On Wednesday June 22, 2011 from Las Vegas, Nevada the 2011 NHL betting awards show took place. The annual awards ceremony congratulates several players for their outstanding contributions to the game during the past regular season. That is to say, all of your mistakes in the sports betting NHL playoffs are forgotten for one night as you can receive praise for your play before the games mattered. Here is a recap of the show.

Wednesday’s awards show was dominated by the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks, as the two teams to battle it out for this year’s Stanley Cup, were honored for their strong play. Goalies Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins, as well as Roberto Luongo and Corey Schneider of the Vancouver Canucks took home several awards on the night. Thomas was awarded the Vezina Trophy for the second time in the last three seasons, while Luongo and Schneider took home the award as the best goalie tag team during the regular season.

In the biggest shock of the night, Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks was able to capture the Hart Memorial Trophy, as the NHL’s best player. Despite scoring 99 points, Perry received the award, as the NHL’s writing association, recognized that had Perry not stepped up his play for the final 25 games of the regular season, his team the Ducks, may not have made it to the playoffs. Coincidentally, Daniel Sedin, whom was nominated for the award with 104 points, was not recognized as the league’s top player. Sedin along with brother Henrik Sedin, both went from dominating teams in the regular season to forgetting the playoffs were even on during these last two months.

Another huge shock was the rookie of the year trophy. 18 year old sensation Jeff Skinner won the award after scoring 64 points in his rookie campaign. Many people, we included, felt that Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks should have received the award, as he not only played a huge role on the Sharks this season, but also in the playoffs.

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.

The March Madness betting tournament signals to hockey fans, that the NHL regular season is coming to a close. As the final 10 to 12 NHL sports betting games come to a close, many of the league’s top stars are looking to close in on impressive milestones. Here is a look at several players looking to pad their statistics as the season winds down.

In Toronto, the Maple Leafs are looking to become the only team this season with three players that have scored 30 or more goals. Sniper Phil Kessel leads the Leafs with 28 goals on the season, while Mikhail Grabovski has 27 goals and Nikolai Kulemin has 26 goals. With 10 games remaining in the Maple Leafs schedule, Kessel, Grabovski and Kulemin will look to become the first three Leafs to each record 30 goals since Matt Sundin, Alexander Mogilny and Owen Nolan achieved the feat during the 2002-2003 seasons.

For fans of the entire NHL, your focus should be on the Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning as the season comes to an end. The Vancouver Canucks, led by Daniel and Henrik Sedin, and the Lightning led by Steven Stamkos, are in a three way battle to record the most points in the NHL this season. Daniel Sedin leads the NHL with 38 goals and 54 assists for 92 points in 72 games. Steven Stamkos is right behind Daniel in the standings with 88 points on the season, as Stamkos leads the league with 43 goals and a total of 86 points on the season. Henrik Sedin, last year’s Hart Memorial Trophy winner, is looking to win the title for the second time in a row, as he also has 86 points, with 18 goals and 68 assists on the season. With 10 games left in the regular season, things have never been as wide open.

On Monday February 28, 2011 the NHL was at the front of the sports betting world, as the league had its final day of trades for the 2010 – 11 seasons. For exactly 24 hours, the March Madness betting world wasn’t a priority to handicappers, as they watched deadline day intent on predicting which players would move where. Here is a recap of the NHL’s trade deadline.

The 2010-11 NHL trade deadline day itself was a rather uneventful one, as only the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers seemed to be busy. What was perhaps the most surprising occurrence in the trade deadline was the fact that Washington seemed to control the negotiations in both of their deals. Meanwhile, the other team that was busy, the LA Kings, seemed to over pay as is all too familiar on deadline day.

Firstly, Washington opened the day by trading a prospect in the ECHL (no chance of making the NHL) and a third round pick for Florida Panthers defenseman Dennis Wideman. The move came as a shock, as many fans and experts from around the league, felt that Wideman was at the very least worth a first rounder and perhaps a better prospect. By adding Wideman a well rounded defenseman, the Capitals enable themselves to have a contingency plan on the back end, in case star defenseman Mike Green can’t return from injury.

