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Manne wrote:

The Montreal Canadiens finished in sixth-place in the Eastern Conference last season, totaling 96 points but bowed out in the first round of the playoffs, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins. The Bodog Sportsbook has given the Habs 25/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup in the 2011-12 season.

The summer saw a host of changes to the roster, including the addition of offensive depth, which hurt the Canadiens last season. They were 12th in the conference in goals scored. They’ll need to find the twine a lot more than that this season to challenge for a playoff spot.

GM Pierre Gauthier brought in Erik Cole, Peter Budaj and Jeff Woywitka to replace some of the vacancies. Cole had 184 goals and 390 points in 620 career games with Carolina.

The defense is the problem area for Montreal. Andrei Markov is a top-defenseman in the NHL, and P.K. Subban emerged as one of the best young players overall last season, but beyond those two, the likes of Josh Gorges and Hal Gill need to be in top form. Any long-term injury can derail this team.

A big key to success to Montreal’s season is to stay out of the penalty box. They were seventh in the NHL last season, killing off 84.4 percent of their penalties, but recording over 300 penalties meant a lot of work for the special team lines and a lot fewer opportunities for the 5-on-5 lines.

Montreal isn’t the last Canadian team to challenge for a Stanley Cup, but they are the last Canadian team to win one. An Original Six team has also won three of the last four Stanley Cups – a mark broken up only by those pesky Pittsburgh Penguins – and the Canadiens look to continue that run.

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The first deal has just taken place.

Moving out to Philadelphia are defenseman Brent Burns and forward Mikko Koivu. Coming back are defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, forwards Kris Versteeg and Steve Bernier, along with the 28th overall pick in the upcoming draft.
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Another day, another contract offer. The Los Angeles Kings can’t seem to find a price worthy enough for a new contract for Drew Doughty, and training camp is right around the corner. The Kings will need Doughty on the roster as they hope to build on the success from last season.

As it stands, this year, the Kings’ Stanley Cup odds are set at 14/1.

Reports are surfacing that Doughty declined a contract worth $61.2 million over nine years – or $6.8 million a year. Teammate Anze Kopitar is making $6.8 million this season, and there’s little doubt that Doughty is more valuable to his team, so in theory, the Kings should have started negotiations with that kind of number.

Doughty’s offensive numbers are respectable for a blue-liner. In 239 career games, he has 33 goal and 126 points. But it’s the intangibles that make him a superstar. He can play at both sides of the ice and isn’t afraid to sacrifice his body. In his career, he has 294 hits and 177 blocked shots.

Doughty is one of several restricted free agent defensemen looking for big dollar contracts. Toronto’s Luke Schenn, Winnipeg’s Zach Bogosian and Boston’s Brad Marchand are all in talks with their respective teams, but it sounds as though everybody’s waiting to see what Doughty gets as that contract will set the market price for the rest.

It's something to considering when betting on the NHL this month.

Doughty is just 21-years-old, so some are thinking he’s not worth the multi-year, multi-digit contract he’s aiming for. He’s also not exactly endearing himself to the fans by holding out for more money. Doughty and the Kings need to settle this dispute so both sides can focus on the future; one that includes a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

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What kind of an impact can an aged hockey player with multiple injuries have on his team? The Philadelphia Flyers are hoping that it’s a good one. This upcoming season, Philadelphia has 11/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup.

Chris Pronger is skating again after having offseason back surgery. This is added to a slew of other injuries that limited Pronger to just 50 games in 2010-11 and three playoff games. Over the year he managed just four goals and 25 points, marking a significant decline in production for the Flyers’ defenseman.

The former All-Star and Hart Memorial Trophy winner will turn 37 shortly after the season begins and hopes to be back in games by then. His level of play and minutes he’ll see on the blue line are not yet known.

The Flyers reshaped much of their roster for the upcoming season. They rid themselves of both Mike Richards and Jeff Carter in favor of younger, cheaper players such as Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn, as well as several draft picks. Former Penguins center Maxime Talbot was also brought in on a five-year, $9 million deal.

They also acquired some experienced veterans in Jaromir Jagr and Andreas Lilja and signed former Coyotes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to a nine-year, $51.5 million contract, which will keep him employed until he’s 40.

