Injuries test Detroit Red Wings' depth
Just as the case is with other sports, NHL cappers have to keep abreast of injuries if they want to make the very best decisions with their wagers. Smart bettors know that Detroit is missing Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filipula, leaving little depth behind Pavel Datsyuk while the New Jersey Devils will be missing the unheralded Paul Martin for another month or more while he nurses a broken arm.
There are certain qualities you look for in an NHL player. Having bones made of titanium is a good start.
Make no mistake: Playing hockey is traumatic to the human body. It isn’t just the contact nature of the sport, nor the culture of violence that surrounds it. The players themselves are getting bigger and stronger every year, while the North American rink remains a tiny 200 feet-by-85 feet.
Consider Gordie Howe at a sturdy 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds in his prime with the Detroit Red Wings; fifty years later, Todd Bertuzzi patrols the right wing at 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds.
Naturally, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Bertuzzi’s career has been limited by back, leg and knee injuries. And at age 34, his level of production (two goals in 15 games) is lower than what Howe accomplished at age 52 (15 goals in 80 games).
But there was a time when Bertuzzi was a top-line forward for the Vancouver Canucks, and there was simply no replacing him on the days when he was injured – or suspended.
This is where handicappers jump in. The NHL has a very low profile as a betting sport; the betting public and the books themselves are operating at a significant knowledge deficit compared to football. They’re not likely to properly evaluate the impact of a player lost to injury. They might not even be aware that the Red Wings are missing forwards Johan Franzen (knee) and Valtteri Filppula (wrist). With very little depth up the middle behind Pavel Datsyuk, the Wings are off to a 7-5-3 start at 3-12 ATS, or 7.37 units in the hole.
With that in mind, here are some other important injuries to keep an eye on this month.
Marc Savard, Boston Bruins: The Bruins are known more for Vezina winner Tim Thomas in goal, but Savard (25 goals, 63 assists last year) is their best skater and their top-line center. He’s missed the last
Nine games with a broken foot, during which the Bruins went 4-3-2 to sit at 7-7-2 (7-9 ATS, -0.44 units) on the season. Boston is also missing center David Krejci to the H1N1 virus, although he might be back Tuesday night against the Penguins (7:00 p.m. ET, Versus).
Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks looked like they were in rough shape without their best skater, who took a puck off the foot a month ago and hasn’t played since. But they’ve stayed competitive at 10-8 (11-7 ATS, 3.28 units), and Sedin is expected to rejoin the lineup any day now. He was Vancouver’s top goal scorer each of the past three seasons.
The Canucks also expect goalie Roberto Luongo (ribs) to return as soon as Tuesday night (8:00 p.m. ET) against the St. Louis Blues. Andrew Raycroft (.936 save percentage) was surprisingly effective in relief this past week.
Ed Jovanovski, Phoenix Coyotes: Jovanovski’s profile has dimmed somewhat during his four-year stay in the desert, but he’s still a very capable blueliner on a team that is built on defense. Jovanovski suffered a mysterious “lower-body injury” on Thursday and missed Saturday’s 4-3 loss at Anaheim. The ‘Yotes are also minus defenseman Zbynek Michalek to an undisclosed lower-body injury. The betting odds aren’t likely to be kind to Phoenix as long as their rearguard is down.
Paul Martin, New Jersey Devils: The red-hot Devils (11-4 SU, 8-7 ATS, 2.41 units) are more than just Martin Brodeur in goal. But it might take some Brodeur heroics to keep New Jersey in the black this month.
Paul Martin, the club’s top defenseman, is out for another month or so with a broken forearm, joining No. 2 blueliner Johnny Oduya (lower body) in the press box. Martin and Oduya were each a plus-21 for the Devils last year; Martin also quarterbacked the power play and led the team with 24:22 of ice time per game. The fact that these players are skating in Brodeur’s shadow makes their absence even more valuable to handicappers.
Injuries test Detroit Red Wings' depth
