The young but hungry Pittsburgh Penguins bounced back from being down 2 games to nothing in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals Tuesday night to beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-2. These same two teams battled it out in last years Stanley Cup Finals with the Red Wings coming out on top. The Penguins did not start off the series on the right foot or skate depending how you want to look at it; losing the first two games on the road in Detroit. The City of Detroit may not have a lot to cheer about during the NFL football season (the Lions went 0-16) but they love their Red Wings.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a talented young team that sports two of the best hockey players in the league in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

The City of Pittsburgh is used to cheering for Champions. The Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL won their 6th Super Bowl this past February over the Arizona Cardinals. Although the Pittsburgh Pirates of MLB have been stinking it up for past two decades the Penguins and Steelers have kept the sports fans happy in Pittsburgh.

Tuesday night in Pittsburgh was no exception to the rule. The Penguins got off the ice well and after the first 10 minutes had 1-0 lead compliments of Max Talbot. From that point on however the Red Wings got stingy with the puck.

After 30 minutes the Detroit had out shot the Penguins 26-11 and were all tied up 2-2. Some sports enthusiasts like to make a big deal about who attempts the most shots. This is crazy. Hockey is no different than the NFL or the NBA. It’s all about scoring. In the NFL the quarterback may throw for 500 yards but if those yards don’t result in points than they are only statistics. In the NBA your team may outshoot the opponent but unless those shots result in baskets and points they are nothing but shots. In the NHL you can attempt to put the puck in the net as many times as you like but if it misses the mark it is nothing more than a missed shot.

Tuesday night in Pittsburgh the Penguins did not want to fall behind 3 games to 0 to a rock solid team like the Detroit Red Wings. Matt Cooke the Penguins forward did a good job of keeping his feet moving in the 3rd period and forced an interference call and Pittsburgh added the go ahead goal with the power play. The Penguins star forward Evgeni Malkin has been the fire starter in Pittsburgh all throughout the series. He would help set up all but one of the 4 goals the Penguins would finish the game with. Luck or something did not click for the Penguins in the first two games but that changed in game 3. Pittsburgh found themselves with 3 power play opportunities and rung the bell with 2 of them.

Now the Penguins have to gear up for game 4 in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. If they can build on their momentum the Penguins can make this series interesting. There are strong signs that the power play is back and although the Red Wings were swinging away they only manages to sneak 2 of 29 shots by Penguin goalie Fleury. The Red Wings on the other hand will have to try to recapture the heart they showed in the first 2 games in Detroit. The Red Wings would like to get this thing over with but the Penguins are not ready to give it up.

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The NHL’s whirlwind playoffs are winding down and now set for the Stanley Cup Finals to begin this weekend.

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The action is sure to be explosive and speculation is at an all time high regarding every possible scenario in a rematch of last year’s final between the Pens and Wings. This being the case the largest most successful sportsbook on the web, BetUS.com, posted odds on every possible angle!

Oddsmakers at BetUS.com posted the following odds on the Stanley Cup Finals:

Series Price:

• Pittsburgh Penguins  6/5
• Detroit Red Wings  2/3

Game 1 Odds:

Team	Puckline	Moneyline	Total
Pittsburgh	+1.5 (6/13)	7/5	O 5.5 (4/5)
Detroit	-1.5 (7/4)	5/8	U 5.5 (21/20)

Trophies and Presentation

Odds to Win the Conn Smythe:

• Sidney Crosby  5/1
• Evgeni Malkin  11/2
• Nik Lidstrom  6/1
• Johan Franzen  9/1
• Henrik Zetterberg  8/1
• Marc-Andre Fleury  8/1
• Chris Osgood  13/2
• Bill Guerin  12/1
• Valtteri Filppula  15/1
• Daniel Cleary  12/1
• Chris Kunitz  13/1
• Sergei Gonchar  15/1
• Marion Hossa  12/1
• Pavel Datsyuk  10/1
• Field  9/1

Who will the MVP thank first?

• Teammates  1/1
• Owner  9/4
• Family  10/1
• Gary Bettman  14/1
• Sponsor  20/1
• God  17/1
• Does not thank anyone  25/1

Historical Props

Reference:

• Gretzky   (7p – 4g-3a) 1984
• Messier   (4p – 3g-1a) 1984
• Gretzky   (11p – 7g4a) 1985
• Messier   (6p – 2g4a) 1985
• Lemieux   (12p – 5g7a) 1991
• Jagr   (5p – 0g5a) 1991

Who will finish with more points in the series?

• Sidney Crosby  5/6
• Evgeni Malkin  5/6

Which Stanley Cup finals points total will be higher?

• Sidney Crosby(2009)  7/5
• Mario Lemieux (1991)  5/9

Which combined Stanley Cup finals points total will be higher?

• Crosby/Malkin (2009)  10/11
• Jagr/Lemieux (1991)  10/13

Which Stanley Cup points total will be higher?

• Wayne Gretzky (1984)  10/11
• Sidney Crosby (2009)  10/13

Which combined Stanley Cup points total will be higher?

• Gretzky/Messier (1985)  5/6
• Crosby/Malkin (2009)  5/6

TV Ratings

Which Country will average a higher number of viewers?

• Canada  10/11
• USA  10/13

Which City will have the highest single game TV rating?

• Pittsburgh  10/13
• Detroit  10/11

Which Stanley Cup Ratings will be higher? (per game average)

• 2008  10/11
• 2009  10/13

On the Ice

Who will be the finals leading goal scorer?

