The Boston Bruins came into the playoffs as the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference. The Carolina Hurricanes placed 6th and came oh-so-close to losing to New Jersey in the opening round of the playoffs and now have a shot at winning their second Stanley Cup in four years. But first…they have to get past the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Detroit Red Wings 4, Anaheim Ducks 3
Thanks in large part to Dan Cleary's goal with about 3 minutes left in the game, the Detroit Red Wings are off to the Western Conference Finals for the third straight year.

"Most teams that have won the Stanley Cup don't even get here," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "For us to be in this situation is a real positive, but we have a hungry Chicago team waiting for us."

So…for the Western Conference Final you've got Detroit vs. Chicago. For the Eastern Conference Final you've got Carolina vs. Pittsburgh. Get all your 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Odds at the Bodog Sportsbook!

The second-seeded Red Wings will face the eighth-seeded Ducks tonight at home, hoping to follow a trend. Not including Pittsburgh's win on Wednesday night, the home teams have won 63 percent of Game 7s since 1939.

This postseason, the Ducks have proven they can win anywhere and their confidence has grown. Anaheim won Game 2 at Joe Louis Arena in triple overtime and opened the playoffs with two road wins against the top-seeded San Jose Sharks.

Pavel Datsyuk is goaless in his last eight games and has just two assists against Anaheim. The winner will advance to play the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference final. Get all your NHL playoffs odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.

Detroit can now advance to the conference finals for the third consecutive season with one more win. The powerhouse Red Wings have been able to close out eight consecutive playoff series on the road.

Don't count out Anaheim just yet. They fought back from a 3-2 series deficit to take a Game 7 win over Calgary in 2006.

One of the most pressing challenges for the Ducks will be shutting down Johan Franzen, who has become a prolific goal scorer in the postseason.

Franzen leads the Red Wings with seven playoff goals, including three in the last two games. Get all your NHL playoffs odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.

Detroit hasn't lost three straight playoff games since 2007 when the Ducks did it to them in the conference finals en route to their Cup championship.

A slow start on Thursday could put the second-seeded Red Wings into a deep hole against surging Anaheim. The Ducks are gaining confidence daily as they build off their first-round elimination of the San Jose Sharks.

The Red Wings are 9-2 in their last 11 games as a road favorite. Get all your NHL playoff odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.

A date in Hockeytown won't intimidate the Ducks, who already have showed they're capable of taking an elite team's best shot. They won the first two games of the first round in San Jose, setting the tone for the series.

Detroit and Anaheim have met four times previously in the postseason. The Ducks eliminated the Red Wings in 2007 on the way to their franchise's only Stanley Cup, and they didn't meet last year while Detroit won the championship.

The Red Wings are +250 favorites to win the Cup this year and should be a greater challenge than the Sharks. Get your NHL odds with Bodog now.

But the Sharks also have a shot to force Game 7 on Wednesday back in San Jose.

Evgeni Nabokov looked solid for the Sharks after a less-than-impressive series, although both goals he surrendered in Game 5 appeared stoppable. Nabokov hasn't been nearly as impressive as Jonas Hiller, the Swiss goalie who stopped 45 shots for his latest gaudy stat line.

San Jose also got a boost from a new line of Jeremy Roenick, Jonathan Cheechoo, and Torrey Mitchell, who skipped Sunday's practice to rest up for Game 6. Get your NHL playoff odds with Bodog now.

Five of the seven goals in the Sharks' 4-3 win in Game 3 were scored by defensemen, including Chris Pronger's first goal of the series. Three of Anaheim's top five scorers in the series are on the blue line, including co-leader Ryan Whitney.

San Jose Backers must have been thrilled to see Patrick Marleau score his ninth playoff game-winner the other night. Thanks to that, San Jose now looks forward to tonight's game with a 2-1 deficit instead of being down 3-0. Get all your NHL playoff hockey odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.

Now they are in serious jeopardy of getting bounced if they don't beat the Anaheim Ducks tonight in Game 3. After two close defeats in the Shark Tank, where they lost just five times in regulation all season, coach Todd McLellan still believes San Jose is playing well enough to be rewarded eventually.

The Sharks have a gaping 79-43 advantage in shots during the first two games, but their 0-for-12 power play is just the most obvious symptom of a team-wide shooting slump.

Seven No. 8 seeds since 1994 have won first-round NHL playoff series, and the Ducks still have the veteran core of the club that won the Stanley Cup in 2007. For the best NHL hockey odds head to the Bodog Sportsbook.

The Ducks finished second to the Sharks in the division race, but were 26 points behind. If you are thinking possible upset, Anaheim’s physical nature and postseason experience could make them more dangerous than a typical No. 8 seed.

The Sharks have made a bad habit out of disappointing backers at playoff time, and as a result many seem to view this as a series that could produce a shocker.

This year should be much different. The Sharks led the league from start to finish and they also enter the NHL playoffs with more experience in their lineup than ever before. Stanley Cup winners Claude Lemieux, Rob Blake, Brad Lukowich, Dan Boyle, and Travis Moen have all joined the team since last spring. For the best NHL hockey odds head to the Bodog Sportsbook.

Anaheim is 0-4-0 at home since a 3-2 win over Calgary on Feb. 11, its longest such skid since November 2005.

Anaheim has also had unexpected problems with goaltending, with Jean-Sebastien Giguere sporting a 3.12 goals-against average. He's 3-4-1 with a 3.80 GAA in his last eight starts and has been losing time to backup Jonas Hiller, who dropped his third straight start Sunday against the Wild.

Vancouver has had no such problems, with Roberto Luongo winning 12 of his last 14 starts. Monday night's loss ended his seven-game streak of allowing two or fewer goals. Be sure to get your NHL betting with Bodog today.