In his weekly column Pucking the trends Illegal Curve’s Ari Baum-Cohen looks at news from around the NHL and the potential impact on bettors.
Getting rich in Atlanta
The last time the Atlanta Thrashers were favored over a team not named the Tampa Bay Lightning or New York Islanders was January 16, 2009.
The Thrashers, however, ended last season on a 12-6-0 run and are off to a respectable start to the 2009-10 campaign.
As Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out, the Thrashers are 25-20-2 since acquiring Rich Peverley off waivers from the Nashville Predators.
“It’s his speed, and he accelerates so quickly,” Thrashers coach John Anderson said. “He’s got great hands. You can certainly see that he’s a talented player.”
The Thrashers recently got some bad news. TSN is reporting that star forward Ilya Kovalchuk will be out three to five weeks with a broken foot.
Miller time
The Buffalo Sabres are climbing many cappers' power rankings and a lot of that has to do with the play of goaltender Ryan Miller.
Miller, currently first in the NHL in goals against average (1.69) and save percentage (.940), is playing down his improved game.
"I worked on the stuff I needed to work on over the summer. The coaching staff addressed what they needed to as far as the system to complement the core group of guys we have, and right now we have guys buying into supporting the puck in a lot of different areas.”
The Sabres (6-1-1) are +115 dogs at New Jersey Wednesday night.
Colorado Have-Alanche
Recently acquired Craig Anderson is giving Colorado something the team hasn’t had for sometime: a dependable goaltender.
Anderson’s most recent performance was a 48-save effort in a victory over the Red Wings. Colorado Avalanche beat writer Adrian Dater observes that no team has allowed more shots on goal than Colorado.
"He's (Craig Anderson) giving everyone here confidence. You know if you make the odd mistake, he's there to back you up," Avs defender Kyle Quincey said.
Despite its stellar record, Colorado has only been favored once this season, when it was -106 at home to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Wild goal country
Both Alberta teams are scoring goals at an impressive pace. Calgary owns a 9-1 over/under record while Edmonton sits at 8-3.
The Flames are getting offensive contributions from unlikely sources. As Randy Spartak of the Calgary run observes, offensive leaders Jarome Iginla, Olli Jokinen and Daymond Langkow have combined for only six goals.
"Every line is contributing at different times,” said Flames winger Nigel Dawes. “The depth we have is key to it.”
Edmonton’s first line of Dustin Penner, Ales Hemsky and Sam Gagne rank first, second and third in Oilers scoring.
“Guess Pat (Edmonton Coach Pat Quinn) looks like a genius putting that line together, eh?” said an NHL executive scouting that game.
Not surprisingly all three games this year between Calgary and Edmonton have gone over the total.
On schedule
The NHL has a condensed schedule this year due to the Olympics and as a result many teams must play back-to-back games or three games in four nights, often against well-rested opponents.
Here are a few upcoming situations that sharp bettors could find useful:
Colorado at Calgary (Oct. 28)
Calgary has been at home since a 5-2 victory over the Oilers on Saturday. The Flames play an Avalanche team on Wednesday that played the night before in Edmonton.
Colorado at San Jose (Oct. 30)
No easy games for the Avalanche this week. They fly out of Calgary on Wednesday and head south for a Friday game against the Sharks. The game will be Colorado’s third on the road in four nights. Other than a Wednesday game at home to the Kings, this will be San Jose’s first match since last Sunday.
Vancouver at Anaheim (Oct. 30)
Vancouver is at home to Detroit on Wednesday then plays the Kings in Los Angeles before flying to Anaheim. Anaheim will not have played since a Monday loss at home to the Maple Leafs.