• Sidney Crosby  3/1
• Evgeni Malkin  3/1
• Johan Franzen  9/2
• Henrik Zetterberg  5/1
• Daniel Cleary  8/1
• Ruslan Fedotenko  10/1
• Bill Guerin  12/1
• Marion Hossa  12/1
• Mikael Samuelsson  15/1
• Nicklas Lidstrom  12/1
• Field  8/1

Who will be the finals leading point getter?

• Evgeni Malkin  7/2
• Sidney Crosby  7/2
• Johan Franzen  11/2
• Henrik Zetterberg  11/2
• Valtteri Filppula  8/1
• Nicklas Lidstrom  9/1
• Sergei Gonchar  10/1
• Daniel Cleary  12/1
• Bill Guerin  12/1
• Chris Kunitz  12/1
• Ruslan Fedotenko  15/1
• Marion Hossa  15/1
• Field  8/1

Who will be the first Penguin to drop gloves?

• Kris Letang  4/1
• Matt Cooke  4/1
• Bill Guerin  7/1
• Max Talbot  7/1
• Jordan Staal  8/1
• Hal Gill  8/1
• Sidney Crosby  10/1
• Evgeni Malkin  13/1
• Field  2/1

Will will be the first Red Wing to drop the gloves?

• Niklas Kronwall  3/1
• Jonathan Ericsson  6/1
• Tomas Holmstrom  10/1
• Brian Rafalski  4/1
• Brad Stuart  5/1
• Kirk Maltby  9/1
• Chris Chelios  13/1
• Field  2/1

Will there be a fight in the Stanley Cup Finals?

• Yes  5/9
• No  7/5

Will a goalie get a point in the Finals?

• Yes  10/1
• No  1/20

Team with most penalties in the series:

• Detroit Red Wings  10/13
• Pittsburgh Penguins  10/11

First goalie to get a penalty:

• Marc-Andre Fleury  1/2
• Chris Osgood  3/2

Which team will have the best Penalty Kill?

• Detroit Red Wings  11/10
• Pittsburgh Penguins  2/3

Which team will have the best Power Play?

• Detroit Red Wings  5/9
• Pittsburgh Penguins  7/5

First team to score a Power Play goal:

• Detroit Red Wings  2/3
• Pittsburgh Penguins  11/10

Will there be a Shorthanded Goal scored in the series?

• Yes  10/1

Will a backup goalie win a game in the series??

• Yes  7/1

How many games will go to overtime?

• Over 1.5  1/1
• Under 1.5  5/7

What will be the longest OT game?

• 1 Period  5/6
• 2 Periods  10/11
• 3 Periods  3/1

Will there be a hat trick scored in the series?

• Yes  3/1
• No  1/5

Odds and Ends

Will the Stanley Cup be dropped during the skate around?

• Yes  20/1

Will the winner of the 2009 cup win in 2010?

• Yes  4/1

Will the anthem singer in any game forget the words?

• Yes  5/1

Will the anthem singer slip and fall?

• Yes  4/1

Will an Octopus be thrown on the ice in Pittsburgh?

• Yes  3/1

Will an Octopus be thrown on the ice in Detroit?

• Yes  1/8
• No  16/1

Will Joe Biden attend a finals game?

• Yes  5/2
• No  1/4

Will Bill Cowher attend a game in a Red Wings jersey?

• Yes  8/1

Odds on number of panes of glass that get broken by a shot:

• Over 1.5  10/11
• Under 1.5  10/13

Sports and Newsworthy odds can be found at BetUs.com!

It is time for outdoor NHL hockey again on Thursday, this time from historic Wrigley Field in Chicago as the Blackhawks play the Detroit Red Wings. The NHL has tried this outdoor experiment twice in the past and the ratings and the interest has been excellent. The first game was played in Edmonton back in 2003 when over 51,000 fans saw the Oilers play the Montreal Canadiens. The other matchup was last year in Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium as Sidney Crosby scored in overtime to give the Penguins the win over the Sabres. An NHL-record crowd of 71,217 was on hand for the game played in the snow. It was the highest rated regular season game in the U.S. since 1996.

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Detroit Red Wings (24-7-5) at Chicago Blackhawks (20-7-7) *Wrigley Field*
Thursday, 1:05 pm Eastern – NBC

The Hockey betting Winter Classic is likely to continue in the future as the NHL has purchased advanced ice-making systems and a number of cities have expressed an interest in hosting the game. Detroit, Boston, New York, Toronto and Montreal have all shown an interest.

Thursday’s game between the Blackhawks and Red Wings will mark the 701st meeting between the teams. It is the back end of a home and home series between the two teams. Detroit routed Chicago 4-0 at home on Tuesday. Goaltender Ty Conklin got the shutout and he will get the start on Thursday. Coincidently, Conklin was in goal in the previous two outdoor games. He was with the Oilers in 2003 and with the Penguins last year.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. Both team realize the importance of it,” Conklin said. “It’s more than a run of the mill regular-season game.”

Here are the Hockey betting stats for Thursday’s game. The Red Wings are 38-16 in their last 54 overall. The Red Wings are 1-5 in their last 6 road games. The Red Wings are 9-4 in the last 13 meetings in Chicago

The Blackhawks are 9-1 in their last 10 overall. The Blackhawks are 16-5 in their last 21 home games. The Blackhawks are 12-26 in their last 38 Thursday games. The Blackhawks are 2-7 in their last 9 vs. the Central.

The Under is 4-0-1 in the Blackhawks last 5 overall. The Over is 8-3-1 in the Blackhawks last 12 home games. The Over is 5-2 in the Blackhawks last 7 vs. the Central.

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