesting. That was all the damage they could do though – Detroit closed out the series in Game 6.

The Penguins looked like they were going to sweep their third-round opponent as well, as they beat the Philadelphia Flyers in each of the first three games of the Eastern Conference final. However, Philly showed some life with a 4-2 win at home in Game 4, forcing the Pens to play a Game 5. Pittsburgh handily won that contest by a score of 6-0.

So what are the chances that either the Red Wings or the Penguins are able to successfully pull off a sweep in the Stanley Cup final? The BetUS oddsmakers think Detroit has a better shot at that feat – they’re pegged at +1000 odds to win the championship in just four games, while Pittsburgh is at +1500 odds on that prop wager.

The Red Wings are also listed at +600 odds to take the Cup in five games, +450 for six games, and +375 for seven games. The Penguins are sitting at +1000 odds to take the series in only five games, +400 to win in six games, and +425 for a seven-game victory.

Overall, the BetUS oddsmakers think that the Stanley Cup final will go either six or seven games – both of those series lengths are pegged at +200 odds on the props chart. A five-game series is sitting at +250 odds, with a sweep a longshot at +650 odds.

The Red Wings and Penguins will take Sunday off before meeting in Detroit once again for Game 2 on Monday night. The series then shifts to Pittsburgh for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Saturday. If required, Game 5 would be in Detroit next Monday, followed by Game 6 in Pittsburgh (Wednesday), and then Game 7 in Detroit (Saturday).

For Game 1 the Red Wings are sitting as -165 home favorites, with the Penguins +145 road underdogs. The total for the contest is listed at 5.5 goals. Check the BetUS NHL odds section for all of the latest betting lines and contest totals for the Stanley Cup final.

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!