2011 NHL Draft Predictions

The Stanley Cup has been won the by the Boston Bruins and teams are already looking towards next season.  First on the docket for setting up a solid team for the future is the 2011 NHL entry draft, which is being held in Minnesota this season.  The consensus number one selection seems to be Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but the next several picks are up in the air and anything can happen at an NHL entry draft as we have seen in the past.  Here are my predictions for the top 10 picks of the draft.

1. Edmonton Oilers –> Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Nugent-Hopkins seems to be the consensus number 1 for this draft.  He is not considered the most NHL ready, but his skill and vision have him pegged as having the most potential to be a superstar in the league.  The offensive upside is there, but he will have to put on a bit more weight and muscle before he should be ready to really contribute and compete in the NHL.  The Oilers are one of the few teams in the league that may have room for him on the top 2 lines right away with Gagner or Horcoff possibly moving to the wing.  But only expect him to play if he is receiving at least 15 minutes a game.

2. Colorado Avalanche –> Gabriel Landeskog

The most NHL ready player in the draft will step right into the Avalanche lineup and help a very weak left wing corps where Cody McLeod is the top LW.  The forwards in Colorado are very poor and picking Landeskog is the easiest way for the Avs to move past the poor trade that sent Stewart and Shattenkirk to St. Louis for Eric Johnson and Jay McClement.  Landeskog is a fierce competitor who will likely become the captain of this team in the near future.

3. Florida Panthers –> Jonathan Huberdeau

It’s between Huberdeau and Larsson for the Panthers and I think not making the playoffs with Bouwmeester then losing him for nothing will leave a sour taste in their mouth, which should cause the Panthers to steer clear of another highly touted defenseman.  The Panthers need a player who can fill the stands and help them score goals and Huberdeau should be that player in a year or two.  He needs to put on some weight, like Nugent-Hopkins, but he has the offensive upside and the vision to get the Panthers fans out of their seats.

4. New Jersey Devils –> Adam Larsson

The Devils should be a force next year, but when you look at their defense the talent is lacking.  The Devils have a solid top two lines, however they were not able to score many goals last season (finishing last in the league by quite a margin).  The top d-man on the team only scored 23 points and in the speedy NHL today offense often starts from the back.  Larsson is poised with a strong break out pass that should help the Devils right away.

5. New York Islanders –> Dougie Hamilton

The Islanders are very poor defensively and Hamilton is the perfect shut down d-man that should bring toughness and grit to their lineup.  The Islanders have to build their team and a solid defender that can log a lot of minutes and be on the plus side of even strength hockey is exactly what they need.

6. Ottawa Senators –> Sean Couturier

The Senators are very dry up the middle after elite center Jason Spezza.  Mike Fisher must be replaced and if you look at their depth chart at the moment you will not be impressed with the names you see.  Couturier has dropped off from battling for the number one ranking earlier in the season, but he is a big body that is able to make plays and protect the puck.  He needs to work on his skating in order to make an impact in the NHL.

7. Winnipeg Jets –> Ryan Strome

The Jets are in need of some additional skill in the middle of the ice.  They have solid wingers, but these players need a playmaking center to get them the puck.  I’m not saying Strome will make the team out of camp, but he has a legitimate chance and should go to the Jets this draft.

8. Columbus Blue Jackets –> Ryan Murphy

Ryan Murphy is a smaller defenseman, but his offensive upside is huge and he possesses a wicked shot that should score him plenty of goals in the NHL, especially on the powerplay.  The Blue Jackets will jump to add an offensive d-man to their fairly unskilled backend.

9. Boston Bruins –> Mika Zibanejad

This player has been playing with men in the Swedish Elite League and he has not looked like a boy among men.  He should transform into a solid NHL power forward and this fits in perfectly with the Boston Bruins style of play.

10. Minnesota Wild –> Nathan Beulieu

Beulieu will be the best player left in the draft at the 10th position and you can expect the Wild to scoop him up here.  Nathan is a strong puck moving defensemen that will be an elite powerplay quarterback, but he will need a few years to make the jump.  The Wild have a fairly strong team so they will not need to push anybody into the lineup right away.

