posted April 17, 2008 at 17:51 EST in NHL Free Picks

Anaheim Ducks (47-27-8) vs. Dallas Stars (45-30-7)

Thursday, April 17th --- American Airlines Center, Dallas --- 8:00pm EST

Series Record: Dal 2-1

NHL Betting Line: Dallas -130

Think the Ducks are still out of it? Anaheim finally showed up to play, trouncing the Stars in a 4-2 victory that had the Stars spinning. And now that Chris Pronger has his mojo back, the Stars are in big, big trouble. Pronger is at his best on the power-play, and he notched two goals with the man-advantage on Tuesday. And then the Ducks did what they do best as a team – squat on leads.

I spoke extensively of the Ducks roster issues with Perry injured and McDonald and Penner playing elsewhere, so now it’s up to the stars of Anaheim to pick up the slack. That’s where the Twin Towers come in. Pronger will combine with Niedermeyer to shut down the Stars, who are not the same team they were last year. They can score, but now that the Ducks have momentum, the Stars are in trouble. Nobody plays better with momentum on their side than the Ducks.

Even as underdogs tonight, I love Anaheim against the Stars. Dallas needs to respond and will have the home advantage, but they lack the true scoring talent to hang with Anaheim overall. Getzlaf, Pronger and Teemu are all picking up steam, and J.S. Giguere is looking strong behind a formidable blue-line. It’s only a matter of time before Todd Bertuzzi starts giving Dallas fits in the crease.

Bet safely in the UNDER as Dallas tries to slow the game down, cut down on their mistakes and frustrate Anaheim. If that’s their gameplan, however, Anaheim is a safe underdog bet because nobody is more prepared to prove doubters wrong than the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

NHL Free Picks: Anaheim +110 (UNDER)

Calgary Flames (42-30-10) vs. San Jose Sharks (49-23-10)

Thursday, April 17th --- HP Pavilion, San Jose --- 10:00pm EST

Series Record: Tied 2-2

NHL Betting Line: San Jose -200

Two quick things about this game – when a playoff game is begged at -200 or above for the favorite, it’s a lock that the other team is out of their league. And when the Sharks held Calgary to 10 shots in game four – which is absolutely ridiculous – you couldn’t count how many betting investors were jumping off the Calgary bandwagon.

San Jose is an incredibly strong home team, and are 19-6 SU in their last 25 home stands. Bet safely and happily on the Sharks tonight as they douse the Flames in the Shark Tank.

NHL Free Picks: San Jose -200 (UNDER)

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