The NHL’s ice hockey rule book is expected to undergo changes in order to give more protection to goaltenders.

This move was set to be a counter action to some recent incidences. Most recently was a playoff game where Sean Avery, a New York Rangers forward, stood in front of New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur and waved his arms with the intention to distract him.

The changes to the rule book would make attempts such as these as “an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to the offending player”

In my opinion changes like these are always a big deal. If players are seriously going to stoop to a level where they have to wave their arms around like children then yes they should get penalized. However this “unsportsmanlike conduct” can be open to interpretation and when things aren’t clearly defined, there is going to be a lot of individual interpretation and a lot of unhappy recipients of a penalty. Once this kicks in be prepared to let the conspiracy theories fly.

I have to admit I’m not a Dallas Stars fan. Not at all, actually. Marty Turco is a great goal tender and an even better stick handler, but he’s a bit too cocky for my liking. Mike Modano is one heck of a player but there’s something about the guy that rubs me the wrong way (is he too good?). But there’s no doubting the talent and determination of this team. In last night’s game against the San Jose Sharks they made darn sure their presence was felt in the Shark Tank and by putting in three quick goals in the third period they took the fans right out of the game. And up two games in their series against San Jose, they look like they’re headed into the Western Conference finals. Who knew…?

If you had to pin point one factor in the Stars’ recent success you’d have to consider Turco’s performance as of late. Turco was huge for the Stars in the series against Anaheim, as he went 4-2 with a 2.01 goals against average and .912 save percentage. So far against San Jose, he is 2-0 and has stopped 54-of-58 (.931) shots thrown his way.

And like I said, I’m not exactly Turco’s number-one fan…but there’s no denying the guy is coming up big when his team needs him most.

Currently in most sportsbooks, the Dallas Stars are 4/1 favorites to win the Stanley Cup.

The second round of the NHL playoffs started last night with a victory by the Montreal Canadians over the Philadelphia Flyers, and a huge win by the Detroit Red Wings over the Colorado Avalanche. Tonight’s action pits the Pittsburgh Penguins against the New York Rangers, and the San Jose Sharks against the Dallas Stars.

I have to admit (and please don’t think I’m being too smug here), but so far so good. I was surprised to see the Ottawa Senators swept in the first round, but good for Sid the Kid to get his team to the second round. I was kind of hoping on seeing Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals make it past Round One, but what are you gonna do? And so much for a repeat Stanley Cup win for the Anaheim Ducks. Whatev.

Anyway, here’s a glimpse of how things stand as of today. Good luck with your brackets! Don’t forget to get your NHL playoffs betting lines and NHL Stanley Cup odds while they’re hot…

Note: Unlike the NCAA Basketball Tournament, which is what most sports fans think of when they hear the word “bracket”, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are not based on a true bracket system. After the Conference Quarterfinals, the No. 1 seed is assured of playing the lowest-seeded team in the conference. The higher seed of any matchup receives home ice advantage.

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.

The first round of the NHL playoffs ended with a bang Tuesday night. In a pair of Game 7 clinchers, the Philadelphia Flyers (+145) beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 in overtime, and then the San Jose Sharks (-185) chased Miikka Kiprusoff from the net in a 5-3 victory over the Calgary Flames.

The Flyers’ win means they’ll face the top-seeded Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Pittsburgh Penguins will face the New York Rangers, who dusted off their suburban rivals from New Jersey in just five games. Pittsburgh leads all teams in playoff profit after the first round with 6.65 units, courtesy of a four-game sweep of the Senators. The Pens covered all four games against the spread.

In the West, the Sharks avoided the golf course and earned themselves a second-round matchup with the Dallas Stars, thus ensuring the latest chapter in the Detroit Red Wings-Colorado Avalanche saga will be written. Get the foil.

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

Pittsburgh players Evgeni Malkin and Jarko Ruutu both scored second-period goals to help send the Penguins into the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. With their series sweep over the Ottawa Senators, many are thinking that this may be the team to beat down the stretch.

Penguins’ captain Sidney Crosby scored on the empty net in the dieing seconds of the game and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves on the night. This is the Penguins’ first sweep in 16 years and their first playoff series win since 2001.

“It feels great,” Crosby said. “Obviously, it was a different situation last year and we definitely went through some learning experiences there, but we responded well here in the first round.”

Currently most sportsbooks have the Pittsburgh Penguins at 4/1 odds to win the 2008 Stanley Cup.

The first round of the NHL playoffs has the same kind of frisson as March Madness. The No. 6 Philadelphia Flyers (25-1 at press time to win the Cup) and the No. 7 Calgary Flames (12-1) are making a lot of Cinderella noise, but chalk still rules.

Fast-forward to the Stanley Cup finals, where I expect to see the top seeds in both conferences: the Detroit Red Wings (11-4) from the West and the Montreal Canadiens (11-2) from the East. Anything can happen in a seven-game series, and the Habs have the hot goalie in Carey Price, so they’re my value pick on the futures market.

My prediction, on the other hand, stays with the Wings. They dominated the NHL this year at 54-21-7. If Dominik Hasek (a substandard .902 save percentage in 2007-08) has one of his occasional playoff meltdowns, Chris Osgood (.914) is there to pick up the slack. Put the champagne and the octopus on ice.

Excellent timing. March Madness is over, and now hockey poolies are getting their fill with the greatest tournament of all, the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Working a 16-team bracket is a lot easier than the 64-team monstrosity college basketball fans fill out every year. There’s little point in relying on seed vs. seed numbers, especially this season with the playoff races going to the wire in both conferences.

For a quick and dirty way of projecting who will advance, the Detroit Red Wings are runaway leaders in goal differential at plus-73 and the deserving favorites to win the Cup at 3-1. The Montreal Canadiens are tops in the East at plus-40, although the Pittsburgh Penguins (plus-31) are 13-2 for the Stanley Cup compared to 7-1 for the Habs. If you choose to focus on the differentials, plug Detroit and Montreal into your bracket for what would be an Original Six finals matchup and go from there.

What a thrill ride for hockey fans this year. Not only are there going to be some classic matchups in this years quest for Lord Stanley (Montreal vs. Boston for one) but it took all 82 games of the regular season to determine who plays who.
The schedule is as follows:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Montreal Canadiens vs Boston Bruins (starts Thursday)
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators (Wednesday)
Philadelphia Flyers vs Washington Capitals (Friday)
New Jersey Devils vs New York Rangers (Wednesday)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Detroit Red Wings vs Nashville Predators (Thursday)
Calgary Flames vs San Jose Sharks (Wednesday)
Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche (Wednesday)
Anaheim Ducks vs Dallas Stars (Thursday)