All these changes by GM Paul Holmgren hopes these changes will make the Flyers even more of a force in the upcoming season. Last year, they finished first in a competitive Atlantic Division with 106 points, but were swept in the conference semifinals by Tampa Bay.

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The Blackhawks’ training camp begins this week, and it won’t feature forward Patrick Sharp, who had an emergency appendectomy Monday night. He’s expected to make a full recovery in three to four weeks.

This isn’t great new for Chicago, but it’s better that they took care of this now rather than let it affect Sharp during the season. He is expected to miss most of training camp, but he could be ready by the time the puck drops for Chicago’s season opener on Oct. 7 in Dallas. The Blackhawks have 12/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup.

Sharp was a force in the NHL last season. His 34 goals placed him eighth in the league in that category. 12 of his goals came on the power play and two were short-handed. He also had 37 assists. He added three more power play goals and two assists in Chicago’s only playoff series. That success prompted the Hawks to sign Sharp to a five-year, $29.5 million contract.

Sharp, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are expected to be the leaders of a team who clearly experienced the fabled “Stanley Cup hangover” last season. They’ll be backed by one of the best blue line combinations in the league in Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. Keith won the Norris Trophy in 2010 and will likely compete for it again.

New additions in Steve Montador, Dan Carcillo and Jamal Mayers will bring toughness to the roster. They’ll be asked to provide a level of protection for Sharp, at least until he fully recovers and resumes being the impact player he’s proven himself to be.

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The Vancouver Canucks are riding high on the Stanley Cup odds list at the Bodog Sportsbook heading into the season – but is that just setting up their supporters for another big letdown in this year's playoffs?

The Canucks, at 7/1 to finally win the title next spring, came within a game of finally vanquishing their playoff demons last season, losing the deciding Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final to the Boston Bruins at home.

And that was after a season in which the Canucks had a whopping 117 points to finish atop the league standings. Vancouver even managed to dispatch the Chicago Blackhawks, a past playoff nemesis, in the first round of the postseason last year.

Still, though, they'd couldn't finish the job, and blame as always fell on goaltender Roberto Luongo, who was pulled twice in the Cup final and gave up eight goals in another contest against the Bruins in that series.

Luongo is signed with the team long-term, but backup netminder Cory Schneider put up strong numbers last season and could push the veteran for playing time this year.

The Canucks also got weak efforts from Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin in the Cup final after the two combined for 198 points during the regular season. The brothers will be out for some redemption in the playoffs this year.

Vancouver didn't make many additions in the offseason, but they did lose defenseman Christian Ehrhoff as a free agent; Ehrhoff put up 14 goals and 50 points for the Canucks last season.

As well, Canucks forward Ryan Kesler had hip surgery in the summer and isn't expected to be ready for action until at least late October. Kesler tied Daniel Sedin for the team lead with 41 goals in 2010-11.

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As the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Boston Bruins have raised the bar of expectations for the 2011-12 NHL season. Unlike recent Cup winners, though, Boston’s chances of repeating actually look better than most have, and they certainly have a better shot this season than they did last.

The Bruins’ victorious roster remains largely intact heading into the new schedule, which gives them the added comfort of team chemistry that say, the Chicago Blackhawks couldn’t boast a couple of years ago. Boston has 10/1 Stanley Cup odds at the Bodog Sportsbook.

Tim Thomas continues to defy Father Time. He won all of the Stanley Cup, Vezina and Conn Smythe trophies last season at 37 years old. Hopefully he just keeps getting better with age.

The Bruins were known for their scoring prowess last season, especially at even strength. Milan Lucic’s 30 goals sparked that offensive outburst. He, David Krejci and Nathan Horton will combine to make one of the more formidable, yet probably underrated first lines in the league. Meanwhile, Tyler Seguin is set to put his newfound NHL experience to good use on the second line.

At the back end, Zdeno Chara bruised his left knee in practice on Monday, but that certainly won’t stop the Slovakian giant from being the most intimidating force in the league. He and Dennis Seidenberg will be just as scary a defensive pairing as the Krejci line up front.

Meanwhlie, new arrivals such as Joe Corvo and Benoit Pouliot will replace guys like Tomas Kaberle and Mark Recchi, and are some better depth replacements than most teams can boast from this past summer.

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Manne wrote:

As the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Boston Bruins have raised the bar of expectations for the 2011-12 NHL season. Unlike recent Cup winners, though, Boston’s chances of repeating actually look better than most have, and they certainly have a better shot this season than they did last.

