HOCKEY NHL ARTICLES

Apparently a loss to the lowly Canadiens was a wakeup call for the St. Louis Blues. Since falling to the team with the fewest wins in the NHL two weeks ago, the Blues have won four straight outscoring their opponent 19-7 in that stretch. They kicked off a four-game road trip Sunday with a 4-0 win over Chicago and open a swing through the New York metropolitan area with a matchup against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. It’ll be nearly two years to the day that the team’s last played, a 3... 

New York Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant remains best known as the hockey coach kicked to the curb. Once upon a time, when the Florida Panthers fired Gallant, he was forced to hail a cab to the airport instead of flying home with his team. Forgotten in those memories is the record of an outstanding coach. For example, Gallant led the Vegas Golden Knights to the Western Conference championship in their first year as a franchise. And now, this year, Gallant is leading the New York Rangers to a m... 

Wednesday’s NHL game between the Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning is a matchup of what is and what could be. Tampa is the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions and they are in position for another long playoff run. The Oilers have two of the most dynamic players in the league but have struggled to make the postseason with just three appearances in the previous 15 seasons. And when they did reach the playoffs things didn’t go well for the Oilers. In an effort to change things up the Oilers recently made a coaching change with the club going 5-1 in the first six games under Jay Woodcroft. ... 

Division leaders in the Western Conference square off on TNT Wednesday night when the Colorado Avalanche visit the Vegas Golden Knights in a key NHL matchup. Colorado has pulled away in the Central Division with an incredible run that’s seen them go 17-0-2 since the start of the new year. They enter the week with a 9-point lead over Minnesota and their 72 points are the most of any team. Vegas enters the week with a slim lead in the Pacific and is coming off its worst loss of the season, 6-0 at ... 

On Wednesday night TNT will deliver a virtual playoff game in the middle of the long regular season. The Dallas Stars have always relied on defense to contend for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But the Stars’ lack of goal-scoring frustrates gamblers and jeopardizes their 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. As usual, Tyler Seguin and Jami Been have not lived up to the billing with the NHL odds. But just as problematic is that the Stars are not as rock-ribbed on the back end for this current 2021-22 campaign. And that had better change fast for Dallas to make the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. On the other hand, the Nashville Predators are in a solid playoff position. The Predators remain traditionally strong defensively and are getting more goal scoring than in the past. ... 

On Saturday afternoon, Las Vegas, Nevada, will host the first of two major professional sports league All-Star games. The 2022 NHL All-Star game precedes Sunday’s NFL Pro Bowl. Although All-Star Games in any sport are not what they used to be, Sin City is the one venue nobody will complain about traveling to for the festivities. In fact, the NHL will start the weekend on Friday night with its skills competition at 7:30 p.m. ET. Last year the All-Star Game was canceled because of COVID-19. Thus, ... 

The month of January was a disaster for the Edmonton Oilers. Most importantly, from a gambling perspective, gamblers were wiped out from betting on the Oilers. During this span, Edmonton fell out of playoff position. However, the Oilers are still very much in the race for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference. So too have the Washington Capitals been slumping. Still, Washington is in Eastern Conference playoff position but is no longer challenging for the lead in the Metropolitan D... 

The best team in the Western Conference will put their stellar home record on the line this Wednesday night when the Colorado Avalanche play host to the Boston Bruins. Colorado is 17-2-1 in the Mile High City going into Monday night’s home game with Chicago, so there’s no doubt that the Avalanche will be sizeable favorites against Boston per the NHL betting odds. The Bruins are currently on pace to make the NHL playoffs, but they are behind seven teams in the Eastern Conference.... 

The Metropolitan Division leading New York Rangers will face one of the hottest teams in the NHL on Wednesday night when the Toronto Maple Leafs come to the Big Apple in a match-up of Original Six teams. Both Toronto and New York are in good position to make the playoffs as the Eastern Conference is more stratified than it has been in years. Both fanbases have been used to disappointment over the last two decades, but it’s been particularly heartfelt in Toronto as the Maple Leafs haven’t won a p... 

It is looking more like the Philadelphia Flyers lost season of 2020-21 was not an aberration. In fact, the true outlier was the 2019-20 season when the Flyers were a top playoff seed and final four team. Head coach Alain Vigneault has already been fired, and Mike Yeo hasn’t found any answers for a team with some of the worst NHL metrics in nearly all categories. The Boston Bruins are in solid wild card playoff position but have been unsatisfied with their team goaltending all year. Thus, Boston ... 

On Wednesday night TNT will get an earlier start time than what has normally been the case for them in the first three months of the season. Most importantly, TNT receives one of the best matchups possible at any time. The Pittsburgh Penguins have defied the experts who said they were too old and too thin on the roster. While the St. Louis Blues are fresh off one of the best Winter Classic showings of all time. St. Louis and Pittsburgh are two of the hottest teams in the NHL and printing money f... 

For now, the Winter Classic in Minnesota between the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild remains on. But fans and gamblers will be holding their breath until the puck drop. The NHL has dumped a cargo ship worth of games off the board for the past two weeks because of Omicron. Canada and the United States have different protocols for the variant, which has thrown a monkey wrench into the NHL schedule and the future. It also doesn’t help that the NHLPA wags the dog in pro hockey. It’s no coincidenc... 

