Hockey Betting

Best Bets For The Playoff Stretch Run

There are always a few extra wrinkles to consider when placing hockey wagers during the stretch drive. When handicapping games at this point of the season you have to be sure to do a little extra research. Who is still driving for a playoff spot? Who has fallen out of the postseason picture? Who has started to rest key players? With the standings, injury reports, and local coverage in hand you should be able to make solid judgment calls when wagering on the following types of teams ...

Clinched Teams

Two types of teams fall into this category. First, there are the teams that have little left to play for on the season. For example, the Detroit Red Wings have almost wrapped up the league's best record, so there's no reason for them to tire themselves out or push injured players like Pavel Datsyuk, Mathieu Schneider, and Henrik Zetterberg. The same goes for the Dallas Stars, who can give Mike Modano time to rest as they cruise to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The Calgary Flames have practically wrapped up their division as well, so they could give star goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff some games off in the next 10 days. And the Buffalo Sabres are pretty much locked into fourth place in the Eastern Conference, and will be trying to stay healthy from here out.

Second, there are the teams that are in the playoffs but would like to improve their seeding or win their division. The Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes are battling for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, a race which is likely to go down to the wire. Similarly, the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers are each keen on winning the Atlantic Division and grabbing the third-place seeding that comes along with that honor. In the Western Conference, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks have a shot at overtaking the Nashville Predators and scooping home-ice advantage in a first-round playoff series.

Bubble Teams

These are teams that risk missing the playoffs if they let up. The Western Conference is rife with these types of teams, as the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, and Vancouver Canucks are four teams battling for three postseason berths. Those teams will be going all-out until they are comfortable in the standings, or until they have resigned themselves to missing the playoffs. Over in the East the Atlanta Thrashers and the Toronto Maple Leafs are hanging onto slim postseason hopes, and will be playing desperate hockey in their next couple of games. The New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Montreal Canadiens are all sitting in the East's top eight, but can't risk a losing streak that drops them behind the surging Thrashers or Maple Leafs.

Eliminated Teams

Teams that are out of the playoff hunt often use the final games of the regular season to see what rookie callups or other young players can do against NHL competition. This could mean throwing them into key roles, such as on the top lines, the power play unit, or the penalty kill unit. Although youthful enthusiasm can be injected into the team, it usually can't overcome the playing-out-the-stretch attitude that has set in. As well, eliminated teams have no reason to bring injured players back into the lineup, so teams like the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues with huge infirmary populations will instead dip into the minor leagues for stopgap solutions. Two teams, though, bear watching, as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals are each lead by rookie forwards keen on reaching statistical plateaus and making a case for the Calder Trophy. Their efforts should at least keep their team's play at a consistent level.

In short, look for teams that have something to play for over the next week or so, teams that have nothing to play for, and, ideally, matchups between those two types of teams. After that, the regular season will be over and it'll be time for playoff hockey wagers.

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