Hockey fans can appreciate the fever caused by Super Bowl betting, but it is the Stanley Cup that hockey fans really take an interest in. Right now is a good time to start analyzing the Stanley Cup futures for various teams and see if you can get in on action that you feel may be profitable. It is a lot of guesswork at this point, but if your inclinations are correct then you could wind up paying off big on the Stanley Cup winner.

A futures bet is just as the name implies; you are placing a bet against potential future performance by each team. If the Boston Bruins are +600 to win the Stanley Cup this year, then you can place a future bet of $100 and win $600 if the Bruins actually do win the Cup. Many of the price per head sports experts have all kinds of systems in place that they say help them to pick the Stanley Cup winner. There are two popular situations that people use to help guide their Stanley Cup betting; defending champions and regular season success.

NHL fans know how difficult it is to repeat as Stanley Cup champion. The last team to repeat was the Detroit Red Wings when it won the Cup in 1997 and then again in 1998. Prior to the 1991 and 1992 seasons when the Pittsburgh Penguins won back to back Cups, a team winning the Stanley Cup in successive seasons was common. Since 1998, it has never happened. The odds look stacked against the Bruins to repeat this year.

Another key indicator in betting on NHL futures is regular season success. The President’s Trophy is awarded to the best regular season team and has been given out 25 times since its inception in 1985. Since that time, only seven President’s Trophy winners have won the Stanley Cup. At a success rate of only 28 percent, the regular season champions are never a lock to win it all in the playoffs.

As the betting sites start lighting up with an increased interest in the NHL, this weekend’s slate of games brings some interesting matchups. According to price per head service news reports, the NHL will be adopting a new structure next year that will eliminate the current conference system. So this will be the last season that some of these teams get a chance to battle for a playoff spot against each other.

Saturday – Buffalo Sabres @ Pittsburgh Penguins

After a lot of posturing and emotional speeches, the Buffalo Sabres are still the same team it was last season. The defense is suspect and the offense cannot score goals. The Sabres have been bitten by the injury bug and have had as many as nine regulars out of the lineup and one point in the season. The Penguins are adjusting to life without captain Sidney Crosby again, but the Pens have a strong lineup that is still one of the best in the league.

Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins

Saturday – Los Angeles Kings @ Detroit Red Wings

The Los Angeles Kings’ management had seen enough inconsistency in the team and fired head coach Terry Murray. But the Kings will need more than a new head coach to beat the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit has figured out its defensive issues and is currently on a three-game winning streak.

Pick: Detroit Red Wings

Sunday – Calgary Flames @ Chicago Blackhawks

This will be a better game than most people would expect as the Flames have been playing some very good hockey lately. In its last 10 games, the Flames are 6-3-1. But that might not be enough to counteract the three-game winning streak that the Chicago Blackhawks have been riding lately.

Pick: Chicago Blackhawks

The NHL schedule has some potential playoff contenders facing off this weekend along with some teams that are clinging to their playoff chances. There have been some teams bolstered by a coaching change while other new coaches are finding it difficult to grab that first win. Let’s take a look at some of the marquee games coming up this weekend in the NHL.

Saturday – Toronto Maple Leafs @ Boston Bruins

The betting sites are working overtime trying to keep up with the goal-scoring pace of the Toronto Maple Leafs. But the Boston Bruins finally have their punishing defense in place and that should be the major difference in this battle of the top teams in the Northeast Division.

Betting Pick: Boston Bruins

Saturday – Montreal Canadiens @ Los Angeles Kings

This is a game that can really confuse the bookie software that many of the betting websites use. The Canadiens are the most unpredictable team in the NHL, while the Kings are trying to avoid being labeled as under-achievers. Something is going to have to give between these two teams and it could very well be that the visitors pull off another of its mysterious great performances.

Betting Pick: Montreal Canadiens

Sunday – Minnesota Wild @ Anaheim Ducks

The Minnesota Wild are the best team in the NHL, but they are facing an Anaheim team that is rejuvenated at the arrival of new head coach Bruce Boudreau. The Ducks are scoring goals while the Wild is not. That is what will decide this game in the end.

Betting Pick: Anaheim Ducks

Saturday November 19: Detroit Red Wings @ Los Angeles Kings

The online betting sites are starting to recognize that the Pacific Division could be the most competitive division in the NHL this year. But the Los Angeles Kings are going to need to start picking up the pace if it wants to stay at the top of the Pacific Division. The Detroit Red Wings thought its struggles would be over once goaltender Jimmy Howard came back. But the Red Wings are still slumping and falling further down in the standings.

Pick: Los Angeles Kings

Saturday November 19: Washington Capitals @ Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are still battling with the Buffalo Sabres for the lead in the Northeast Division, which is a relief to Leafs’ fans who are used to the team being in the basement by now. The price per head bookmaking experts see the Washington Capitals leading the Southeast Division, but the Capitals are not dominating like it did last year and have been struggling as of late.

