Sidney Crosby was all smiles after sweeping the Sens in Round One.

Montreal Canadians vs. Philadelphia Flyers
The only Canadian team remaining in the NHL playoffs, the Montreal Canadians will face-off against the Philadelphia Flyers in what should be a tough series. The Flyers have a lot of depth and lead the Stanley Cup playoffs in goals (23) after its opening series win over the Washington Capitals. Look for Saku Koivu and Carey Price to ignite just the right amount of energy to even things out for the Canadiens. This second-round series starts Thursday (7 p.m. EST).

Canadians: 7/4 odds to win the Eastern Conference; Flyers: 8/1 odds to win the Eastern Conference.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will take to the center ice on Friday when the Pittsburgh Penguins meet the New York Rangers. The Penguins earned the only sweep of the first round by knocking out the Ottawa Senators, but the Rangers can pack a powerful punch with Jaromir Jagr (eight points) and Scott Gomez (seven points) leading the offensive battle. This matchup starts Friday (7 p.m. EST).

Penguins: 6/5 odds to win the Eastern Conference; Rangers: 7/2 odds to win the Eastern Conference.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche
Here’s a rivalry we haven’t seen in awhile…the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanch. Nicklas Lidstrom and Joe Sakic are the wiley veterans for each respective team. This one heats up on Thursday (7:30 p.m. EST).

Red Wings: 2/3 odds to win the Western Conference; Avs: 13/2 odds to win the Western Conference.

San Jose Sharks vs. Dallas Stars
After just barely squeaking past the Calgary Flames in the first round, the San Jose Sharks will have to dig deep to fend off the Dallas Stars, who appear to be the stronger of the two teams heading into this second-round matchup, which gets going on Friday (10 p.m. ET).

Sharks: 11/4 odds to win the Western Conference; Stars: 9/2 odds to win the Western Conference.

Now is this time to bet on hockey so you should consider if the puck line has value. The point spread is similar to that of a point spread in football or basketball however the spread is always fixed at 1.5 goals. The favorite will lay -1.5 goals and the underdog will get +1.5 goals.

Puck line odds have 3 factors that affect it. First is the team’s probability of winning. A team with a higher probability of winning is more likely to win by more than one goal. The second factor is if it’s a home vs. a road game. Its common knowledge that the home team is more likely to win then the road team is. The third factor to think about is average goals scored. As the average number of goals increases, the probability of winning by more than one goal increases.

Should you bet on the puck line? Based on your expectations for the home team probability of winning and average goals scored you can determine the approximate probability that the team will win by more than one goal. Good luck!

Why don’t you try your luck out: Bet on tonights game, Stars vs. Ducks

Since when can an NHL goalie get away with throwing his stick at a referee? If you watched last night’s game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Phoenix Coyotes you know exactly what I’m talking about…

Sure, they were getting their butts kicked (5-2) but for the Phoenix Coyotes goaltender to lose his cool and throw his stick against the boards, narrowly missing the referee, and not get a call? Well, that’s just wrong. Especially when the refs are calling lesser unsportsmanlike penalties — like the one handed out to Canuck defenceman Kevin Bieksa (in the Vancouver vs. Dallas game) — who was penalized for elbowing when his team was already shorthanded and then had another two minutes added for slamming the door to the penalty box.

Playing by the rules…

According to the NHL Rulebook, Rule No. 88 “Stick Throwing” states: “A misconduct or game misconduct penalty, at the discretion of the Referee, shall be imposed on a player who throws his stick or any part thereof outside the playing area. If the offense is committed in protest of an Official’s decision, a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct plus a game misconduct penalty shall be assessed to the offending player.”

And according to Rule No. 41, “Unsportsmanlike Conduct”, which states: “A gross misconduct penalty shall be assessed to anyone who throws or shoots any equipment or other object in the general direction of an Official but does not come close to making any kind of contact. This action may occur on or off the ice.

Right now in most sportsbooks the Phoenix Coyotes are listed at 80/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup. The Edmonton Oilers are listed at 200/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup.

Things have gone to hell in a handbasket for the Ottawa Senators. They were still the favorites to win the Eastern Conference at press time, checking in at 11-4, but that’s a very slim lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins at 3-1. Ottawa is 3-6-2 in its last 11 games, firing head coach John Paddock in the process. The Penguins added former Senator star Marian Hossa at the trade deadline, and Sidney Crosby returned Tuesday night from his ankle injury. The Pens were 11-6-4 without the league’s reigning MVP.

The mighty Detroit Red Wings are in a tailspin, too. Although they remain 11-8 favorites to take the West, the Wings are 2-8-2 since Feb. 5. That gives the Dallas Stars a chance to grab the green at 5-1; the Stars are just five points behind Detroit in the standings after winning 13 of 15. The Brad Richards trade might even earn Dallas the Stanley Cup at 10-1.

If you’ve got CBC on your HDTV then be sure to catch the following games this Saturday as Hockey Night In Canada presents a full afternoon of nail-biting, hard-hitting, rival-bashing matchups. At this time of the year points are hard to get, just ask the Edmonton Oilers or the Vancouver Canucks. Both of these teams are battling it out for a playoff spot.

Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs are in last place in their division and are in desperate need of a few wins. Can they string a few together? Not if the Bruins have anything to say about it. A classic matchup.

New Jersey Devils at Ottawa Senators: We’ve seen this one before. Fans of the Senators want another win to keep their team in first place in the Northeast Division.

Philadelphia Flyers at Montreal Canadians: The Canadians are at home and their fans are LOUD. Need I say more?

Edmonton Oilers at Vancouver Canucks: The Oilers are coming off a big win against the Sharks and the Canucks are coming off a shootout loss to the Wild. This one will come down to “who wants it more”. If the Canucks can continue to be physical and if Luongo can find his “A” game, the home fans may finally have something to cheer about. If not, the Oil may lay a few slick moves to take this one on the road.

Here’s the schedule for the remainder of February. Bodog Sportsbook’s got some pretty good NHL betting lines up. Check ‘em out.