Bizarro Stanley Cup
Ladies and gentlemen, your NHL finalists for 2005-06 are the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes.
This is truly a bizarre finish to what has been a very exciting season of hockey. The Oilers were the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, scrambling just to get into the postseason. The Hurricanes went from missing the playoffs two years running to representing the East as the No. 2 seeds, then survived series deficits against both Montreal and Buffalo to earn a shot at the Stanley Cup.
It?s not the script the NHL would have wanted written. Despite projected revenues of $2.1 billion, well over the $1.8-billion estimate in the league?s collective bargaining agreement, television ratings have been poor in the first year of its deal with NBC and OLN. Having two finalists that play in what are considered small markets is going to make things worse.
However, when it comes to the product on the ice, those who do watch are in for a treat. Both the Oilers and ?Canes have perfected the art of team hockey. Both clubs are also blessed with hot goaltending, plenty of scoring punch and some serious beef on the blueline. But there are enough significant differences to give supporters of both sides plenty of ammunition for debate.
The Hurricanes are easily the more veteran of the two teams. That isn?t necessarily a good thing now that the NHL?s rule changes have placed the emphasis on speed and skill. The Sabres built a 2-1 series lead in the East final and were skating circles around Carolina, but serious injuries on the blueline were Buffalo?s undoing. Even Rod Brind?Amour, the 36-year-old captain who scored the winning goal in Thursday?s Game 7 to eliminate the Sabres, said he had played poorly that night.
Carolina?s older players should have a better go of it against the Oilers. Although Edmonton is a youth-oriented club, there isn?t quite as much zip in the lineup as there is in Buffalo. The Oilers are more about physically punishing hockey, with enough scoring punch from players like Fernando Pisani (nine goals, tied with three others for the NHL playoff lead) to get the job done.
Even more important to Edmonton?s success is the fine play of goaltender Dwayne Roloson. The Oilers? quest for the Stanley Cup began in earnest back in March when they traded a first-round pick and a conditional draft pick to Minnesota to obtain Roloson. After some initial growing pains as a full-fledged No. 1 goalie, Roloson has blossomed in these playoffs, sporting a .931 save percentage ? only Anaheim?s Ilya Bryzgalov fared better between the pipes at .944, which was still not enough to survive Edmonton?s bruising style in the West final.
Carolina?s netminding situation isn?t so settled. Martin Gerber was very good in the regular season, but tired as spring approached and was yanked for Cam Ward after losing the first two games of the first round to the Canadiens. Ward excelled beyond expectations in downing both Montreal and New Jersey, but he, too, appeared to lose some of his mojo during the Sabres series. The Hurricanes at least have the luxury of going with whichever goalie has the hot hand; Edmonton will be lost if Roloson cannot keep up his stellar play.
Handicappers may perceive Carolina as having a slight edge when it comes to winning the Stanley Cup, but they recognize Edmonton as the better value at the pay window. The Oilers are 53-46 on the puckline, including regular season and playoffs, good for a profit of 10.3 units. The ?Canes are just 48-52, barely breaking even in earnings thanks to their comeback against the Sabres.
Playing the total instead of the spread or moneyline is generally more popular in hockey than any other sport. This year has thrown a bit of a monkey wrench into that pursuit. Where totals for the postseason traditionally sunk to 4 ? before the rule changes, this year we?re seeing a lot more instances where the total rises to 5 ? or six. Games have also swung from low-scoring affairs to red-light bonanzas. The UNDER is 9-6-2 for Edmonton since the start of the playoffs, with the total dropping from six during the Detroit series to five against Anaheim. The UNDER is 9-7-2 for Carolina, but was an even 3-3-1 against Buffalo with the total set at six.
Game 1 of what should be an entertaining series goes Monday in Raleigh, N.C., with Carolina holding home-ice advantage. The puck drops at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
---Perry
BetWWTS
Ladies and gentlemen, your NHL finalists for 2005-06 are the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes.
This is truly a bizarre finish to what has been a very exciting season of hockey. The Oilers were the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, scrambling just to get into the postseason. The Hurricanes went from missing the playoffs two years running to representing the East as the No. 2 seeds, then survived series deficits against both Montreal and Buffalo to earn a shot at the Stanley Cup.
It?s not the script the NHL would have wanted written. Despite projected revenues of $2.1 billion, well over the $1.8-billion estimate in the league?s collective bargaining agreement, television ratings have been poor in the first year of its deal with NBC and OLN. Having two finalists that play in what are considered small markets is going to make things worse.
However, when it comes to the product on the ice, those who do watch are in for a treat. Both the Oilers and ?Canes have perfected the art of team hockey. Both clubs are also blessed with hot goaltending, plenty of scoring punch and some serious beef on the blueline. But there are enough significant differences to give supporters of both sides plenty of ammunition for debate.
The Hurricanes are easily the more veteran of the two teams. That isn?t necessarily a good thing now that the NHL?s rule changes have placed the emphasis on speed and skill. The Sabres built a 2-1 series lead in the East final and were skating circles around Carolina, but serious injuries on the blueline were Buffalo?s undoing. Even Rod Brind?Amour, the 36-year-old captain who scored the winning goal in Thursday?s Game 7 to eliminate the Sabres, said he had played poorly that night.
Carolina?s older players should have a better go of it against the Oilers. Although Edmonton is a youth-oriented club, there isn?t quite as much zip in the lineup as there is in Buffalo. The Oilers are more about physically punishing hockey, with enough scoring punch from players like Fernando Pisani (nine goals, tied with three others for the NHL playoff lead) to get the job done.
Even more important to Edmonton?s success is the fine play of goaltender Dwayne Roloson. The Oilers? quest for the Stanley Cup began in earnest back in March when they traded a first-round pick and a conditional draft pick to Minnesota to obtain Roloson. After some initial growing pains as a full-fledged No. 1 goalie, Roloson has blossomed in these playoffs, sporting a .931 save percentage ? only Anaheim?s Ilya Bryzgalov fared better between the pipes at .944, which was still not enough to survive Edmonton?s bruising style in the West final.
Carolina?s netminding situation isn?t so settled. Martin Gerber was very good in the regular season, but tired as spring approached and was yanked for Cam Ward after losing the first two games of the first round to the Canadiens. Ward excelled beyond expectations in downing both Montreal and New Jersey, but he, too, appeared to lose some of his mojo during the Sabres series. The Hurricanes at least have the luxury of going with whichever goalie has the hot hand; Edmonton will be lost if Roloson cannot keep up his stellar play.
Handicappers may perceive Carolina as having a slight edge when it comes to winning the Stanley Cup, but they recognize Edmonton as the better value at the pay window. The Oilers are 53-46 on the puckline, including regular season and playoffs, good for a profit of 10.3 units. The ?Canes are just 48-52, barely breaking even in earnings thanks to their comeback against the Sabres.
Playing the total instead of the spread or moneyline is generally more popular in hockey than any other sport. This year has thrown a bit of a monkey wrench into that pursuit. Where totals for the postseason traditionally sunk to 4 ? before the rule changes, this year we?re seeing a lot more instances where the total rises to 5 ? or six. Games have also swung from low-scoring affairs to red-light bonanzas. The UNDER is 9-6-2 for Edmonton since the start of the playoffs, with the total dropping from six during the Detroit series to five against Anaheim. The UNDER is 9-7-2 for Carolina, but was an even 3-3-1 against Buffalo with the total set at six.
Game 1 of what should be an entertaining series goes Monday in Raleigh, N.C., with Carolina holding home-ice advantage. The puck drops at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
---Perry
BetWWTS