The Bruins’ victorious roster remains largely intact heading into the new schedule, which gives them the added comfort of team chemistry that say, the Chicago Blackhawks couldn’t boast a couple of years ago. Boston has 10/1 Stanley Cup odds at the Bodog Sportsbook.

Tim Thomas continues to defy Father Time. He won all of the Stanley Cup, Vezina and Conn Smythe trophies last season at 37 years old. Hopefully he just keeps getting better with age.

The Bruins were known for their scoring prowess last season, especially at even strength. Milan Lucic’s 30 goals sparked that offensive outburst. He, David Krejci and Nathan Horton will combine to make one of the more formidable, yet probably underrated first lines in the league. Meanwhile, Tyler Seguin is set to put his newfound NHL experience to good use on the second line.

At the back end, Zdeno Chara bruised his left knee in practice on Monday, but that certainly won’t stop the Slovakian giant from being the most intimidating force in the league. He and Dennis Seidenberg will be just as scary a defensive pairing as the Krejci line up front.

Meanwhlie, new arrivals such as Joe Corvo and Benoit Pouliot will replace guys like Tomas Kaberle and Mark Recchi, and are some better depth replacements than most teams can boast from this past summer.

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2011 - NHL - Stanley Cup Champions, The Boston Bruins - Any Questions ?
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Manne wrote:

The Vancouver Canucks are riding high on the Stanley Cup odds list at the Bodog Sportsbook heading into the season – but is that just setting up their supporters for another big letdown in this year's playoffs?

The Canucks, at 7/1 to finally win the title next spring, came within a game of finally vanquishing their playoff demons last season, losing the deciding Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final to the Boston Bruins at home.

And that was after a season in which the Canucks had a whopping 117 points to finish atop the league standings. Vancouver even managed to dispatch the Chicago Blackhawks, a past playoff nemesis, in the first round of the postseason last year.

Still, though, they'd couldn't finish the job, and blame as always fell on goaltender Roberto Luongo, who was pulled twice in the Cup final and gave up eight goals in another contest against the Bruins in that series.

Luongo is signed with the team long-term, but backup netminder Cory Schneider put up strong numbers last season and could push the veteran for playing time this year.

The Canucks also got weak efforts from Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin in the Cup final after the two combined for 198 points during the regular season. The brothers will be out for some redemption in the playoffs this year.

Vancouver didn't make many additions in the offseason, but they did lose defenseman Christian Ehrhoff as a free agent; Ehrhoff put up 14 goals and 50 points for the Canucks last season.

As well, Canucks forward Ryan Kesler had hip surgery in the summer and isn't expected to be ready for action until at least late October. Kesler tied Daniel Sedin for the team lead with 41 goals in 2010-11.

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I'm sure the Canucks will be back but I wish Luongo wasn't going to be one of them.
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It's back to the drawing board for the San Jose Sharks this season in their quest to make it to the Stanley Cup Final. They're among the favorites on the Stanley Cup odds for this year at the Bodog Sportsbook, but they'll have new players to break in.

That's because the Sharks, at 11/1 to win the Cup this season, got bounced in five games by the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference Final last year and made some adjustments to their roster over the summer.

Gone are forwards Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi, who were shipped to the Minnesota Wild in separate trades for forward Martin Havlat and defenseman Brent Burns.

Heatley slumped to just 26 goals in 80 games for the Sharks last season after putting up 39 goals in the previous two campaigns. Setoguchi, a first-round pick of the team back in 2005, picked up just 22 goals and 41 points for the Sharks last year.

So San Jose is hoping for better totals from Havlat and Burns; Havlat scored 22 goals and had 62 points for the Wild in 2010-11, while Burns was good for 17 goals and 46 points from the blueline for Minnesota.

And the Sharks will also be looking for better totals from team leaders Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau this season, as the pair combined for just 143 points last year after putting up a total of 172 points the previous year. Thornton also managed to score just three goals in 18 playoff games for the Sharks last season.

Antti Niemi, who emerged as the team's starting netminder last year, returns to that role this season after putting up 35 wins and a 2.38 goals-against average in 2010-11. He'll be counted on to repeat that success as the Sharks try again to make a Cup run.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins got back half of their offensive superstars on Wednesday night when Evgeni Malkin made his return from a torn ACL he suffered on Feb. 5. Malkin helped his team take down the Detroit Red Wings in a 3-2 preseason victory.

