BEHIND THE LINES: Ducks given a chance to repeat

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BEHIND THE LINES

Ducks given a chance to repeat

They're not the choice to win it all, but they are favored against Dallas in the first round.

By Lonnie White
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

April 9, 2008

It has been a decade since the NHL had a team repeat as Stanley Cup champion and most Las Vegas oddsmakers give the Ducks a good chance of ending that drought this season.

The Detroit Red Wings, who had the league's best record during the regular season, are the consensus favorites at 3-1, followed by the San Jose Sharks, who are listed at 9-2, according to Bodoglife.com.

Then comes the Ducks, who are grouped with the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins on most sportsbooks with odds ranging from 6-1 to 10-1.

Although the Ducks are not the overall favorite, they have a decent chance of matching Detroit's back-to-back championship teams of 1997 and 1998. At VegasInsider.com, they are listed at 6-1 to repeat.

The Ducks will open the playoffs against the Dallas Stars on Thursday and they are listed as favorites to win the best-of-seven series at -240, according to sportsbook.com. The Stars are underdogs at +200.

Other Western Conference favorites to win first-round series: Detroit (-500) over Nashville (+400); San Jose (-380) over Calgary (+320); and Minnesota (-135) over Calgary (+110).

Eastern Conference favorites: New York Rangers (-120) over New Jersey (-105); Pittsburgh (-320) over Ottawa (+260); Montreal (-400) over Boston (+320); and Washington (-150) over Philadelphia (+125).

Hockey bettors not only can wager on the first-round winners but can also put money on the length of each series.

For example, at Sportsbetting.com, the line for the Ducks to defeat Dallas in four games is 6-1 while the number for the Stars to win the series in a sweep is 14-1. For the Ducks to win in seven games, the odds are 7-2, and for Dallas to win in seven, the odds are 5-1.

There are also bets available for potential Stanley Cup matchups. Pittsburgh vs. Detroit and Montreal vs. Detroit are the two favorite matchups at 13-2, followed by Pittsburgh vs. San Jose and Montreal vs. San Jose 7 -1.

The best odds for the Ducks are against Pittsburgh and Montreal at 12-1.

Boxing

The big match of the week will take place Saturday in Atlantic City, N.J., when Kermit Cintron faces Antonio Margarito for Cintron's International Boxing Federation welterweight title.

Margarito is listed as the favorite at -285 with Cintron at +225, according to Bodoglife.com. The over/under total for rounds is 9 1/2 with the over at +110 and the under at -150.

World Boxing Assn. welterweight champion Miguel Angel Cotto will also be in action against Alfonso Gomez. Cotto is listed as a -1,000 favorite with Gomez an underdog at +575.