Top 3 NHL Playoff Disappointments for 2010

The 2010 NHL betting in the playoffs is as interesting as the 2010 World Cup betting. The teams that are supposed to win cannot get the job done, and we are left wondering how some of the elite teams will figure into next year’s Stanley Cup betting. Let’s take a look at the three biggest disappointments for the 2010 NHL playoffs, and what these teams have to do to redeem themselves in 2010-2011.

Washington Capitals

As you bet on Blackhawks Flyers games in this year’s Stanley Cup finals, you have to wonder why the Washington Capitals are not there. The Capitals got side-tracked by a lot of things in the 2010 playoffs, but fixing their problems can be complicated.

One of the Capitals biggest assets is fiery forward Alex Ovechkin, and one of the Capitals biggest liabilities is fiery forward Alex Ovechkin. As it gets down to crunch time, the entire Capitals team is constantly looking to get Ovechkin the puck, or they stand around trying to see what Ovechkin will do next. Ovechkin is the polar opposite of a team player, and until he starts believing in the talent of his teammates the Capitals will be in trouble.

The other problem for the Capitals is in net. Jose Theodore is a good goalie, but if he was a playoff caliber goalie then the Canadiens may have kept him. Theodore was awful in the playoffs, and was pulled in lieu of Semyon Varlamov in game two of the first round. Varlamov got the team rolling in the playoffs, and then the Capitals just could not score on the Canadiens. In order for the Capitals to win in 2010-2011, Varlamov needs to be healthy all season long and be in the nets for the beginning of the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Penguins

How much longer are the Penguins going to cling to the illusion that Marc-Andre Fleury is a playoff goaltender? With a roster that includes players such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal, you would expect the Penguins to win their second Stanley Cup in two years. But when the team needed the goaltender to close the door, he could not.

All of the Crosby nay-sayers need to wake up and look at the games that were played between the Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Crosby had 19 points in the playoffs, better than a point a game, and did everything he could to push the team into the next round. The Penguins were undone by terrible goaltending, and until they fix that problem they will have trouble getting their championship back.

San Jose Sharks

What keeps happening to the Sharks in the playoffs after they consistently have one of the best regular season records in hockey? The problem for the Sharks is that they cannot score in the playoffs. When the crunch was on in the Western Conference finals against the Chicago Blackhawks, top San Jose guns Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley were nowhere to be found. Joe Thornton was neutralized by being double-teamed wherever he was on the ice, and he was powerless to help the Sharks win.

Marleau’s contract is up this season and the Sharks would do well to let him go. The Sharks need to surround Joe Thornton with young talent that has size and speed just like Thornton has. Thornton does not have many years left, so if the Sharks want to win the Stanley Cup they need to make some changes and bring in some new offensively-capable players now.

World Cup Betting – One Favorite, One Darkhorse In South African Final

When placing a World Cup bet, it’s good to spread your wings and not put all your eggs in one basketball. This list of five teams to watch at the World Cup in South Africa when the tournament starts on June 11th includes a few favorites, and a couple of darkhorses who will be looking to make it interesting.

Spain (+425): The underachieving Spanish come into this tournament as the favorites after their 2008 win in the European championships, but they have a few injuries to worry about, like Fernando Torres, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas. Spain will hope to have Torres healthy, because with David Villa, the Spanish could have the best strike pairing in the tournament. But injuries could be their downfall, so beware of Spain.

Brazil (+450): Everyone is saying how Brazil isn’t an exciting attacking threat anymore, and maybe they’re not. But Dunga has the Brazilians playing excellent counterattacking soccer, and if it brings them a sixth World Cup, there will be few complaints. Kaka will be counted on to play better than he did in his first year at Real Madrid, while Luis Fabiano is their most dangerous striker.

Argentina (+675): The Argentineans struggled during qualification, and some of the decisions made by manager Diego Maradona haven’t been as sound as the decisions he made when he was leading Argentina to the World Cup in 1986. But he has a wealth of talent at his disposal, especially up front as Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain and Diego Milito are the deepest group of strikers in the tournament. They are the World Cup Group B betting
favorites to get to the second round, and Argentina could ride the wave all the way to the final.

