The 2012 NHL playoffs have Bodog handicappers entering a state of panic. Essentially, before the playoffs began, there were several marquee teams that it seemed were only in the first few rounds as a formality, before entering the conference championships and potentially the Stanley Cup final. However, now, as the first round of the playoffs finishes up, the odds of an all powerhouse championship have diminished. Today we will look at how the wild and whacky NHL playoff picture could unfold over the next few days. Before the playoffs began, if you had told us that the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Vancouver Canucks had already been eliminated, we would have called you crazy. As the first round comes to a conclusion by Thursday, it has the potential to be one of the most historic rounds, as along with those four teams, the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils and Chicago Blackhawks all have the potential to also be eliminated from Stanley Cup contention. What that translates too for bookie software users, is a second round of all underdog teams. In other words, the rest of the playoffs can’t get any wilder, because all of the favorites have been ousted in round one. Hypothetically, if the above scenario plays out, that would mean, that round two would be as follows: Eastern Conference round two playoffs would see the (3) Florida Panthers v (8) Ottawa Senators and the (5) Philadelphia Flyers v (7) Washington Capitals. Meanwhile in the Western Conference, round two would see the (2) St. Louis Blues v (8) Los Angeles Kings while (3) Phoenix Coyotes v (4) Nashville Predators. For all intents and purposes, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Nashville Predators would have the best odds of the eight remaining teams, as they were in the top 10 sportsbook review teams entering the playoffs. On the other hand, the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators would be the one series where the bookmakers would probably provide the ‘pick’ option when choosing a favorite. In essence, neither the Panthers nor Senators were expected to do very well this season, let alone make it to the second round of the playoffs. As a result, the bookies may be confused as to which team really deserves to be favored to go on to the third round. In the Western Conference, things are quite interesting, as by all accounts the Predators much like the Black Hawks should be a heavy favorite against Phoenix. On the other hand, the St. Louis Blues and LA Kings series could also find itself with the ‘pick’ option for determining a favorite. The reason we feel this way is the fact that St. Louis came out of nowhere to have a dream season this year. Meaning to say, much like the inexperienced Florida Panthers, everyone and their NHL scout uncle believed that the Blues wouldn’t make the playoffs, let alone get past San Jose. At the same time, the LA Kings should be an interesting pick, because of their inexperience. Yes they destroyed the Vancouver Canucks, but the Kings also haven’t been past the first round in 11 years. Can either team really put it all together or are they done by the third round?
