NHL betting is always especially popular in Canada, as the country is fanatical about ice hockey. There are six Canadian teams in the NHL, but there will certainly be vast differences between the NHL wagering potential of each of these squads in 2008-09.
Teams like the Canadiens, Flames, and Oilers will probably be featured as top teams in many of the hockey betting odds, but the Senators, Canucks, and Maple Leafs will have limited support from the NHL wagering public. NHL betting on the Montreal Canadiens looks to be quite promising as the team appears to have the best Stanley Cup potential of any of the six Canadian squads. Veterans will remember that Montreal finished first in the Eastern Conference last year and there is no reason the team will not be able to do so again. The team has few weak areas and will certainly be established as a favorite in the hockey betting odds throughout much of the year.
Furthermore, the team will be celebrating its 100th anniversary this season, so expectations are high and many NHL gambling fans of the Canadiens are awaiting a Stanley Cup parade. If the Canadiens do reach the Stanley Cup, it is possible that fans will be handicapping hockey betting odds involving Montreal and another Canadian team—Calgary.
Calgary also acquired right winger Todd Bertuzzi, who is a productive goal scorer that can impact Hockey betting matchups. In the Western Conference, Calgary will also face off against the Edmonton Oilers, who finished last season with a 14-5-1 run that has left high expectations for the current NHL betting season. In the offseason Edmonton obtained some quality players, such as Erik Cole and Lubomir Visnovsky, but many NHL betting analysts see this team as a postseason contender but not much more.
Although many NHL betting fans are predicting playoff berths for Montreal, Calgary, and Edmonton, expectations regarding Canada’s other three teams are not so high.
Ottawa is likely the best of the final three teams, and they even reached the playoffs last year. However, after reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007, this team has appeared to be moving in the wrong direction. NHL betting analysts have even less confidence in the Canucks, who have brought in a new general manager to turn the team around. The hockey betting odds will exhibit even less confidence in the Maple Leafs who are in a clear rebuilding phase and already thinking about many years down the road. This young team will certainly have a season of ups and downs, but NHL betting fans do not expect too much success from this struggling franchise.
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