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Written by Docs - T.O. Whenham
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Wednesday, 19 November 2008 |
 We're settling into the slow, steady rhythms of the middle of the NHL hockey season when nothing happens too quickly. This is when we start to learn which teams are here to stay, and which ones are just killing time until golf season starts. To an outsider that may all sound a bit dull, but to NHL hockey fans this is heaven. It's also pretty exciting when there are owners like Oren Koules in Tampa Bay that are committed to doing the ridiculous and bizarre. This week, let's take a look at how things are going in Tampa and Pittsburgh.
The Barry Melrose Era
This is one of the stranger stories the NHL hockey has seen in a long time. After enjoying only moderate success as the coach of the L.A. Kings, Melrose spent 13 years as an analyst with ESPN. Neither his coaching record nor his insights made you think that this guy was a coaching genius. The Tampa Bay Lightning, though, decided that Melrose was the answer to all of their problems. It's not clear, though, that the Lightning were smart enough to know what their problems were. Part-owner Koules is a Hollywood producer who brought the world the Saw movies. Since taking over the team less than a year ago, his tenure has been marked by odd decisions and general chaos. The roster was completely overhauled in the offseason - 18 players on the roster weren't there in 2007. Ryan Malone was acquired, and his new contract redefined overpayment in the NHL. Guys like Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts were added even though they were old enough to remember when teams traveled by train. Steven Stamkos was drafted and put at the center of the team's marketing campaigns without concern for whether he was actually ready to join the team and contribute. The new ringmaster of this circus was Melrose.
Just 16 games later, Melrose was out on his ear. The team wasn't terrible - 5-7-4. More significantly, it didn't feel like they were particularly underachieving given their roster and the amount of change. Still, things were clearly not going well. It's probably not that surprising. Melrose was an old fashioned motivator - the scream and yell, hands-off type of coach. That worked okay in his first try at coaching (though not great - he was well below .500 in L.A.), but that doesn't fly anymore. Melrose Had a tough task - he had to quickly bring together a whole bunch of new players and get them to share a vision. From the outside, that wasn't going particularly smoothly. Inside, though, it must have been a disaster if this move was warranted.
There's another wrinkle. The new head coach is Rick Tocchet. Sports bettors will recognize him because he is one of us. Tocchet was suspended when he was an assistant with Phoenix for being intimately involved with an illegal bookie operation. Janet Gretzky, Wayne's wife, was famously one of his clients. Tocchet knows his hockey, but his past calls into question his ability to lead this team effectively. The first game under his leadership wasn't promising - Tampa opened up a two-goal lead, but then stalled, ultimately losing to Carolina in a shootout.
Melrose may have been a real problem with the team, but if so he was just one of many. It may be tempting to assume that getting rid of he coach will free this team to turn things around. After all, that's what happened in Chicago earlier this year. The difference, though, is that Chicago was a pretty solid team. Tampa Bay really isn't, and I'm not convinced that Scotty Bowman in his prime could fix this mess quickly. The man behind the bench may be different, but I don't trust them any more.
Penguins Impressing
Pittsburgh subtracted a lot more than they added in the offseason, and it seemed like they could be destined for a step backwards after their Stanley Cup appearance last year. Their scoring ranks had been depleted, and defense was a real question. So far, though, the team is exceeding expectations. On Tuesday they came back from a 5-2 third period deficit to beat Detroit, the team that crushed them in the Stanley Cup final last year. That win was one of six straight. That streak has given them the second best point total in the East.
Despite the record, and the fact that they are clearly a public team, there is a very good chance that this team will continue to provide solid value. They have succeeded despite a relatively slow start or Sidney Crosby. He is still averaging more than a point a game, but he hasn't looked like the freak that we know he is. We can be reasonably certain that he is going to find his stride and get hot as he finds a line combination he is comfortable with. That may already be happening - he has six points in the last three games. When Crosby heats up, the team will follow suit.
The defense is also exceeding expectations. They are giving up too many shots, but their goals-against is in the top half of the league - a pleasant surprise. The best part, though, is that the defense is only going to get better. The team traded Darryl Sydor, defensive dead-weight at this point in his career, to Dallas for Philippe Boucher. That's an upgrade. The Pens are also going to get two boosts as the season advances. Sergei Gonchar is out with a shoulder injury, and Ryan Whitney had a foot problem. Both should be back by December. At the very least, Pittsburgh should continue to be defensively adequate. That should help to make them worth a bet.
| NHL Overall Stats | | +64.47 units | | +80.59% | | +81.29% | | 3-0-0 | | 100% | | 0-0-0 | | 3-0-0 | | 0-0-0 | | 26.67 units | | |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 19 November 2008 )
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Written by Kosmo Philyako
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Thursday, 05 June 2008 |
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 Detroit Red Wings Win the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in eleven NHL seasons. The young Pittsburgh Penguins failed to overcome the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday by 1 goal, losing the Stanley Cup to the Detroit Red Wings.
The Stanley Cup final was a battle between the young and up-and-coming Pittsburgh Penguins, led by Henrik Zetterberg, Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury against a veteran-laden Red Wings outfit starring Nick Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk and Crosby. "I've been over here for a long time and I watched Steve Yzerman hoist it for three times in the past," the Swedish defenseman said. "I'm very proud of being the first European. I'm very proud of being a captain of the Red Wings." The Red Wings completed a four-games-to-two victory in the best-of-seven National Hockey League championship series. From the left faceoff circle, Zetterberg unleashed a shot that hit the skate of Gonchar and trickled between the legs of Fleury. The Pittsburgh goaltender thought he had frozen the puck, but there was no whistle was blown. As the winnning shot layed in the crease, Fleury sat back, knocking it into the net. The final goal proved to be Zetterberg's fourth game-winner of the NHL playoffs. The victory for a Detroit team with European talent saw the Swedish Nicklas Lidstrom become the first European-born and trained NHL player to captain a Stanley Cup winning team . Congratulations to the Detroit Red Wings, Winners of the 2008 Stanley Cup!
