charvik
NHL Road Fade Guru
Like I said in Santa's thread, there's always a lot of questionmarks around the lines this time of year. Some teams are still shuffling late, trying to figure out cuts and formations.
Two plays stand out for me on Thursday:
Bruins/Avalanche OVER 5.5 +100
Bruins are looking to be very improved this year, with the return of Bergeron, the addition of Ryder, who's back with his old coach after a down year. Add Savard, one of the premier set up guys in the league, and very solid pre-season play from Wheeler. I'm also a big fan of David Krejci and think he'll develop into a very good player. In net the Bruins are still waiting for their next franchise goalie, and are stuck with a tandem of Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez in net, both with their share of injuries the last couple of years and question marks. While the Bruins can surprise some this year, with a semi-soft schedule, I don't think they are ready to really make a deep push in the playoffs until Rask is ready, hopefully next year.
Colorado has a lot of fire-power upfront and from what I've seen so far the lines they'll start the season with will be
Smyth - Stastny - Hejduk
Wolski - Sakic - Tucker
which should be able to score, and to some extent have experience and chemistry together already. Avs will struggle on the other side of the rink, with iffy defense and less than optimal goal tending.
I like getting + lines early, and this is a nice number. Bruins +120 was a consideration as well, but the Avs are tough to beat at home. The over feels like a little better play here.
Calgary +115
I like the additions the Flames made during the offseason, bringing in Bertuzzi and Cammalleri. They also got rid of a couple of players that couldn't perform in their system. It's early, and the players have to find their positions, but these players should produce better than last years squad. Calgary is still a very solid defensive squad, and I am hoping they play the same road system they have had in the past, squeezing shooters to the boards and taking away angles. Their PK looks similar to last year, so they shouldn't have a major transition here. Kippers is one of the premier goalies in the league, even though he's showing signs of slowing down, partly because he's playing too many games. I don't see that changing this year, but he should be fresh early in the season.
Vancouver is a team in some transition this year. Outside of the top line of Sedin-Sedin-Bernier it looks pretty thin, and most teams should have a big advantage on both 2nd and 3rd line match ups. The defense, while talented, are still unproven and I think it'll take some time before they gel. The addition of O'Brien helps with toughness though. Luongo is solid in net, but I am expecting a decline in his production this year... I don't want to bore you with all the stats to prove it, but simply put, the more rubber Luongo is seeing, the better he will be playing. Vancouver coaches have indicated that his drop off in production has been from fatigue, and they have let him come around more slowly this season and I expect they will also let Sanford relieve him more. Big mistake, but hopefully one that I can take advantage of.
Hoooraaaay!!! Hockey's back!!!!!!!!!!!!!:tiphat:
Two plays stand out for me on Thursday:
Bruins/Avalanche OVER 5.5 +100
Bruins are looking to be very improved this year, with the return of Bergeron, the addition of Ryder, who's back with his old coach after a down year. Add Savard, one of the premier set up guys in the league, and very solid pre-season play from Wheeler. I'm also a big fan of David Krejci and think he'll develop into a very good player. In net the Bruins are still waiting for their next franchise goalie, and are stuck with a tandem of Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez in net, both with their share of injuries the last couple of years and question marks. While the Bruins can surprise some this year, with a semi-soft schedule, I don't think they are ready to really make a deep push in the playoffs until Rask is ready, hopefully next year.
Colorado has a lot of fire-power upfront and from what I've seen so far the lines they'll start the season with will be
Smyth - Stastny - Hejduk
Wolski - Sakic - Tucker
which should be able to score, and to some extent have experience and chemistry together already. Avs will struggle on the other side of the rink, with iffy defense and less than optimal goal tending.
I like getting + lines early, and this is a nice number. Bruins +120 was a consideration as well, but the Avs are tough to beat at home. The over feels like a little better play here.
Calgary +115
I like the additions the Flames made during the offseason, bringing in Bertuzzi and Cammalleri. They also got rid of a couple of players that couldn't perform in their system. It's early, and the players have to find their positions, but these players should produce better than last years squad. Calgary is still a very solid defensive squad, and I am hoping they play the same road system they have had in the past, squeezing shooters to the boards and taking away angles. Their PK looks similar to last year, so they shouldn't have a major transition here. Kippers is one of the premier goalies in the league, even though he's showing signs of slowing down, partly because he's playing too many games. I don't see that changing this year, but he should be fresh early in the season.
Vancouver is a team in some transition this year. Outside of the top line of Sedin-Sedin-Bernier it looks pretty thin, and most teams should have a big advantage on both 2nd and 3rd line match ups. The defense, while talented, are still unproven and I think it'll take some time before they gel. The addition of O'Brien helps with toughness though. Luongo is solid in net, but I am expecting a decline in his production this year... I don't want to bore you with all the stats to prove it, but simply put, the more rubber Luongo is seeing, the better he will be playing. Vancouver coaches have indicated that his drop off in production has been from fatigue, and they have let him come around more slowly this season and I expect they will also let Sanford relieve him more. Big mistake, but hopefully one that I can take advantage of.
Hoooraaaay!!! Hockey's back!!!!!!!!!!!!!:tiphat:
