Hockey Betting Odds: Red Wings And Bruins Big Favorites

The first round of the NHL playoffs always provides fans with drama. This year, the drama unfolded in several different series', led by the Anaheim Ducks upset of top seeded San Jose.

The NHL is unlike other sports in their playoff structure. After each round, the brackets are reformed based on the seedings. That means that Anaheim must pull off another huge upset if they want to reach the conference finals.

The Detroit Red Wings are the Ducks next opponent, and they do not appear willing to allow Anaheim to simply cruise to the next round. Detroit did not lose a first round game, and are a 2-1 favorite in game one of their series with the Ducks.

In the other Western Conference semi-final, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Vancouver Canucks will face off. Game one will be played in Vancouver, and the Canucks are a minimal favorite in that series.

Over in the Eastern Conference, two game sevens in the first round led to different results for the favored teams. The Washington Capitals overcame a 3-1 series deficit to beat the Rangers in game seven and advance. New Jersey, however, was upset at home by Carolina in their game seven.

Washington moves on to play Pittsburgh. This series will feature two of the top players in the NHL, and should be a physical match up. Washington is favored as the number two seed in the conference.

The final series involves the Hurricanes and the Boston Bruins. Boston is trying to feed off of the success of other city teams in the past year. The Celtics are the defending NBA champions, and the Red Sox played in the AL Championship series. The Bruins are a big favorite in this series.

April 30, 2009
Posted By Vincent Tapoglia III
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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