Germany (+1400): The Germans have made it to the quarterfinals in each World Cup since 1978, but they were dealt a couple of severe blows as captain Michael Ballack and No.1 keeper Rene Adler will miss the tournament through injury. Now, the pressure is on Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger to carry the flag, as they were supposed to lead the country when Ballack retired after this tournament. Germany is still a serious threat when you bet soccer online.

Portugal (+2600): The odds are long, and like Argentina they struggled in qualification, but Portugal has as much talent as anyone in the World Cup, led by captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who had a brilliant debut at Real Madrid. The man who replaced him at Manchester United, Nani, is another player who will be counted on in South Africa along with Simao, while Portugal’s defense is underrated. They’re in the “Group of Death” with Brazil and the Ivory Coast, but that will only strengthen them for a long World Cup run.

Online betting picks: Argentina +675, Portugal +2600

Castroneves Attempts To Four-Peat

The top sports betting IndyCar racing teams in the world have converged on Indianapolis this week in anticipation of the upcoming Indianapolis 500, as the field was established for the 94th installment of the epic race. The 500-mile race is scheduled for May 30th, but there has been significant build up to the event since practice runs opened at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this past Saturday, with last year’s winner Helio Castroneves the first to make his way on to the track just weeks before the World Cup betting.

Castroneves drove his Team Penske car to a 226.603 mile per hour finish in his opening practice run, setting the pace for the day with the best time, a feat that he would repeat on Sunday driving to a 227.046 time. The 35-year old opened in the inside position in the front row a year ago and was able to convert it in to a trip to victory lane. A three-time Indy 500 winner, Castroneves can put himself in excellent position to win in consecutive years for the second time in his career, and be just the fourth racer to become a four-time champion at Indianapolis, if he can finish the time trial week strong.

The Brazilian soccer betting fan will need to out-wheel one of the most competitive projected classes in the history of the race in order to win, with five different teams represented in the top five in the speed chart as of Wednesday. The top 21 drivers were separated by just .5755 of a second, and after the 2009 Indy 500 was the closest finishing field of all-time, this year may be the quickest turnover between the record ever.

A big part of that competition will be from five female racers, who will look to establish the largest starting field of female racers in the history of the Indy 500. Rookies Brazilian Ana Beatriz and Switzerland’s Simona De Silvestro, Milka Duno, the first female to secure the pole position at an Indy Car Sarah Fisher, and the first female to ever win an Indy Car race, Danica Patrick. Never before have women played such a prominent role in race-car driving, and with the influx of new talent and the level of competition at which they are able to drive, this race could make its mark in history for its diversity.

Scott Dixon has followed up his outstanding performance at the IZOD IndyCar Series at Kansas with excellent lap times in the opening Indy 500 betting practice sessions. Dixon finished ninth a year ago, despite leading for 73 laps. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver finished with a top time trial run of 226.549 MPH during Tuesday’s run. Will Power finished twelfth at Kansas, the first time this season that he has failed to either finish first or clinch the pole position in any of the first five races. The number-12 car will need a much better performance to have any chance of clinching a victory at Indianapolis, especially after another top performer, Dario Franchitti, captured the third spot pole position at Kansas, and ended up placing second in an excellent lead up to this weekend’s race.

Dover Next Destination For Sprint Cup Series

If there is one driver that deserves the title of being the most dominant so far since NASCAR betting made the move from using the rear wing on the back of its car back to the traditional spoiler, it would be Denny Hamlin. Following Jimmie Johnson’s three wins in four races to close out the rear wing era, Hamlin has won three of six races to move all the way up to sixth in the Sprint Cup Series standings. Wins at Martinsville, Texas, and Darlington have lifted the 11-car to within 14 points of the top five, right on the tail of Roush Fenway Racing driver Matt Kenseth.

