HOCKEY NHL ARTICLES

That was the Pittsburgh Penguins offense we were expecting to see this postseason. Pittsburgh left no doubt who was the better team on Sunday afternoon in the Steel City when it came out and pummeled the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa gave up four goals in the first period and the rout was on from there. The Senators must win on home ice on Tuesday to extend the series to a Game 7 or else the Penguins will be back in the Stanley Cup Finals.... 

The Nashville Predators are just one win away from their first ever trip to the Stanley Cup. Nashville’s dream run as a No. 8 seed has finally met some resistance in this series, but a win over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 5 has them on the precipice. Meanwhile, Anaheim needs two victories in a row to get to its third Cup final ever. Both teams are seriously banged up headed into this one so it will truly be a test of whoever wants it more.... 

The Pittsburgh Penguins came through when it mattered the most. Following a total meltdown in the first period of Game 3, the Penguins came out looking like a completely different team in Game 4. Pittsburgh put the pressure on the Ottawa Senators early and often and jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Although the Senators eventually bounced back and nearly sent the game to overtime at the end, it was too little too late and the Penguins held on to send the series back to Pittsburgh knotted at two apiece.... 

Things were hairy for a while, but the Anaheim Ducks held on against the Nashville Predators to win a crucial Game 4 and knotted the series at two. The Ducks tallied a goal in the first and second period, but then began to crumble in the latter half of the third period. Anaheim committed four penalties in seven minutes and allowed a goal in the last 35 seconds that sent the game to overtime. Once in OT, a couple mistakes from Nashville’s defense led to an Anaheim victory.Don’t miss the action on the ice from the Honda Center in Anaheim at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 20, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on NBC. We will have NHL playoff hockey odds at BookMaker.eu for every postseason game.... 

The Ottawa Senators put together their most complete performance yet this postseason on Wednesday night. Ottawa jumped on the Pittsburgh Penguins early with a goal inside the opening minute and only added on to the lead from there. The Senators ended up lighting the lamp four times in the first 13 minutes of action and that was all she wrote after that. Pittsburgh needs a win in Game 4 to avoid going down 3-1 in the series.... 

The Nashville Predators dominated the Anaheim Ducks across the stat sheet on Tuesday night, but didn’t secure the victory until the very end. Anaheim took a 1-0 lead into the third period despite being outshot 28 to 13 through the first two periods of action, but couldn’t hold the line against an onslaught from Nashville. The Predators swarmed the Ducks goal the entire third period tallying four goals, two were disallowed, and scored the game-winner with three minutes left.Don’t miss the action on the ice from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 18, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on NBCSN. We will have NHL playoff hockey odds at BookMaker.eu for every postseason game.... 

It took 53 minutes to get the first and only goal in Game 2, but it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh was starting to feel the pressure knowing that it couldn’t afford to fall behind 2-0 in the series and the intensity ramped up on the ice as a result. Phil Kessel, the man that was so important in last year’s Stanley Cup run, ended up notching the lone goal and knotting the series at 1-1. The Ottawa Senators snatched home ice away from the Penguins though with a win in Game 1 and now it is their turn to capitalize.... 

Never underestimate the heart of a veteran team. Already down 1-0 in the series and staring at a two-goal deficit in the first ten minutes of Game 2, the Anaheim Ducks responded in a big way. Anaheim tied the game with goals in the last minute of the first period and within the first 40 seconds of the second period and found a quick answer when the Nashville Predators broke the deadlock once again. The Ducks went on to win the game 5-3 and will attempt to take home ice back in Game 3 on Tuesday.Don’t miss the action on the ice from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 16, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on NBCSN. We will have NHL playoff hockey odds at BookMaker.eu for every postseason game.... 

Don’t look now, but the Ottawa Senators are three more wins away from a potential 2007 rematch of their Stanley Cup clash with Anaheim. Ottawa withstood the late game heroics of Evgeni Malkin to steal the first game from the Pittsburgh Penguins and put themselves in a good spot for when the series heads to Canada for Game 3. There is still one more game in Pittsburgh before the venue shifts though and the Pens will give their all to win it.... 

The dream run won’t end for the Nashville Predators. Nashville may have entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, but has only dropped two games and looks like the best team in the West. An overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 1 has the Predators feeling like they are a team of destiny. The Ducks are out to prove that isn’t the case, but need a win in Game 2 at home before the venue switches to Nashville for the next two games.... 

Anaheim finally won a Game 7! After four straight seasons of being eliminated on home ice in a Game 7, the Anaheim Ducks finally came through when it mattered against Edmonton. The Ducks overcame an early 1-0 deficit to move on to the Western Conference Finals and are now looking to win their first Stanley Cup in a decade. To do that, they are going to have to best the Nashville Predators, a team that is making their first ever conference finals appearance.... 

The Pittsburgh Penguins showed the heart of a champion by holding off the Washington Capitals in Game Seven on Wednesday. The win sent the defending Stanley Cup champions on to the conference finals for the second straight season and left the team with the best record in the regular season getting ready for the golf course. The only thing standing in Pittsburgh’s way of repeating as Eastern Conference champs are Canada’s last hope to hoist the Cup, the Ottawa Senators.... 