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 05 June 2008 )
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Written by John Evano
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Wednesday, 04 June 2008 |
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 Tonight game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals will shift back to Pittsburg. The Detroit Red Wings will face off against the Pittsburg Penguins again and a Stanley Cup Champion may be crown tonight. The Red Wings are going to have to play a game that they did not want to, in a city where they did not want to be. The Penguins are gaining new confidence each and every game and the Wings thought that they would be hoisting up the Stanley Cup by now. This is how the playoffs go.
The Wings are going to try to recover from a heartbreaking loss in game 5. They were up 3-2 with 30 seconds left, when Pittsburg scored a last second goal to send the game into overtime. The game went to a history breaking triple overtime, as the Penguins ended up winning the game 4-3 and cut the series deficit to 3-2. This proved that no lead is safe until the final horn blows and anything can happen in the playoffs. Detroit returns to Pittsburg tonight determined to finnaly win the cup. They don’t want to send it to a game 7 at home where anything can happen and there are no guarantees. They will have to come into tonight’s game fired up and ready to go. They need to put game 5 behind them and focus on the game at hand. They are going to need to use their experience. They have five players who can win their fourth Stanley Cup tonight and they hope their veteran squad can be the difference maker against the young Penguins. Currently Oddsmakers at Sportsbetting.com have the Penguins as +110 underdogs heading into tonight’s game. The Penguins are given new life and must feel like they can accomplish anything at this point. They have been excellent at home so far in these playoffs and will need another strong performance tonight if they are going to force this into a game 7. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will need to get the Penguins out to an early lead and then they can rely on their goaltending and defense to get the job done. View NHL Betting Odds at OnlineSportsHandicapping.com before you bet on the NHL at Sportsbetting.com |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 04 June 2008 )
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Written by John Evano
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Monday, 02 June 2008 |
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 Tonight the Stanley Cup Finals will head back to Joe Louis Arena. The Detroit Red Wings will play the Pittsburg Penguins in NHL Playoffs game 5. The Red Wings are out to a commanding 3-1 lead in the series and can win the Stanley Cup tonight with a victory at home. Last game, the Penguins lost a close match at home by a score of 2-1. They had a fair effort but it wasn’t good enough. There could very well be a Stanley Cup winner tonight if they Wings continue to play like they have been.
Tonight Detroit is going to get its first of three chances to win a fourth title in 11 seasons. They are led by goaltender Chris Osgood. Every since taking over for Dominik Hasek in the first round against the Nashville Predators he is 13-3 with a 1.45 goals against average. He has only allowed 4 goals against the Penguins in 4 games. If he continues to shine tonight it may be the end for the Penguins. Superstar Henrik Zetterberg has also been huge for Detroit in these playoffs. He is second in points in the playoffs with 23 and has a plus 16 rating. Not far behind in Pavel Datsyuk who has 20 points and a plus 13 rating. Currently Oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com have the Detroit Red Wings as -250 Stanley Cup odds favorites heading into tonight’s NHL game. The Penguins are going to need all of their players to play hard tonight. Especially, Evgeni Malkin, who has been held scoreless by Detroit after having 19 points in 14 playoff games. He also had 106 points during the regular season and was second to only Alexander Ovechkin. Pittsburg needs him now more then ever to snap out of this slump or it will spell an end to their magical Stanley Cup run. View Stanley Cup Betting Odds at OnlineSportsHandicapping.com before you bet on the NHL at Sportsbook.com Want more 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Betting Odds and Sports Handicapping News on your mobile device?
Simply visit OnlineSportsHandicapping.com and view formatted 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Odds and other sports betting news specifically for your mobile device.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 02 June 2008 )
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Written by John Evano
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Saturday, 31 May 2008 |
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 Tonight game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals will take place. The Detroit Red Wings will face the Pittsburg Penguins on their home ice again. This is a very critical game in the series for both teams as a lot is on stake in this game. Both the Wings and Penguins are going to come out hungry. A Wings win will put them up 3-1 heading back to Detroit for a potential Stanley Cup Win at home. A Penguins win will tie up the series up at 2 games a piece and will set up a best of 3 series. Tonight’s game is very important as it will be the turning point of the series.
The Penguins find themselves in a similar situation to game 3. It is another must win for them tonight. Pittsburg looks forward to the challenge and coach Michel Therrien liked the way his teamed performed last game. Good athletes like challenges and this is when they are at their best. They can bring their games to new levels and shine. In game 3 Pittsburgh’s leader and superstar, Sidney Crosby led the way with 2 goals. He is going to have to lead his team to another victory tonight and get on the scoreboard early. Currently Oddsmakers at Sportbetting.com have the Penguins as -115 favorites heading into tonight’s game. The Detroit Red Wings will look to make a few adjustments for today’s match up. They will need to tighten up on defense as they had done in both games 1 and 2, when they shut out the Penguins both times. Chris Osgood is also going to have to step up his game in net. He holds a record of 6-1 in the Stanley Cup Finals and last game was his only loss. Detroit is also going to need its snipers to show up tonight. Johan Franzen had a goal last game and still leads the entire NHL is playoffs goals. He will need the support of Davel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg tonight if the Wings want to be successful. |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 31 May 2008 )
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