Pick: Washington Capitals

Saturday November 19: St. Louis Blues @ Minnesota Wild

The St. Louis Blues are finally on a roll with a record of 6-3-1 in the last 10 games which includes a two-game winning streak. The Minnesota Wild are starting to pull away in the Northwest Division and are riding a two-game winning streak of their own. The keys to winning for both St. Louis and Minnesota are defense and goaltending. This will be a good game that the Wild should win.

Pick: Minnesota Wild

Tonight, Breeders Cup betting enthusiasts will be able to wager on some of the best young teams across the NHL. There are eight games on the schedule tonight, and although it is early, fans can expect bookie software agents to be watching all eight games with a keen interest. For the purpose making the best picks possible, we will only be looking at a couple of games for tonight’s action. Here are our nightly NHL picks.

Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings – The revamped Edmonton Oilers have an uncanny mix of youth and veterans that are giving fans in Alberta hope they will see their favorite team make the playoffs. Edmonton has had much success early in the year, going seven – two – two through the first 11 games of the regular season. What’s most impressive is that the Oilers are receiving balanced scoring from three of the four lines, while also taking on outstanding goaltending. Rookie phenom Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is proving to be the center that sophomore Taylor Hall needed a year ago, as RNH is already a point a game player. Yesterday, RNH was named rookie of the month for October as he had 11 points in 11 games.

Meanwhile, the LA Kings are no slouches either, having gone six- three – two to open the season. The Kings as always are led by goalie duo John Quick and John Bernier, along with star center Anze Kopitar. Unfortunately, with former King turned Oiler Ryan Smyth scoring 10 points in 11 games, it looks as though Edmonton should take this game over LA.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Columbus Blue Jackets – The Maple Leafs will be looking to turn misfortune into success in the second game of a back to back for the first time this season. Toronto has struggled in the second games this season, losing in convincing fashion, after showing strong efforts in the first games. Yet, when facing a team such as Columbus, the Leafs should be able to come away with a victory. Especially with the return of star goalie James Reimer, who has missed two weeks due to whiplash.

The sports betting world does not get much of a rest from the NHL. The Stanley Cup is awarded in June, and then the online casino NHL preseason starts up again in September. That means that we do not have a lot of time to talk about the 2011-2012 Stanley Cup predictions; so let’s get started.

Boston Bruins

So long as Tim Thomas is the goalie in Boston, and Zdeno Chara monitors the blue line, you have to consider the Bruins contenders. Will Boston be able to defend its Stanley Cup title in 2011-2012? It all depends on how much offense the team picks up in free agency and prior to the trade deadline.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Mario Lemieux made the wise move of not bringing Jaromir Jagr back to Pittsburgh. Jagr would have upset a chemistry that has taken years to create. With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin coming back for the 2011-2012 season, the Penguins have to be considered the top contender for the Stanley Cup.

Los Angeles Kings

Did adding Mike Richards to the Kings’ roster make Los Angeles a Cup contender? The Western Conference is wide open in 2011-2012 with no clear-cut favorite. The Kings get Anze Kopitar back from injury and could be a team to deal with when it comes around to playoff time.

San Jose Sharks

The Vancouver Canucks look like it is sticking with the same formula that brought it regular season success but playoff failure. That means that the Sharks can make some changes that will vault them past Vancouver and into the Western Conference driver’s seat. San Jose will spend a while looking at its goaltending situation as it was the poor play of Antti Niemi that contributed to the Sharks playoff failures last year. San Jose is only one or two players away from being a legitimate Cup contender.

Belmont betting enthusiasts also wagering on the NHL, will be glued to their TV’s tonight, as they find out who will represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals. Game seven goes tonight in Boston, as the Boston Bruins take on the reinvigorated Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning haven’t been this good since the 2003 – 2004 Stanley Cup winning team. Here is a preview of the upcoming Stanley Cup sports betting finals.

The 2010 – 11 seasons Stanley Cup finals will feature the Tampa Bay Lightning taking on the Vancouver Canucks, in the fourth meeting between Southern States and Canadian teams. So far, the Southern States have been victorious in the first three matchups, as the Lightning beat the Flames in 2003 – 2004, Carolina Hurricanes defeated Edmonton Oilers in 2005 – 2006 and Anaheim Ducks won against the Ottawa Senators in 2006 – 2007.

For all intents and purposes, that shouldn’t happen this year, as the Vancouver Canucks were the best team in the NHL all season. During the regular season, the Canucks led by the Sedin twins, Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows on offense, Kevin Bieksa, Christian Ehrhoff, and Sami Salo on defense and Roberto Luongo in net had an NHL best 117 points. Throughout the playoffs, the Canucks appeared reminiscent of their old choke artist teams. Yet as the playoffs progressed, it became evident that the Canucks were built to win the Stanley Cup.

Conversely, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been an okay team to watch this year. On the one hand, it wasn’t clear if the team was for real or just a middle of the pack team overachieving. However, over the past couple of months, the Lightning have shocked the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals and perhaps the Boston Bruins, as they move into the Stanley Cup Finals.

Kentucky Derby betting enthusiasts looking for a distraction from handicapping the ponies, should look no further than the NHL, as the second round of the playoffs gets underway over the next few days. After an incredible first NHL sports betting round, fans wagering on their favorite teams, have plenty of trends to look at heading into round two. Here are a few trends surrounding the San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings series.