The former scoring champion was as dominant as he ever was, scoring a goal and adding an assist against the Wings. The Penguins will need more of that this season as many think they’re one of the top contenders to win it all. Pittsburgh has 10/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup.

Of course, Pittsburgh is still without the face of the franchise, Sidney Crosby, who is still trying to come back from a concussion. Crosby is staking with the team in practice, but doctors have yet to clear him for contact, which he’ll need to be before he can even consider training at 100 percent efficiency as he hopes to return to game action.

Pretty much anything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Penguins last season, despite a fourth-place finish with 106 points in the east. The Pens dropped out of the playoffs after a first-round loss to Tampa Bay in seven games.

They’re looking to rebound this year as players return from injuries suffered by Crosby, Malkin and Jordan Staal. They’ll be playing for more than just a Stanley Cup this season. The Penguins have enough talent to win most of the league’s team and individual honors, not the least of which is the Bill Masterson Trophy, who could go to any of the team’s stars, including Crosby, should they have an incredible bounce-back year.

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Carey Price is the backbone of the Montreal Canadiens, but does the team have enough offense in front of him to make some noise in the Stanley Cup playoffs this season?

Price was the Canadiens' undisputed No. 1 goalie last season after the team shipped Jaroslav Halak off to the Blues, and he responded to the promotion by posting a 38-28-6 record with a 2.35 goals-against average and eight shutouts.

The skaters, though, didn't pull their weight in Montreal last season as Tomas Plekanec was the only one to top the 50-point mark (22 goals, 57 points).

Michael Cammalleri disappointed with just 19 goals and 47 points in his 67 games played last season, while Scott Gomez was a disaster with 38 points and a -15 rating in 80 games.

To add some punch to the lineup, then, the Habs signed Erik Cole as a free agent over the summer; Cole had 26 goals and 52 points for the Hurricanes in 2010/11 and bolsters a forward corps that also includes Andrei Kostitsyn, Max Pacioretty, and team captain Brian Gionta.

On the blueline, the team is hoping for a full, healthy season from Andrei Markov, who was limited to just seven games last year. Markov had 34 points in 45 games in the previous season, and 64 points in his last full campaign back in 2008/09.

P.K. Subban led the Canadiens' defensemen with 38 points in his 77 games last season, and should pair with Markov on a potent power play in 2011/12.

Losing in the first round to the eventual-champion Bruins in the playoffs last season, the Habs are set at 14/1 on the NHL odds board at the Bodog Sportsbook to win the Eastern Conference this time around. As well, they're at 25/1 on the Stanley Cup odds.

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The Atlanta Thrashers finished 34-36-12 and 13 points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference last season. Can the club be more competitive this season against the NHL betting lines as they embark on their first campaign back as the Winnipeg Jets?

The Jets had a busy offseason logistically – with the new logo and sweater and the season ticket campaign – but they didn't actually do too much with their roster beyond picking up winger (and Manitoba native) Eric Fehr from the Capitals.

Fehr, though, had just 20 points in 52 games with Washington last season, so forward Andrew Ladd and defensemen Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom should once again be the team's leaders on offense.

Ladd put up 29 goals and 59 points for the Thrashers last season, leading the team in both categories. The only other member of the club to hit the 20-goal mark was blueliner Byfuglien (20 goals, 53 points), who faded a bit after a fast start and ran into some legal troubles in the offseason. Enstrom put up 10 goals and 51 points.

So the Jets are going to need bigger contributions from their cast of supporting forwards this time around if they're going to compete for a playoff berth in what will likely be their only season in the Eastern Conference.

That means a step forward from the likes of Evander Kane, Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler, and Alex Burmistrov and a better effort from veteran Nikolai Antropov, who was held to just 16 goals and 41 points in 2010-11.

The Jets are also hoping that Ondrej Pavelec can develop into a top NHL goaltender after going 21-23-9 with a 2.73 goals-against average and .910 save percentage last season. He'll again see most of the starts ahead of backup Chris Mason.

At the Bodog Sportsbook the Jets are set at 35/1 on the NHL odds to win the Eastern Conference this season, and they're longshots at 60/1 on the Stanley Cup odds board.

