Bodog Beat

Sidney Crosby didn't register a point, but the Pittsburgh Penguins still won in a laugher. (AP Images)

Sidney who?

Another Pittsburgh Penguins phenom made the Mellon Arena faithful temporarily forget about Sidney Crosby Wednesday night.

Evgeni Malkin scored a goal and added two assists while Marc-Andre Fleury recorded his first career postseason shutout as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators 4-0 in a game that wasn't even that close.

41-year-old Gary Roberts scored two goals and Petr Sykora added the other as the Penguins absolutely dominated the team that eliminated them from the playoffs a year ago. Ottawa – who is missing key forwards Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher – looked listless for most of the game and was hit hard (again) by the injury bug when defenseman Anton Volchenkov was hit in the face with a puck midway through the second period. He didn't return to the contest.

The Malkin scoring outburst was a good sign for those who read and followed the betting advice in Bodog Nation this week. A piece entitled NHL Stanley Cup Betting: All Propped Up said that this bet – Evgeni Malkin Total 1st Round Points vs. Ottawa Senators – was the best wager of the opening round. Betting over 5.5 points (-125) would net you a tidy return…and Malkin is now halfway to hitting that total.

For more Stanley Cup Betting advice, read Bodog Nation!

NHL Hockey Betting!