Hockey vs. Football
By Judd Hall
The Super Bowl just seems to make add a little something to everything sports related…well, as far as gamblers are concerned.
Bettors will have well over 500 prop bets they can make at several offshore sportsbooks to get away from the standard plays on the spread, totals and moneyline. One set of wagers the public has its disposal are the cross over bets. It gives fans of other sports a chance to use their knowledge in another way pad their bank roll.
Sportsbook.com offers up a nice group of plays when it comes to the three tilts that the NHL will have on Sunday. Here’s a trio of “what will be more” props that are readily available.
Who will have more: Larry Fitzgerald Touchdowns or Goals by Alex Ovechkin?
For anyone who hasn’t paid attention, Larry Fitzgerald is good...really, really good. He has already surpassed Jerry Rice for most receiving yards in a single postseason with 419 yards. It’s almost a given, but scoring has came pretty easy for the former Pitt Panther as he leads all receivers in the playoffs with five touchdowns.
The only person that can seemingly score at will like Fitzgerald is the Capitals’ wunderkind, Alex Ovechkin. The Russian forward leads all NHL scorers with 31 goals. And he’s going to be squaring off with the downtrodden Senators, who have allowed Ovechkin to score 12 goals in 15 career matches.
You’d think that Fitzgerald would be the right play here, but the Steelers have surely drilled into their defensive back’s minds that they must drape him. That would open up guys like Boldin and Breaston to come up with touchdowns. Then you have Ovechkin, who just seems to find the back of the net like nobody’s business. While I think there is a decent chance we’ll see a push here, I’m siding with Alex the Great to cash tickets.
My Pick: Alex Ovechkin
Who will have more: Steelers/Cardinals Total Sacks or Ovechkin’s shots on goal?
This is a tough play to gauge, to be perfectly honest. On one side you have the Cards and Steelers, who have registered 14 total quarterback takedowns during the playoffs. Yet both of their offensive lines have given up just eight sacks total during the postseason. On the other side you have Ovechkin, who has never made a shot he didn’t want to take. He’s taken 314 shots on goal this season in 47 appearances…that’s an average of 6.7 SOG per game.
We’ll see some sacks in the Super Bowl, but it will be more on Roethlisberger since he holds onto the ball for way too long. Ovechkin has averaged around 5.7 SOG in his 15 matches against the Senators. Look for him to just nip the sack total in the Super Bowl.
My pick: Alex Ovechkin
Who will have more: Steelers/Cardinals 1st Quarter Points or Bruins/Canadiens Goals?
If you were to ask me this question before the start of the NHL season, I would have to take the Steelers and Cardinals. That’s because we expected the Bruins to be a sound defensive squad, which they are this season. Yet we’ve seen them display a formidable offensive attack with guys like Marc Savard and Phil Kessel leading the way to the B’s ranking second in the league with 171 lamp lighters.
Boston will be taking on the Canadiens, who have just as potent an offense. Although, Montreal is averaging just two goals in its last four games…all losses, I might add. But the Habs have proved the have a defense almost as limp-wristed as French they speak in giving up 19 scores in this skid.
The Cardinals and their playoff opponents have scored 38 points in the first quarter. Pittsburgh has only tallied a combined 20 points in its two matches. I think it’s reasonable to assume that they’ll both score a passing touchdown in the opening quarter on Sunday.
My pick: Steelers/Cardinals
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