Looking at the spread for this series, and fans will see that when Detroit plays as the road team, against a team with a winning record over the last two seasons the Wings have been average at best. In general Detroit is 29 – 22 against the spread when facing a team with a winning record in each of the last two playoff seasons while on the road. Last season, Wings 25 – 18 before, they played San Jose in round two and were swept in four games.  Will the Wings continue to struggle as a road team against good teams this year or will they get the monkey off their back?

Moving on to head to head between Detroit and San Jose, and fans will see several interesting trends between the two clubs. Firstly, San Jose is 10 and seven against the spread against Detroit in the last three years, and also 10 and seven straight up during that time. What’s more, of those 17 games played between these two Western powers, 11 of the games have gone over the total. Furthermore, taking Detroit as the road team, where the total is five and half goals, has allowed fans to make a winning record of 26 and 15 in that time frame. Given how shaky Anti Niemi looked in round one, fans should expect a lot of goals in Detroit’s favor.

Although sports betting fans watch 30 NHL teams battle to make the playoffs year in and year out, only 16 of those 30 teams ever make the playoffs. Over the last couple of years, online sports betting fans gambling on the NHL, have seen teams acquire players from their rivals and proceed to make it into the playoffs. Here are two teams who by acquiring these specific players, almost certainly should make the playoffs.

1. Atlanta Thrashers Key Need: Puck Moving Defenseman – The Atlanta Thrashers are one of the early season’s surprise teams during 2010/2011. However, their inability to get the job done on the power play has proven to be a deterring factor, from the team taking their play to the next level. Enter the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are in desperate need of young highly touted prospects. The Maple Leafs would be a great trading partner for the Thrashers, because long time Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle is a power play quarterback. With all of the talent on the Thrashers, it would be hard for the long time Leafs defender to turn down the opportunity to finally make the playoffs.

2. Los Angeles Kings Key Need Top Six Forward – Thus far in the NHL season, the league average for goals has been down more than in recent years. One of the teams feeling the effect of a lack of goals is that of the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings started the year hot, but have since had more trouble than anyone else putting the puck in the back of the net. Enter Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames. The Long time Flames Captain has been a model of consistency on offense, however, with Calgary in desperate need of a youth movement and the Kings in need of scoring, could there be a better match for a trade?

With NHL training camp only a few weeks away, hockey betting fans are gearing up for hockey pools. Today in our hockey preview section we review the ultra competitive Atlantic Division. In a division that features, Marion Gaborik, Sidney Crosby, Zach Parise, Mike Richards and John Tavares, hockey betting online mainly focuses on this eastern division. Here is a look at each team in the Atlantic Division

• New Jersey Devils – This offseason, the Devils were quite busy. Longtime blue liner Paul Martin left the Devils but was soon replaced by two of the league’s premier defensemen in Anton Volchenkov and Henrik Tallinder.

Volchenkov gives Devils fans a reason for optimism after the loss of Martin. Volchenkov instantly helps the penalty kill for the Devils and his stay at home shot blocking philosophy will make him an instant favorite in New Jersey. The Devils have sorely lacked a puck moving defenseman since Brian Rafalski left for Detroit a few years ago. Nevertheless Henrik Tallinder will provide some good movement on a power play marred by forwards. Finally, with Johan Hedberg backing up Marty Brodeur, the Devils finally have a backup who can give them at least 30 games. Meaning to say Brodeur should be able to push the Devils along on an extended playoff run.

• New York Islanders – This offseason the Islanders were unable to lock up a premier forward to help John Tavares and Kyle Okopso with the scoring load. Instead rather, they picked up five players, three forwards and two defensemen. With the acquisitions of Zenon Konopka and Jeremy Yablonski, the Islanders expect to be in a lot of fights this season. Yet those fights won’t be for a playoff spot as they continue to rebuild.

• New York Rangers –The Rangers were busy this offseason, finally adding some secondary scoring and a backup goaltender. The two other moves the club made, adding enforcer Derek Boogaard and Jeremy Williams left us scratching our heads.

The two positive moves included adding star LA Kings winger Alexander Frolov and goalie Martin Biron. We really like the Biron move, in that the Rangers have finally got a competent backup for star Henrik Lundqvist. Similar to the Devils move with Hedberg, Biron provides at least 35 games of rest of for King Henrik.

• Philadelphia Flyers – After losing in the Stanley Cup final in June, the Flyers went out and bolstered their blue line. However, Philadelphia wouldn’t be Philadelphia if they did not go out and buy an enforcer either.

After a year off in the KHL, Alexander Zherdev made long time Flyer Simon Gagne expendable. The question remains, will Zherdev be a key ingredient or flaw to the Flyer chemistry.

• Pittsburgh Penguins – After letting long time power play quarterback Sergei Gonchar leave for Ottawa, the Penguins went out and got Paul Martin and Zbyenek Michalek to bolster the blue line. Both are stay at home types, but also provide enough movement to make the power play at least bearable.