NHL PLAYOFFS SERIES ODDS

1ST ROUND - 2008

After a long, hard, 82 game NHL season, the REAL season has finally arrived. The first round of the NHL playoffs. While betting on regular season games in the NHL can be a real challenge over the long haul, the playoffs are very different. The NHL playoffs provide betting opportunities that aren't there during the regular season that sharp bettors can take advantage of. One such opportunity, is betting on the winner of an NHL Playoff series.

In series betting, you can pick the winner of a series or you can go for an even bigger score and pick the exact number of games it takes to win the series. Betting the straight up winner of a series is the proposition we'll zero in on here.

One advantage of betting on a series, is that most sportsbooks post new odds after each game of the series has been played. So, for example, let's say in your mind, there is no way the Boston Bruins upset the Montreal Canadiens in round 1. The price on the Canadiens to win that series is a little too high to get involved. They are a -400 favorite. But let's say the Canadiens lose the first game. When the series odds are posted again the next day, the Canadiens may still be favored to win the series but the odds will be considerably less. In this case, it pays to sit back and wait and hope for some upsets in the opening games.

Betting on teams to win a series also provides opportunities to hedge your bets and lock in a guaranteed profit. For example, let's say you bet on the New Jersey Devils to beat the Rangers in their 1st round series. The price would be -105 on New Jersey, which means you bet $105 to win $100. If the Devils take the first game, their new adjusted series price will be much higher. Perhaps they would now become a -150 favorite to win the series. But the Rangers would now be +125 to win the series. You could now bet the Rangers to win the series, $100 to win $125. If the Rangers win, you pocket $20. If the Devils win, you lose nothing. (you can also bet so that you would make a profit no matter who wins)

Lastly, betting on a series at an adjusted price also lets you bail out on an original bet that you just don't feel comfortable about anymore. If you bet the Anaheim Mighty Ducks to beat the Dallas Stars and after the first game it becomes apparent to you that the Ducks aren't going to win, you can get off your original bet by now betting the Stars to win the series.

So, as you can see, there are all kinds of opportunities to bet on NHL Playoffs. Opportunities that just don't exist during the regular season. Here are the current odds for each 1st round quarter final series. Each is best of seven.