The Buffalo Sabres downed the New York Rangers in game 6 of the Eastern Conference semis today and I’ll I can say is thanks.

This series was electrifying. It’s the kind of hockey that you want to see in the playoffs. Today’s game was offensive in nature and the perfect cap to a great series. How about those 4 goals by the Sabres in the 2nd period?

We almost got to see some more OT action from these two teams.

We’re closing in on the Stanley Cup, but you can still bet NHL futures at most sportsbooks. This morning, I decided to visit a couple sportsbooks to see what the lines were like and if there was any value left.

If you think the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, or Anaheim Mighty Ducks are going to win the Stanley Cup—or even be in the finals—there’s no value playing the futures. All three of these teams pay poorly—+260 to +310 on average. That’s not great considering each of these teams—after advancing this round—has to play another series and then cap it off by winning yet another series.

Justin Williams (Carolina Hurricanes) came into last night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lighting with 0 goals on the season. He got off the snide in a big way. Williams had three goals—the ol’ Hat Trick—and an assist last night. Also scoring for the Hurricanes were Ron Brind’Amour and Eric Belanger. More importantly, the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Lighting 5-1.

Hockey Betting - The Carolina Hurricanes are still showing a bagel in the win column. Tonight they played their fourth game of the season and it got ugly. Tonight’s loss came at the hands of the Florida Panthers. The game looked pretty good after the first period. Just past the midway point in the first period Eric Belanger scored, which tied the score 1-1.

Week one of the NHL, which was a short week, is over. Despite there only being a few games played, there are already some surprises and calls for alarm. Fox Sports has issued their week one power rankings for the NHL and we are going to take a quick peak. Since this is week one, this is part one in the series. Each week we will take a look at the power rankings to see how teams progress.

The 2006-07 NHL season is upon us. It’s going to be packed with loads of hard hitting action and tight games. We are three games into the season and there have already been some great games. Today, I’m going to run down some of the standings and provide my NHL playoff selections.

Evgeni Malkin, widely considered the top player in the world by many signed his first NHL contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, slightly more than three weeks after ‘escaping’ his Russian team and making a secret trip to the United States.

Today and arbitrator awarded $675,000 to center Adam Mair. The Sabres and Mair went into arbitration as many are doing this off-season. Since the deal is under $1.4 million, the Sabres must accept the award by the arbitrator. The payroll of the Sabres continues to climb and they have other arbitration issues to decide.

Ladislav Nagy and the Phoenix Coyotes agreed to a one year deal today. The deal is worth $3 million and was decided by an arbitrator. According to GM Michael Barnett, the team really wants a multiyear deal with Ladislav Nagy, but they are willing to take this one year deal for now.

The Kings and Sean Avery have come to terms on a one year deal for next season. The deal is worth $1.1 million. By doing this deal, the Kings will avoid arbitration. Avery is known as a bad boy, on and off the ice. Speculation is that this deal included some strict guidelines to help curb his behavior. He’s had issues with following team orders in the past. The Kings are not so sure that is behind him.