NHL Betting: Hasek Outduels Luongo in Shootout

Dominik Hasek stopped all three Canucks he faced in the shootout. (AI Wire photo)

In a battle between two of the elite goaltenders in the NHL, the Dominator got the best of Big Stop Bob.

Needing a victory after their first three-game losing streak of the season, the Detroit Red Wings blasted 49 shots at Roberto Luongo on Thursday night. He stopped all but two of them and forced a shootout, but he couldn’t outperform Dominik Hasek. The Red Wings beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 as Hasek stopped the three shooters he faced at Joe Louis Arena after making 26 saves in regulation.

Luongo let in a goal by Henrik Zetterberg and Red Wings backers got back to making money. Detroit paid -210 on the puckline (meaning a winning hockey bet of $210 would net $100). The betting total was just under 5.5 goals.

Vancouver did come away with a point and moved into a tie for first place in the Northwest Division. The Red Wings, who got two goals from Dan Cleary during the first 40 minutes, improved to a league-best 34-10-4.

In other NHL action on Thursday:

Washington 5, Edmonton 4: It took 12 shooters, but the Capitals finally prevailed. Matt Bradley beat Dwayne Roloson to deliver host Washington the win. Alexander Ovechkin had a goal and assist for the Caps, who were -145 favorites.

Ottawa 5, Carolina 1: The good news for Ottawa was Martin Gerber looked strong in goal. The bad news: captain Daniel Alfredsson left the game with a hip injury. The Senators have already lost Dany Heatley for up to six weeks, so their depth will need to show if they’re going to continue to lead the East. Antoine Vermette had two goals and Gerber made 36 saves as the Sens paid -220 at home.

Anaheim 2, Nashville 1: Corey Perry scored the winning goal for the Stanley Cup champs, who won on the road as -125 favorites.

Toronto 3, Boston 2: The underdog Maple Leafs won in a shootout to pay +125 in Beantown. Toronto snapped a six-game road losing streak when Mats Sundin and Alexander Steen scored in the shootout.

Montreal 3, Atlanta 2: In yet another shootout result, the Habs paid even money as they prevailed in Atlanta. Andrei Kostitsyn, who scored in regulation, netted the shootout winner.

For NHL odds for the weekend, visit the Bodog Sportsbook.