The draft should be interesting and there should be some odds up soon.  If I see betting odds up as to which player will go first overall I will post them on this article.

But for now it’s back to watching Wimbledon for me.  I placed a bet on Roger Federer to take the Championships this year and he looked very good in his opening match today.  I’m getting more into tennis betting and if this interests you I suggest you check out my other website, www.OnlineTennisBetting.com!

Can Luongo Bounce Back?

Roberto Luongo made 30 saves on 38 shots in game 3 of the Stanley Cup playoffs in Boston.  Alain Vigneault apparently did not feel that his goaltender needed to be pulled from the game when it got out of hand.  This could be a tactical decision to show his goaltender that he and the entire team will be sticking with him throughout this series no matter what.  In game four in the Chicago series, Luongo let in 6 goals on 28 shots before being pulled in the third period.  Luongo did not bounce back favourably allowing 4 goals on 12 shots and being pulled early in the second period in game 5.  In game 6 of that series Vigneault went with Schneider, who played a decent game before being injured when he was beaten on a penalty shot by Frolik.  Luongo only allowed one goal in that game, but it was an important one scored by Ben Smith in overtime.  It took these 3 straight losses before Luongo stepped up his game allowing only 1 goal in game seven against the Blackhawks.

Since that first round series Luongo has looked fairly sharp, playing solid for the most part, while allowing a few soft goals here and there.  In the 8-1 shellacking by Boston, however, Luongo did not look sharp at all.  He should have saved at least half of the 8 goals and I am interested to see which Luongo we see tonight.

I half expect the Bruins to come out with another high scoring affair, which is why I’m looking at the -1.5 line for the Bruins tonight at +248.  This line is from 5Dimes and could be considered similar to spread betting bonuses because the juice is reduced, which makes this likely the best Bruins puck line you will find.

Luongo has shown the ability in the past to bounce back from bad games, but he has also shown many instances where he plays just as bad the second time around.  Which Luongo will we see tonight in Boston?  Who do you think will show up?

Boston Bruins Will Win Stanley Cup Final

The Boston Bruins will win the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals over the favourite Vancouver Canucks.  Thats a bold statement considering the Canucks are -230 favourites to win the series, while a $100 bet on the Bruins would win $210 for a payout of $310.  I feel that the Bruins have as good, if not a better chance than the Canucks to win this series.  There are a variety of reasons, each of which will be explained in this article.

Sedin’s Shutdown

The Sedin’s only managed to score a combined 19 points in their first 13 games, while they put up 18 in their last 5.  This may seem like they are heating up, which should be a bad thing for the Bruins, but if you look closer you will see that the reason the Sedin’s were able to dominate the Sharks is because the Sharks do not possess any elite shutdown defensemen (Dan Boyle is an elite d-man, but he is known more for his offensive abilities).  When you look at the Chicago series the Sedin’s had to contend with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and David Bolland, who successfully shut them down.  In the Nashville series Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are two elite defensemen who did the job.  I expect Chara and Bergeron to be able to slow down the Sedin’s and if they can keep them to under around 0.8 points per game that is in the Bruins favour.

Kesler Injury

Reports indicate that Kesler may be nursing a groin injury that he suffered in game 5 against the Sharks.  He is expected to play, but will he be able to be the force that he has been throughout these playoffs.  Will he be able to stop the hot David Krejci and Nathan Horton top line for the Bruins.  Kesler is a huge part of this Canucks team and if the Sedin’s get shut down the team counts on him for a lot of offense.  We will see how his groin holds up and if he is able to go 100%.

Tim Thomas vs Roberto Luongo

I give the edge to Thomas.  Neither goaltender has been to this stage before, and neither has looked tremendous getting here this year.  Sure, both have had good games, but each have had bad games and let in some bad goals.  I don’t expect the goaltenders to really decide this series, but if I was going to choose one that has the ability to steal games if need be it would be Thomas.

These three reason are why the Bruins will have a good chance at defeating the Canucks in this years Stanley Cup finals.  I’ve already done my hockey betting on this series at 5Dimes, which offers reduced odds for the series (means I make an extra $0.10 on the dollar).  It should be interesting and I’m excited for this to get started tonight.