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We are little more than a week away from the start of the 2011-12 National Hockey League season, which fittingly will begin when the Boston Bruins raise their Stanley Cup championship banner in Boston on the night of Thursday, Oct. 6. And as always, Bodog, the Web’s No. 1 home for NHL betting, has hockey season covered with the best team and player odds and props: They take the ice but you take the shots at the Web’s gaming leader!

Can the Bruins repeat as Cup champions? No team has done so since the Detroit Red Wings in 1998. Can the Vancouver Canucks, who came up just one game short of their first title, return Lord Stanley’s Cup to Canada for that country’s first title since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993?

How about Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals? They have been dominant in the regular season the past few years but always seem to choke come playoff time. Is this the year Ovechkin gets the proverbial monkey off his back? And what about the face of hockey, Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby? Can Sid the Kid even play this season after missing the second half of last year with a concussion? Being ready for the Oct. 6 opener is a long shot, but Crosby is confident he will be on the ice sooner rather to try and lead the Pens to another Cup.

Those are just a few of many terrific storylines heading into the 2011-12 season.

Bodog will offer several live betting options during the season, and you can even “take your shot” on various mobile devices. And the Web’s gaming leader will have several hockey promotions during the season so stay tuned! If you don’t have a Bodog account yet, now is the time to sign up because you will get a 10 percent instant deposit bonus for joining.

So if you are a hockey nut, now is the time to visit Bodog. They take the ice … you take the shots!
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If line depth was created by a sheer number of players alone, then the Montreal Canadiens are drowning in defensemen. The Habs signed Chris Campoli to a one-year, $1.75 million contract on Monday.

Campoli joins the likes of Andrei Markov, Josh Gorges, Hal Gill, P.K. Subban and a host of others on the blue line, but how the lines shape up depends largely on Markov’s ailing right knee. The Canadiens have 25/1 Stanley Cup odds at the Bodog Sportsbook. They’ll be chasing the Boston Bruins for dominance in the weak Northeast Division.

Campoli split time with Ottawa and Chicago last season. In 77 games, he scored a goal and added six helpers, but his role will be more as a shut down guy while his partner takes a transitional role.

Offensively, the Canadiens look just as deep as the defensemen. Tomas Plekanec, Mike Cammalleri and Erik Cole will likely make up the front line, while Scott Gomez, Max Pacioretty and Brian Gionta will make up the rest of the top-six, but beyond that, almost a dozen other guys are competing for seven jobs.

The biggest question in Montreal comes in net, where Carey Price, who was far and away the number one goalie last season having played in 72 games, may see some more rest this season with the addition of Peter Budaj, who signed a two-year, $2.3 million contract. Budaj is far from a first-string goaltender, but he’s definitely an upgrade over Alex Auld.

Can the Canadiens make the Northeast Division more than just a one-team race, or will they remain with the likes of the Leafs and Senators as favorites to miss the playoffs?

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Two steps forward, one step back. That’s the motto for the Chicago Blackhawks, who are suffering more than their fair share of preseason injuries. Chicago will close the preseason schedule with a game in Washington on Sunday, and that day couldn’t come sooner for the ailing Blackhawks, who have 12/1 Stanley Cup odds at the Bodog Sportsbook.

In a game against the Detroit Red Wings, forwards Ben Smith and Viktor Stalberg experienced separate collisions. Smith took a hit from Brendan Smith, which Chicago coach Joe Queneville called “dirty,” but is expected to be okay. He’s listed day to day. Earlier, Stalberg collided with Justin Abdelkader, which Queneville also thought was suspicious, but wouldn’t elaborate.

Meanwhile, star forward Patrick Sharp is recovering from an appendectomy just fine and continues to practice with the team. His status for the start of the season is still up in the air.

The Blackhawks have one of the most fearsome cores of players in Sharp, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, who, as a unit, are among the best in the league. Behind them are Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, who may not let a single puck slip past any goal lines on their watch.

The biggest question – if not a reason to get excited – is the goaltending. Corey Crawford had an outstanding rookie season, going 33-18-6 with four shutouts. He had a .917 save percentage and 2.30 goals-against average as well.

Will Crawford be able to handle the sophomore pressure? Can the Blackhawks heal in time for the regular season?

