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.

The 2011 March Madness betting tournament is coming to a close, and for NHL handicappers, that can only mean that the playoffs are right around the corner. With only five games left in the regular sports betting NHL season, here is an updated look at some of the teams favored to take a run at Lord Stanley’s Mug.

After winning their first ever President’s Trophy as the NHL’s best team, the Vancouver Canucks are literally every sportsbooks consensus pick to win the Stanley Cup. Vancouver has the best odds in the NHL at four to one to win it all. In years past, we would have told you that this is a risky wager at four to one, not only because you can’t make that much of a profit, but also because Vancouver has failed to live up to expectations for several years. However, this year, the Canucks appear to be hitting their stride, as they have been on a role of late.

What’s more, after veteran center Manny Malholtra suffered a season ending eye injury, the media has shifted its attention to him rather than the team. Meaning to say, the Canucks have some extra motivation to win the Stanley Cup. Further, the Canucks finally have depth all the way through their lineup, and with the playoffs being as grueling as they are, this could be the best Canucks team to compete for a Stanley Cup title.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Capitals appear to be out of a funk, and now are tied with Philadelphia for the best odds in the conference to lift the Stanley Cup above their heads. Both teams share odds of six to one at winning the Stanley Cup. The Washington Capitals similar to the Vancouver Canucks are a team that has had much regular season success but failed to live up to expectations in the playoffs. Yet this season also comparable to Vancouver, the Capitals appear to have a team built for the playoffs, with enough depth to last them until June.

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.

The 2010-11 NHL sports betting regular season has reached its half way point, and handicappers around the league are beginning to speculate as to which two teams will be battling for the Stanley Cup come June. With the NFL wrapping up this past weekend, and the MLB only a month away, online betting fans are turning their attention to the coolest game on earth. Here is our preview of the two teams we believe will be battling for Lord Stanley’s mug come June.

This year’s Stanley Cup final will be played against two teams that have been more closely associated with choking than with success. Heading into the season, the Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks, were teams that dominated the rest of the NHL throughout the regular season, yet when the playoffs came around, both teams appeared to lack the mental toughness it takes to win a championship.

However, in 2010-11, both the Capitals and Sharks have been marred by adversity, and really haven’t played up to their regular season potential. The Capitals in fact went on an eight game losing streak, the longest streak they’ve had since before Head Coach Bruce Boudreau took over two seasons ago. Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks have been playing far below their high standards, as they are currently battling for the final three playoff spots. For the Sharks, the only thing keeping them afloat is the fact that the Western Conference playoff race separates the third place team from the 11 ^th by six points.

The average regular season play for both these clubs could be the best thing to happen to them and their fan bases. On the one hand, both teams have the risk of missing the playoffs for the first time in a few years. Yet on the other hand, the regular season adversity could make both teams tougher to play against in the playoffs, as they finally get over the hump and make it to the Stanley Cup final.

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.