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NHL Races Spark Old and New Interests

So far in the 2011-12 NHL betting season we have seen surprises both good and bad and there are a number of potential contenders as we close in on the halfway point of the season.

After a sluggish start the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins have regained their form as one of the elite teams in the NHL. Boston climbed to first place in the Northeast Division and was one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference standings.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the 2^nd place team in the Northeast Division behind the Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Phil Kessel has been a vital contributor to the Leafs with a team high 18 goals and Joffrey Lupul has proven to be a great quarterback with 21 assists. Goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has emerged as a key asset as well with a total of 9 of the team’s 16 wins son far this season. As general manager Brian Burke’s team becomes more in his image, this could be a club to keep an eye on.

Another big surprise has been the Florida Panthers as they were leading the Southeast Division by six points over the Winnipeg Jets. Goaltender Jose Theodore has been an important part of the Panthers rise with 11 wins while Kris Versteeg has supplied the offense with 15 goals to go along with Brian Campbell’s 22 assists. This is Dale Tallon’s second full season as general manager after arriving from the Chicago Blackhawks where he was a key contributor in the building of their 2010 Stanley Cup Championship team.

The most disappointing team by far in the east has been the Washington Capitals as the coaching change from Bruce Boudreau to Dale Hunter has yet to pay dividends and now fans are wondering if the roster led by superstar and franchise player Alex Ovechkin is as talented as advertised.

In the Western Conference, the Minnesota Wild have been a huge surprise in NHL betting as they lead the entire NHL in points. Close behind the Wild are traditional powers Detroit and Chicago and the surprising St. Louis Blues who have been red-hot since hiring Ken Hitchcock as their head coach. On the other side of the coin, a big disappointment has been the Los Angeles Kings, who fell to 12^th overall in the standings in the Western Conference and as a result fired coach Terry Murray. Murray is a solid hockey man who simply ran out of luck and time. The Kings were expected to make a run for first overall in the Western Conference and have yet to find a full time replacement for Murray, which may prove to be more difficult than expected. Much like Washington, the Kings are depending on superstar Anze Kopitar to lead them out of the wilderness.