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It has already been a good year for Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber. Back in August, the 26-year-old blue liner won an NHL record $7.5 million arbitration award. But now he has a lot to live up to as the award gave Weber the highest cap hit for a defenseman in the NHL. Could Weber win his first Norris Trophy this season as the NHL’s top defenseman? He opened as the 4/1 favorite on Bodog’s NHL player props.

If you were starting a team from scratch, most clubs would take Weber first over any other defenseman in the NHL. Last season, Weber matched his 16 goals from 2009-10 and had a career-high 48 points. He appeared in all 82 regular-season games and played the third most minutes in the NHL. Weber was one of three finalists for the Norris last year along with Boston’s Zdeno Chara and Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom. Weber is playing for another big contract because he'll be a restricted free agent again next summer if he doesn't sign a long-term deal.

Lidstrom is the defending Norris Trophy winner, taking home his seventh last season (one shy of Bobby Orr’s record). It wasn’t a sure thing he would return for a 20th season, but the Swede wasn’t ready to hang up the skates quite yet. In one of the most productive seasons of his career, at age 40, he had 62 points (16 goals, 46 assists) and led the Red Wings in ice time, averaging 23 minutes, 28 seconds per game. Lidstrom is the third favorite to win it again this year at 13/2.

The hulking Chara won the award in 2009 and was a finalist last year for the third time in the past four seasons. The Bruins captain led the league with a plus-33 rating and recorded 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists) in leading Boston to the Stanley Cup. Chara is right behind Weber on Bodog’s NHL odds at 9/2 to win his second Norris.

The longest shots on the board are the New York Islanders’ Mark Streit and Winnipeg’s Tobias Enstrom at 35/1.

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The Chicago Blackhawks were expected to take a bit of a step back last season after winning their first Cup in nearly 50 years. That’s because Chicago was right up on the salary cap and thus had to trade or let walk several key contributors to the 2009-10 Cup champs. But certainly the Hawks didn’t expect to have to squeak into the playoffs last season on the season’s final day. And once there, Chicago was knocked out in seven games in the first round by eventual West champ Vancouver.

This offseason, the Hawks added more grit with additional cap flexibility and many believe they will be back among the NHL’s elite. Chicago’s over/under points total for the regular season on Bodog’s NHL futures odds is 104.5. The Hawks are slight favorites ahead of Detroit to win the Central Division and 12/1 to win the Stanley Cup.

The one big positive from last year was Chicago found its No. 1 goalie in Corey Crawford. He was brilliant in the playoff series loss to Vancouver with a 2.20 goals-against average and went 33-18-6 with a 2.30 GAA and four shutouts in 57 regular-season games. He got a new contract in the offseason and is the clear starter now.

Chicago still has some of the best forward depth in the league in guys like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa and newcomer Andrew Brunette. To protect those guys, Chicago added Steve Montador, Jamal Mayers, Dan Carcillo and Sean O'Donnell, who all have a history of dropping the gloves. The Hawks feel like they got pushed around some last year, so it shouldn’t happen again.

On defense, the Hawks traded overpriced Brian Campbell to the Panthers but still have one of the top blueline pairings in the NHL in Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.

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Ith the uncertain status of Pittsburgh Penguins superstar and face of the NHL Sidney Crosby on the eve of the 2011-12 season, it’s hard to argue with Bodog listing the league’s other top star, Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin, as the favorite to win the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP this season. Ovie is at 4/1 on Bodog's NHL player props to win his third career Hart Trophy.

Crosby is still working his way back from a concussion that ended his season after 41 games last year. He has been practicing all of camp with the Pens but still isn’t allowed any contact. He is with the team as it travels to Vancouver for the start of a three-game season-opening trip through Western Canada but won’t be on the ice. Because no one knows when he might return, Crosby, the 2007 Hart winner, is 13/2 to win it this year.

Ovechkin, the 2008 and 2009 Hart winner, had what for him was a down season last year, with 32 goals and 53 assists for 85 points. Ovechkin was 33 goals short of his career high and 14 goals short of his career low and also finished seven points behind his previous career low. All those lows came in the 2006-07 season, and then the Russian put together three straight 50-goal seasons and at least 109 points in each.

Anaheim’s Corey Perry came somewhat from out of nowhere last year to win his first Hart Trophy. Perry, who played in all 82 games, was the only 50-goal scorer in the NHL last year and had 48 assists and a plus-9 rating. He also led the NHL with 11 game-winning scores. Perry is down the list this year to repeat, however, at 25/1.