Kenseth will need to be better heading in to this weekend’s online betting race at Dover International Speedway if he is going to have any chance of maintaining or improving his position in the SCS standings. Kenseth hasn’t placed in the top-ten in any of his past four starts, with a sixth place finish at the Subway Fresh Fit 600 the last of his six top-tens this season. While Hamlin has excelled since the move to the spoiler, the 17-car’s numbers before and after the move are the most clear indication of his struggles since the adjustment was made. Consider that each of Kenseth’s top-ten finishes came in six of the first seven races of the season, and that consecutive 13^th place results are his best finishes since, and it becomes clear that he and crew chief Drew Blickensderfer will need to make adjustments to the new feel of the car.

One driver who can’t seem to figure out what adjustments must be made in order to elevate him to his first win of the 2010 season is Jeff Gordon. Gordon has finished in the top-five in the SCS standings in consecutive weeks, and five times overall, but has failed to capture the checkered flag in any of the first 11 races. One year after finishing third in the standings, Gordon finds himself in a similar situation early on in the season, and will need to get over the hump of finishing good and not great at the NASCAR Dover betting race in order to avoid being a runner-up again in 2010.

One of the men that Gordon is chasing is the same one he has chased for nearly half a decade in the points standings, in Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson. The four-time defending SCS champion is another driver that has struggled since the move to the rear spoiler, but remains in second only to points leader Kevin Harvick. Harvick holds a 110-point lead over Johnson atop the standings after four straight top-five finishes, including an outstanding effort at Darlington most recently, in which he came all the way from his starting position in 35^th place to finish sixth overall. Harvick has undoubtedly been the most consistent driver this season, finishing in the top-ten in eight of 11 starts, and will look to continue his dominance this weekend at Dover, ahead of the World Cup predictions.

NASCAR Betting – Darkhorses To Watch At Darlington

Preakness Stakes betting players are always looking for longer odds, only if they have a decent shot at winning, and NASCAR betting players will be doing the same for the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Saturday night. Even though the smart play is seven-time Darlington winner Jeff Gordon, here are a few drivers to consider if you’re feeling risky.

NASCAR Betting – Saturday, May 8, 7:30 PM ET

Greg Biffle (+2000): Biffle is the only driver on this list who has won in Darlington, in fact, he has two checkered flags from this race in 2005 and 2006 under his belt. The No.16 driver has led laps in four of the last five races at Darlington, including a race-high 117 laps in last year’s race, although he faded to eighth by the end, and his starting average of 8.2 is second only to Jeff Gordon, which gives him a good start.

Juan Pablo Montoya (+2500): In three trips to Darlington, Montoya has never finished in the top 10, but he has three top-six finishes in his last four starts overall, and he knows that he needs to keep this run going if he wants any shot at making the Chase. Montoya is like Phoenix in Spurs Suns betting: wildly talented, and not defensive enough sometimes, but getting closer to a win.

Kasey Kahne (+2500): Kahne has won the pole three times in seven trips to Darlington, which he has converted into a pair of top-10 finishes, although he led 45 laps in last year’s 23rd-place result. The No.9 driver is coming off two straight 21st-place finishes, but Darlington is one of his best tracks, so expect a breakout day from Kahne.

Joey Logano (+3000): Rookies aren’t supposed to do well at Darlington, but Logano credits this race as the time when he started to put it all together in 2009. Logano started fifth here last year, and held on for a ninth-place finish even leading 19 laps along the way. After a couple of tough runs at Texas and Talladega, the No.20 driver had a decent 16th-place run at Richmond last week, and all he needs to do is be consistent to put himself in a position for his second Sprint Cup win.

Ryan Newman (+3000): Newman racked up another top-10 at Richmond, one of his favorite tracks, and he’s also a fan of Darlington, where he has six top-fives and an average of 12.5 in 11 races here. Newman, like all of these drivers except for Biffle, is racing hard for a spot in the Chase, and he needs to build off his solid run at Richmond if he wants to have an online betting chance of winning the title.

NBA Betting – Go with home teams on Tuesday

NBA playoff betting players know that some teams just struggle against other teams, especially on the road, and Tuesday’s matchups will be prime examples of this concept as Atlanta and Orlando kick off their second-round series, while the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz will square off for Game 2 of their Western series.

