NHL 29-09-07

[edmondsj]

NHL is back!

Ducks @ kings

With the game in london, any opening night home advantage will be gone, so this will probably favour the ducks. Both teams come in wilth different squads and injuires, but the ducks should still have enough fire power to put a win on the board. The kings have a goaltending problem to start the season, not want you want against the champs. It will be close in imo so will be betting inc OT and SO. DUCKS

[cheekyboy10]

Also going for Anaheim, taking them outright though. The reasons being, LA last 2 preseason games were against European league teams, a vastly different style to Anaheims renound crash n bang style. Goaltending issues for LA remain, basically there choices for starter are a rookie or a man with half a seasons nhl experience, both have given up a lot of goals preseason while conversely Anaheim shut out Vancouver in their last preseason game.

Im doing an NHL blog this season, so my selection for that is ANAHIEM 60 MINS

[frankieknuckles]

Ducks will not repeat as Stanley Cup Champs this year as two of their principal game-breakers have retired.

Also expect them to lose today as R Carlyle is ill with influenza and their no 1 goalie JS Guigere did not make the trip.

LA has a talented squad of rookies and 2 full scoring lines. After being better prepared and acclimatized with some exhibition play against some very good euro teams, they should figure for the win.

[redbarron99]

I know it's early days, but been busy trying to figure out who may contend for this years' honours. Did o.k. last year, managing to have the Ducks as one of my two picks for the Stanley Cup (the other was the Sabres.) Fancy Rangers and Penguins to fight it out for supremacy in the Eastern Conference. I was very impressed with how the Rangers only narrowly lost to the Sabres last year and the addition of Chris Drury and Scott Gomez makes them an even more potent force this term.
In the West fancy the Sharks and Ducks to be the main protaganists, the loss of Selanne and Niedermayer (so far) giving the Sharks the edge for me. I used to watch Joe Thornton play for the Bruins back in the late 90,s and have always been a fan. I always seem to pick two choices for any U.S. sports bet i.e. Patriots and Chargers for this years Super Bowl.
Between Sharks and Rangers I slightly favour the Sharks to win it all, but it's early days. Already got my bet on Rangers at 16/1 and close to pulling the trigger on the Sharks.

[cheekyboy10]

Watching the game last nite i fully agree that the Ducks will not win the cup again. They missed Neidermeyer and Selanne something awful (what team wouldn't). As the commentator said last nite, "these players are hard to find and even harder to aquire"

New York Rangers have the ability to be scoring beasts this season with the pick ups of Gomez and Drury. Still question marks defensively though despite the continued stellar goaltending from Lundquist.

Ottawa have been playing well preseason, but i just feel last year was there big chance and they couldn't quite get there.

I see Stan James are doing Individual end of season titles online just now, obviously going for Crosby in the Art Ross (top pointscorer) who is getting better all the time with a small saver on Jagr who should thrive in the powerplay for the Rangers.

[frankieknuckles]

Result: LA Kings: 4, Anaheim Ducks: 1

Anaheim is still an awesome team with a solid coach, but the effects of 18hr jetlag cannot be underestimated. The Kings obviously had more invested in the victory, having arrived the week before and won exhibition games against some good national teams in Sweden and Germany.

As if to prove my point, The Ducks won the second game of the series on Sunday, also by a score of 4 -1.

[cheekyboy10]

i can't wait for Wednesday, losing far too much cash on pointless football bets!