The second favorite behind Ovechkin is young Steven Stamkos of Tampa Bay at 11/2. Two seasons ago, Stamkos tied for the NHL lead with 51 goals and last year had 45 goals and 46 assists. Before the All-Star break last year, Stamkos was lighting it up with38 goals and 67 points in 51 games. He slowed down in the season’s final 31 games. If he had kept his first-half pace up, he would have scored 60-plus goals and led the league in scoring – no doubt winning his first Hart Trophy.

The longest shot on the board this season at 40/1 is San Jose’s Joe Thornton at 40/1. There are no individual goaltenders or defensemen on this prop but you can bet the field for either position. Goalies are 11/2 and defensemen 30/1.

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Even though the Boston Bruins’ Tim Thomas is right now the unquestioned king of the world when it comes to NHL goaltenders, he is not the opening favorite to win his second consecutive Vezina Trophy this year. Buffalo’s Ryan Miller is at the top on Bodog’s NHL player props at 5/1 to be named the league’s top goalie as voted on by the NHL’s general managers.

Thomas had a storybook season in 2010-11, winning his second Vezina in the past three seasons and of course leading Boston to its first Stanley Cup title since 1972 – Thomas also won the Conn Smythe Award as playoff MVP but those numbers aren’t taken into account for the Vezina. During the regular season, Thomas’.938 save percentage was the best since the league started tracking that statistic in 1976-77. He also had the NHL’s best goals-against average at 2.00. It’s now humorous that Thomas didn’t even start last season as the clear-cut starter on the Bruins. He is the second favorite on Bodog to win the Vezina this year at 7/1.

Miller won the award in 2009-10 but took a step back last season. His 34 wins were seven fewer than his Vezina season, and his 2.59 goals-against average and .916 save percentage were his worst numbers in three seasons. Not only that, but that GAA was only 23rd in the league.

Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo was a Vezina finalist last year, posting a 38-15-7 record and helping the Canucks reach a franchise-best 54-19-9 record and the Presidents' Trophy. But Luongo was bested by Thomas in the Cup Finals and Luongo was very shaky at times in the series. Will there be a playoff hangover? He is the third favorite to win his first Vezina at 15/2.

The Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist is next at 8/1. King Henrik had arguably had his best season in 2010-11, going 36-27-5 with a 2.28 goals-against average, 11 shutouts and a .923 save percentage. He was a big reason the Rangers won all 29 games in which they led after two periods.

Montreal’s Carey Price is next at 9/1 and last year’s third Vezina finalist, Nashville’s Pekka Rinne, is at 10/1 to win the award this season.

Hockey season is about here: Bet on NHL futures now at the Web’s gaming leader! Bodog Sportsbook
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The Boston Bruins will begin the defense of their Stanley Cup championship and get the 2011-12 NHL betting campaign underway at the Bodog Sportsbook on Thursday night when they play host to the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Bruins swept the Flyers in the second round of the playoffs last season en route to their Cup title, so Philly will be looking to get a bit of revenge in Thursday night's opener.

To do that, though, the Flyers will have to navigate a Boston defense anchored by Zdeno Chara and backstopped by Tim Thomas, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner as the league's top goaltender.

The Bruins didn't make many changes to their championship roster over the summer, basically swapping out defenseman Tomas Kaberle and winger Michael Ryder for similar players in defenseman Joe Corvo and winger Benoit Pouliot. Also gone is veteran forward Mark Recchi, who retired.

At the Bodog Sportsbook the Bruins sit at 10/1 odds to repeat as Cup champs this year, and they're at 11/2 odds to claim the Eastern Conference title. Boston is also the +125 favorite to finish in first place in the Northeast Division.

As for the Flyers, they're at 11/1 on the Stanley Cup futures list and at 5/1 to win the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia sits at +120 to win the Atlantic Division title.

And while the Bruins just tweaked their roster over the summer, the Flyers performed an overhaul. Philly jettisoned star forwards Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, adding Jaromir Jagr, Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek, and Brayden Schenn in their place.

As well, the Flyers are paying Ilya Bryzgalov big dollars to play between the pipes for them this season, and he'll match up against Thomas in the team's opener on Thursday night.

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