On Wednesday night TNT will present a hot new expansion team that sells a lot of merchandise. The expansion Seattle Kraken is a hit at the box office and the online gear store. But they aren’t reminding anyone of the 2017-18 Vegas Golden Knights on the ice. Meanwhile, the Anaheim Ducks are one of the big surprises in the NHL. The Ducks are showing impressive balance and the look of a 200-foot team. Anaheim has stuck with coach Dallas Eakins and is being rewarded for their patience. Anaheim is in... 

TNT offers a potential Western Conference playoff preview of inconsistent teams on Wednesday night. Specifically, the Vegas Golden Knights will host the Dallas Stars. Following a slow start, the Stars are cranking into gear. The missing goal-scoring in the season’s first month is finally lighting the lamp. On the other hand, the Golden Knights struggle to keep the puck out of their own net. Vegas may regret the trade of Marc Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks. Cause by Fleury and Robin Lehne... 

The Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night in a game that can be seen on TNT. The Penguins have dominated this series of late, winning 8 of the last 10 meetings, but Edmonton did break a six-game losing streak in the series, winning 2-1 two years ago. The teams have not met in two years when the Penguins won 5-2 in Edmonton.This is the second game of a four-game road trip for the Penguins, as they began the trip in Calgary on Monday. The Oilers have not played since win... 

The St. Louis Blues visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday in a game that can be seen on ESPN+. The Blues started the season strongly but they have not played that well of late with just three wins in their last ten games. The Blackhawks are almost the opposite, as they started the season very poorly but they have played much better of late, winning six of their last ten. St. Louis has done really well in this series of late, winning the last five meetings. Let’s look at the matchup between the Blues and Blackhawks and NHL picks. ... 

The Chicago Blackhawks visit the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night in a game that can be seen on TNT. Chicago struggled early in the season but they are now playing well having won three straight games, while the Kraken have dropped four straight contests. Chicago comes into this game at 4-9-2, while Seattle is 4-10-1. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Blackhawks and Kraken. Let’s look at the matchup between the Blackhawks and Kraken and NHL picks. ... 

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The St. Louis Blues visit the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night in a game that can be seen on TNT. The Blues have gotten off to an excellent start this season and look like a serious contender in the Western Conference, as the Blues are 6-1 on the season and lead the Central Division. The Kings have struggled early in the season but they did finally break their losing streak, winning against Montreal on Saturday. The Blues and Kings have split their last ten meetings but St. Louis has won the last three. Let’s look at the Blues and Kings and NHL picks. The St. Louis Blues will visit the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. This game will take place on Wednesday, November 3, 2021, at 10 p.m. ET, with television coverage on TNT. Odds Analysis The Blues have been one of the best teams early in the season, while the Kings have struggled, so there is little doubt that St. Louis will be favored. St. Louis has also won six of the last ten in Los Angeles with six of the ten going under the total. ... 

On Wednesday night, TNT gets a gem matchup between two teams that got off to promising starts. The Edmonton Oilers have been a source of frustration for gamblers. Cause by not making enough hay with the NHL’s best player, Connor McDavid. Meanwhile, Philadelphia is on a redemption tour after unexpectedly flopping last year. Of course, the Flyers have always had goal scoring. That is again the case this year. If Philadelphia can simply put an average defense on the ice, they can be a serious threa... 

Last week TNT was a smash hit for its NHL debut. The rookie hockey network brought personality and fun to the telecast. Yet, they were sure that everyone had all of the important facts about the game. Fans will be coming back for more on Wednesday night. And it's not just to enjoy the banter of the star-studded studio show. In fact, the matchup of the Blues and Golden Knights will light up the marquee. These two perennial powers are again expected to contend for the Western Conference championship. Vegas’ playoff flop last spring remains a rallying cry. ... 

At the onset of the 2021-22 NHL season are plenty of questions. Specifically, about the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals. New York stunned the hockey world last spring by firing its entire front office. Now Chris Drury is the general manager with Gerard Gallant as head coach. Rangers’ chairman James Dolan believes it's time for the Broadway Blueshirts to make the playoffs. Thus, the pressure is on full blast. Meanwhile, gamblers ask if the Caps are dedicated to winning another Stanley Cup or more to Alex Ovechkin breaking the NHL goal-scoring record. ... 

Two of the NHL’s most successful franchises will open a new era Tuesday night. Namely, the Penguins and Lightning are synonymous with Stanley Cup success. Meanwhile, ESPN is renowned as the “World Wide Leader in Sports.” Following a 17-year separation, the NHL and ESPN have buried the hatchet. Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh are the first game on the network since Game-7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Final. Thus, there is going to be both significant anticipation and curiosity for a major landmark event. Fans and gamblers are thrilled with two top contenders to hail the start of the NHL season. The Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Pittsburgh Penguins Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. This game will take place on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. ET, with television coverage on ESPN. ... 

The long NHL season could end Monday night. The Tampa Bay Lightning are just one game away from clinching their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. In the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, the Lightning has completely and mercilessly outclassed the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal began the Final as a dream NHL betting Cinderella team. But the Stanley Cup Final has proven to be a reality check. In the first three rounds, the Canadiens faced teams that lacked will or skill. By contrast, Tampa Bay has both in spades. So far, the Lighting has blown apart Montreal’s discipline and structure. ... 

The Montreal Canadiens have already beaten three heavy favorites to get to the Stanley Cup Final. Consider that the most impressive by Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge was over a Vegas Golden Knights team favored at -550. Montreal fears nothing nor anyone. And with Carey Price in goal, they can beat anyone they play. However, Monday's Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final was a stark reality check. The Tampa Bay Lightning are in a class by themselves. Tampa Bay lit up the Habs and Price in an impressive 5-1 win. ...