Don’t look now, but the Washington Capitals are looking to erase a decade’s worth of playoff frustration in one fell swoop. The team that has failed to make it out of the first two rounds of the postseason despite having one of the league’s most talented players has erased a 3-1 deficit and now gets a winner-take-all Game 7 on home ice. Knocking out the team that sent them home for the summer last season, the Pittsburgh Penguins, would make the win all the more significant.Don’t miss the action on the ice from the Verizon Center in the nation’s capital at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 10, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on NBCSN. We will have NHL playoff hockey odds at BookMaker.eu for every postseason game.... 

The Ottawa Senators have been living on the edge this series. Ottawa’s three wins against the New York Rangers have all been by one goal, with two of those coming in overtime, but are up 3-2 regardless. Now the Senators will have the opportunity to close out the Rangers on the road on Tuesday night. A win would put them back in the conference final for the first time in 10 years and keep their hopes of bringing the Stanley Cup back to Canada alive.Don’t miss the action on the ice from the Madison Square Garden in Manhattan at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 9, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on NBCSN. We will have NHL playoff hockey odds at BookMaker.eu for every postseason game.... 

Game 7 is one of the most fun things for almost any hockey fan, the exception being if you are a fan of the Anaheim Ducks. In each of the last four seasons, they were up 3-2 in a series with Game 6 on the road and Game 7 at home and lost both games to go crashing out of the playoffs each time. The Edmonton Oilers are looking to become the latest team to rip out the hearts of Ducks fans in their first trip back to the postseason in a decade.... 

Alexander Ovechkin is desperate to finally lead his team to a conference finals. For all the regular season accolades the talented winger has tallied, he has yet to find much success in the postseason and that is the main argument detractors use against calling him the best player in the league. For his Washington Capitals to defeat the team that has been the thorn in their side the last few seasons, the Pittsburgh Penguins, would make his first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals all the sweeter.... 

Oh Canada! What happened? The Edmonton Oilers have to be reeling after blowing a game that was in the bag early Saturday morning. Edmonton took at 3-0 lead into the final 3 minutes and change of its game against Anaheim before it all fell apart. The Oilers allowed 3 goals in 3:01 of play to allow the Ducks to send the game to overtime and fatigue started to set in. Edmonton allowed Anaheim to score the game-winning goal 7 minutes into the second overtime period and is now staring at a 3-2 series deficit and a must-win Game 6.... 

The St. Louis Blues stayed alive with a win on home ice Friday night, but are still behind the eight ball in this series. They trail the Nashville Predators 3-2 and will have to win in Nashville on Sunday if they want to reach the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season. Meanwhile, a Nashville victory on Sunday would send the Predators to the conference finals for the first time in the franchise’s history.... 

The Boston Bruins stayed alive with a thrilling double overtime game winner from Sean Kuraly to seal the deal against the Ottawa Senators in Game 5. It was the second goal of the game for Kuraly, who also notched the game-tying goal in the second period. Boston will travel back home for a must-win Game Six, but has to be feeling confident about being able to win on home ice. Meanwhile Ottawa will be attempting to get the clean sweep in Boston.... 

The Washington Capitals are trying to erase a history of postseason disappointment this season. With the top seed in the West summarily swept out of the playoffs, the door is wide open for the Capitals to win their first Stanley Cup in the team’s history. After falling behind 2-1 in this series, the refrain was that these were the same old Capitals, but Washington has responded with aplomb the last two games. They will have the chance to close out the series in Toronto on Sunday night.... 

It’s been great to see playoff hockey back in the Gateway to the North. The Edmonton Oilers took command of their series against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night with a late goal to send the game into overtime followed by a winner in the extra frame to give them a 3-2 lead. San Jose will be on home ice in a bid to save their season in Game 6 on Saturday, but Edmonton has the momentum and is hungry for its first playoff series win in over a decade.... 

Home ice hasn’t meant much in the series between the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers. The road team has won three of the five games in the series after the Rangers’ clutch overtime win in Game 5 in Montreal and now get the chance to close out the series on their home ice. This has been a hard fought series with the Rangers tallying just one more goal than the Canadiens and no game has been decided by more than two goals.... 

Welcome back to the postseason Edmonton! The Edmonton Oilers are back in the postseason for the first time in over a decade and the once-proud franchise is looking to win its sixth Stanley Cup. Edmonton made it all the way to the finals the last time it was in the playoffs and a thunderous ‘O Canada!’ is still reverberating around Rogers Place. The Oilers are considered Canada’s second-best hope to reclaim the Cup and are favored to get past the defending Western Conference champion San Jose Sharks in the first round.... 

The Anaheim Ducks stormed back to win the Pacific Division and now find themselves in the driver’s seat in their half of the Western Conference. They allowed fewer goals than any other team in the West and John Gibson is looking to prove that he has what it takes to lead the Ducks to some playoff wins after last year’s disappointing performance. He was hurt for most of the past six weeks but looked strong since his return and posted a shutout in his most recent appearance. Gibson will look to outduel Brian Elliott of the Calgary Flames in the first round.... 

Defense has been the name of the game for the Boston Bruins when they have been successful this decade, but there are serious concerns heading into the postseason this time around. Two of Boston’s top defensemen, Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo, will be out for at least the opening salvo of the series and this team is so thin now that it had to sign 19-year old Charlie McAvoy to provide depth. However, because of the intricacies of the NHL playoff format, the Bruins don’t have to face one of the monsters in the Metropolitan Division, but instead get an inter-division foe in the Ottawa Senators....