[EdV38]

Even money? Is this a joke?

Craig Anderson is kind of a late bloomer. He's no Fleury or Mason but spending most of the time as a backup last year and a hot start this year has netted him a 21-8 record. Why wouldn't you jump on a guy who's won over 2/3 of his game at home against a team that will be in a dog fight for a playoff spot this year?

Their #1 line is solid. Stastny was a writeoff last year thanks to his injury problems and I think is a forgotten star in the making by many. Adding Hedjuk to the line has enabled Wolski to be more effective than he normally would.

I like their grinders like Quincey, Tucker and McLeod who can score as well as play intense hockey and this O'Reilly kid looks to have some real talent, a great 2nd round choice. Their 2nd and 3rd liners will outmatch Carolina's aging lines.

Meanwhile Carolina has been burned badly, especially on the road where Ward has been ineffective so far this year. If you take away the 7-2 game against bottom feeders Florida they have been outscored 11-24 thus far in their games and haven't won outside their division.

My bet is on Colorado for a 1.91 return.

[EdV38]

Damn. Budaj is in the net tomorrow. That definitely throws a wild card into this game but I'm still very confident Colorado can take Carolina. Perhaps that's why the lines are so good right now. He's being saved for Detroit on Saturday. You can take a guess which team I am leaning on for that game