Hawks vs Magic odds – Tuesday, May 4, 8:00 PM ET

The Magic will be the favorites in this contest against their Southeast Division rivals, who have a quick turnaround after a seven-game win over Milwaukee in their first-round series. The Magic have been off for eight days after sweeping Charlotte, despite a poor series from Dwight Howard. The Magic won three of four against the Hawks this season, and Atlanta has lost seven of their last 10 in Orlando. Howard dominated the Hawks during the regular season, and the Magic need him on the floor if they’re going to get back to the Eastern Conference finals. The Magic may be worried about rust, but they should be more worries about the duo of Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford, who shook out of his shooting slump late in the Milwaukee series. On the other hand, the Hawks will have to deal with Jameer Nelson, who torched Charlotte. We’re taking the Magic at home in our sportsbetting book, because Atlanta just isn’t a good team away from home.

Jazz vs Lakers odds – Tuesday, May 4, 10:30 PM ET

The Lakers survived a fourth-quarter Utah run in their 104-99 win over the Jazz at home in Game 1, and now the Jazz have lost 15 in a row at the Staples Center (against the Lakers, anyway). Kobe Bryant had 11 of his 31 points in the final 12 minutes, while the Jazz got 24 points and eight assists from Deron Williams. The Lakers’ bench played terrible in Game 1, and NBA betting players know crucial they were to last year’s run to the championship. The Los Angeles subs actually lost the Lakers’ fourth-quarter lead before Bryant and Pau Gasol, who had 25 points and 12 boards, took over. Phil Jackson’s decision to put Ron Artest on Williams worked at times, but he may be better off putting Bryant, who played extremely well defensively on Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook in the later parts of the first-round series, on the Utah point guard who has lit up the postseason so far. Artest keeps Willams from posting up, which he likes to do with smaller guards like the Lakers’ Derek Fisher, but he also exploited his quickness advantage against Artest, and that’s something that the Lakers will have to watch for. The Jazz just don’t seem to have any luck when visiting the Lakers, and it’s tough to think that their streak will end in the playoffs, especially as the Lakers are 4-0 so far in the postseason. Go with the NBA championship betting favorites, the Lakers, on Tuesday.

Roma and Barcelona managed to go one step further in finding the Title

With their respective victories against Parma and Villarreal, Roma and Barcelona managed to go one step further in finding the title and also pressure the Inter Milan and Real Madrid to win or winning their respective matches in the date.

Roma managed to regain the top of the online football betting Serie A after the victory over visiting Parma 2-1 in one of the two parties developed in the penultimate date in Italy.

The Romans arrived in 74 points, while Inter Milan, who play today against the visiting Lazio, with one point less, so you're bound to win.

Despite not playing well and being dominated by Parma, the capital's pure managed backlash annotations, through their captain Francesco Totti to 5 'and Rodrigo Taddei to 75 minutes. For discounted Jonathan Biabiany Parma 81 '.

Inter are now required to defeat a Lazio still has not quite clear their stay in Serie A, so it will not be delivered easily in your field.

In the last two dates, Cagliari and Roma will visit close to the Chiveo Verona, for its part, the Inter Milan will face Chievo at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium and will close on a visit to the Siena, the penultimate in the table.

Revenge. For its part, Spain, Barcelona leader managed to forget his setback on Wednesday when he was out of the online sports betting Champions League against Inter, and yesterday as visitors Villarreal thrashed 1-4.

The Catalans downloaded all his fury at a Villarreal that seemed to come at a better time, but a double from Argentine Lionel Messi (19 ', 88'), plus entries by Xavi Hernandez (34 ') and Bojan Krkic (42 ') helped him to strengthen his lead.

With three dates for closure of the tournament, the club is now expanding the lead in the table to four points (90), which requires the Real Madrid (86) to win their meeting today at home to Osasuna, if you want keep intact the option of lifting the title in Spain.

Something similar exists in England, where the absence of two dates for the end of the Premier League, Chelsea leads with a point ahead of Manchester United.

Both teams now have a difficult journey. Chelsea face Liverpool, looking for a ticket to the Champions League, while ManU is measured at West Ham, relegation-threatened.

The only one that smiles is Bayern Munich, who yesterday beat Bochum 3-1 and secured the championship vituale as Schalke lost and left with three points and a goal difference for 17, failing a date.