Then showing that the playoffs and an extended run are a priority for the team, the Capitals traded fourth line faceoff specialist and penalty killer David Steckel to the New Jersey Devils for veteran Jason Arnott. A lot of the Capitals fan base didn’t like this move, but we thought it was the best one they could have made. The Capitals desperately need someone with playoff experience in the dressing room, and a second line center. Considering Arnott scored the game winning goal for the Devils in their Stanley Cup victory in 2001, the Capitals got just what they needed.

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.

For the first time in 49 years, it was the Madhouse on Manhattan celebrating a Stanley Cup victory as captain Jonathan Toews accepted hockey’s holy grail from National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman at the Wachovia Center on Wednesday night. Despite blowing a 3-2 lead with less than four minutes to play in regulation time, and giving up a pair of point blank chances in the dying minutes of the third period, Chicago held on to force overtime and 21-year old Patrick Kane sealed their bet sports fate with the game-winning goal. Kane finished the 4-3 Game Six win with one goal and two assists, as the Blackhawks clinched the series four-games-to-two.

The hockey betting celebrations on the ice continued for over an hour, and included the presentation of the Conn Smythe trophy to Jonathan Toews, who was awarded as the Most Valuable Player to this team during these playoffs. Toews finished the postseason with 29 points in 22 games, which would have been good for the league lead if the Flyers’ Daniel Briere didn’t register three points in the loss to overtake the 22-year old captain on the final night. Perhaps more relieved than any of his teammates was Chicago winger Marian Hossa, who after consecutive years of reaching the cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings, was finally able to hoist the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks, where he signed a multi-year deal in the offseason.

When betting online, people can bet on anything, one such thing would be the vacant position in Tampa Bay for the Lightning’s general manager job. On Tuesday hockey fans betting on hall of famer and former Detroit Red Wing star Steve Yzerman as the right candidate for the vacancy would have been correct, as he was hired by new Lightning owner Jeff Vinik. Yzerman appears to be a perfect fit for the Lightning as he brings a vast amount of knowledge and experience both as a former player and from his mentoring by Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland. Aside from winning three Stanley Cups as a player, Yzerman recently won gold as the general manager for Canada’s men’s Olympic hockey team. By winning one of the biggest championships in the world, Yzerman became the perfect candidate for a Lightning squad plagued by controversy the last few years.

The last time the Lightning won the Stanley Cup was in 2004, six years ago. Since then, the team has struggled both on and off the ice, as current owner Vinik is the team’s third owner since 2008. On the ice, the team has accumulated the worst overall record in that three year time frame. As a result of such poor performances on the ice, the team has drafted Steven Stamkos first overall in 2008, Victor Hedman second overall in 2009, and at this year’s draft, they will be drafting fifth overall.  Yzerman inherits a team in Tampa Bay that on paper has many fans, general managers and coaches licking their chops. With Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Stamkos, Hedman, Ryan Malone, Steve Downie, and Mike Smith as the core of the team, many have pondered how this team is a basement dweller instead of a dynasty? Lightning fans watch out, with Yzerman at the helm, this is the greatest thing to happen since the 2004 Stanley Cup victory.

Sports betting experts normally shy away from discussing awards, but the race for this year’s NHL MVP is an interesting one. The finalists for the 2010 Hart Trophy for league MVP are Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Henrik Sedin. Crosby and Ovechkin are part of the usual cast of characters for the Hart Trophy, but Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks is new to the line-up and he may deserve the award more than the other two.

Sedin was one of the top point producing players in the league for the 2009-2010 season, and much of the NHL betting regarding the Canucks revolved around Sedin’s performance. The award would symbolically go to Henrik and his brother Daniel since the two are an inseparable pair, but the case for a Sedin win in the Hart Trophy race is compelling. The Penguins can win without Crosby and the Capitals can win without Ovechkin, but without the Sedins the Canucks are a much less potent team.

The exciting game seven of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens marked the last game played in Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena. It is the only home the Penguins have ever known. Throughout its history it has been called the Civic Arena and earned the nickname “The Igloo” from its rounded dome roof that used to be able to open. The Penguins could not send the Mellon Arena off on a winning note, but they begin next season in a brand new home right next door to their old stomping ground.

Rumors are swirling in Detroit that Chris Osgood may be dealt away during the off-season. Now that the Red Wings have their starting goalie in Jimmy Howard, there is no longer room on the roster for two starters. It is unclear if Osgood will wait to be moved, or if he will retire.